2006 24VE tower issues

[zombie01]

Hello,

Has anyone encountered issues with the 2006 24Ve Tige Monster towers? We were told that this is the make of the tower we have. I've done tons of research to see if there are any fixes for rattling towers online, but it seems that most everyone says "tighten all the mounting hardware and it'll be fine". Well we've done all of that with no success. Our first boat was a 2000 21V with the old style "ladder rack" that held the wakboards on the top and it was solid as all get out. I'm wondering if anyone has encountered these issues and can suggest anything? I have an idea of what I need to do, but I'd like to get some feedback before I go forward. Thanks in advance for any help.

[chpthril]

You will need to post a pic of your tower. "Monster" is a tower manufacturer, but was never used by Tige. In 06, Tige had their own in-house built tower called the "E" series. But, alot of Tige dealers ordered boats with out towers and installed their own.

[zombie01]

Here's the tower.check it out and let me know what you think

DSC08086.jpg

[mls6722]

That's the E series. Nice looking boat.

[majestic]

When is the rattling happening? Mine rattled because of the wire nuts for the nav light when the boat was bouncing or crossing wakes. Mine wobbles a lot even without the tower speakers on and there is no fix for that.

I have the same e-series tower as well.

[chpthril]

Good looking boat!

The "E" Series has a number of allen headed set screws that have been known to loosen up. There are a couple at the feet where the front legs mount to the deck and a couple at the joint where the tower folds above the windshield. If they are loose, I would pull them, add a dab of blue Lok-Tite and reinstall them. Next, torque the 4 mounting bolts to 22 Lb/Ft. The rear two will only require an 8MM allen socket, but the front two are botls with nust on the inside and will require a wrench also.

[FacePlant]

Wow, that boat looks awful familiar, haha. I think I actually like the yellow brace on that tower, hmmm.....

[bigdaddy_houseboater]

Mine was rattling because the nuts were bottoming out on the bolt shoulder. The threads on the bolt ran out about an inch from the head, so the nut needed several washers to space it. Then it tightened all the way down and stopped rattling.
Nice boat by the way.

[murphini]

so how do you get to those nuts & bolts? Do you have to remove the seat backing or can they be reached up from the underseat storage lockers? Assume the front ones can be reached from the front storage lockers...

[chpthril]

so how do you get to those nuts & bolts? Do you have to remove the seat backing or can they be reached up from the underseat storage lockers? Assume the front ones can be reached from the front storage lockers...

The allen headed bolts in the rear legs thread into a tapped alum. plate, so no nut on the bottom to reach. The fronts on the other hand, do have a nut that needs to be torqued. Its easy to get by climbing in the mid-ship locker.

[nlee423]

Any ideas where you can get new Rachet screws if plastic ones broke?

I've got the same tower. Had to put a spacer as a shim in the bottom by seat in front to get the rattle to stop. The nut just wouldn't sinch it up enough. Works good now. I have broke both ratchet screws on the front. yours look metal. Mine were plastic.
Chpthrill any Idea where you get some new ones. No boat dealers in UTah seem to have them.

[chpthril]

I've got the same tower. Had to put a spacer as a shim in the bottom by seat in front to get the rattle to stop. The nut just wouldn't sinch it up enough. Works good now. I have broke both ratchet screws on the front. yours look metal. Mine were plastic.
Chpthrill any Idea where you get some new ones. No boat dealers in UTah seem to have them.

Are you talking about the crank handles at the joints and uprights? If so, McMaster-Carr.com has them.

[nlee423]

yes and thank you much!

[zombie01]

Thanks to all for the posts and info on my tower. Now that I know what it actually is (E-series) now I can refer to it accurately. I've done most everything that has been posted with little or no changes or improvements. The only thing it to confirm that my hardware isn't bottoming out on the shoulders of the bolts. I'm actually considering making custom base mounts for the legs so it will have more contact surface whre the tower mounts to the boat itself. It doesn't seem that there is enough surface area for the tower to be stable. Also thinking of adding a cross brace (similar to the hoop near the top) to go just below the factory one and see if that helps stiffen it up. In all reality, folding towers are great in concept, but it seems that everywhere it pivots/folds down is a potential area for rattling and headaches. Thanks again to all. New to using the forums, so sorry for the delayed response.

[Dave K]

I have the same tower on my boat, and it WAS as solid a rock. I took the tower off to work on the speakers and when I put it back on the boat it wobbles. I did the "tighten all the bolts and set screws" thing and it hasn't been the samme as before I took the tower off.