Bow Hook Tow Point

[EAHinsch]

I pulled the trigger on a used '99 2100V Limited that is in mainly immaculate shape. I thing I noticed is cracking at the base of the bow tow hook mounting point. Does anyone has any experience with this. Is it a structural or waterproof problem or is it purely cosmetic in nature. I look forward to all the information that is available on this forum and thank you for the advice.

[NICKYPOO]

Nice ride. Welcome to the site.

Yikes! That is kind if a nasty little bow hook. Looks like it was loose and got yanked around a bit, either on the trailer or on the anchor. First things first, get it sealed up. Pull it completely out out and re-caulk it. Make sure its tight. When they are loose, it can let water in there. Not a big deal but, obviously not good. The big danger with a loose bow eye is ripping it out. That would be bad. It really puts a lot of stress on the fiberglass. The best thing to do would be to take it to a fiberglass shop and have them repair it right. You'll never know it was there.

Next, get rid of that tower. You're probably not ready to drop another couple grand on a new tower but, trust us, it'll be worth it. For now, tighten every bolt you can find on it. Check the ladder section (top section) for cracks, especially at the lap joints. This is where they tend to fail. DO NOT PULL TUBES FROM THE TOWER! Highly dangerous for any tower but, especially that tower.

Other than that, you can't buy a better boat of that vintage. They are built to last and will take tons of abuse and never have an issue. The hulls are far superior to anything else on the water.

What do you plan to do behind it? It's a great little surf boat.

[EAHinsch]

Hey Nicky,

Thanks for the response. I talked to Harvey at Tige' and he stated he believes it is more cosmetic and structural, given the reinforcement around that hook, but stated that I should gelcoat and repair it....with that said, he did not see a picture. As for the tower, it will be gone this weekend and I think I will have those holes and the bow hook fixed at the same time. The hull on this thing is absolutely immaculate and the engine only has 204 hours. The previous owner also did a full professional reupholster. so I could pass on the value of this deal. I am leaning towards the Aerial Airborne with racks, and Bimini. Trying to decide if I need the tower speakers at this point. From the water sports perspective, I moved away from my current I/O because I want to get my girls into competitive water sports, but at seven and four, they are a ways from that. Thinking this will be a nice boat to get them started and if and when then latch on to it, I can always upgrade to something bigger and better. As for myself, I grew up on ski's, but have also done some wake boarding. I think I will first venture into wake surfing because it just looks awesome. Again thanks, and I will get more pictures up this weekend. Any thoughts on Aerial?

[NICKYPOO]

Ya, I actually installed one on a friends boat. The tubing is really thin. I was kinda of shocked. One of the tubes was way out of round just from being welded to another tube. This made it impossible to install it. It took two weeks to get s replacement. Had to send the offending piece back before they would send a replacement. Once we got the new piece, it went together fairly easily and despite the incredibly thin tubing, it is remarkably sturdy. It is a well designed tower and far superior to the factory tower you have now. It's probably worth every penny they charge, even though they are made in China.

The tower I really like is the Samson. Every one I've seen has been top notch quality. I think they are worth the money.

Pass on the tower speakers and get an FAE. You don't want your kids sucking exhaust fumes do you? If you don't have an FAE, they will be and so will you. I would order that before a tower.

[Bakes5]

A new tower will change the character dramatically. Love our Samson on our 98 2200v but it was not cheap

Also, 7 and 4 is about right. My 7 y/o does everything (slalom, wakeboard, wake skate, kneeboard, hydrofoil....planning to barefoot this summer). I would love to start him doing some slalom comps this summer but our 2200v is not exactly awsa approved. Just make sure you make he kids earn the tubes. Wont let ours do them until they have done two real watersports..

[NICKYPOO]

That is the tower I would buy today if I needed a new tower. No question.

My kid is going to be four this summer. I'm gonna get her surfing this year. She has been on the EZSki for two years now and it has been fantastic for getting her comfortable behind the boat. I'll probably get her a set of skis as well.

Way to keep 'em honest Bakes. While we do have a tube, we never bring it.

[Bakes5]

Best thing for getting them comfortable is a kneeboard with an ez up hook. They learn how to edge, jump and take a fall...plus they are near guaranteed to get up first pull. The kneeboard is my go to board when I have a new kid without any boat experience. I always run 2 kneeboards as well. Keeps the throughput up and gives the rookies someone to help them out.

[IDBoating]

I'll repeat my recommendation for the Joystick towers:

http://www.joystickpylons.com/towers_pro.htm

I installed one on my previous boat and can't say enough positive things about it. Solid, silent, attractive, strong, comes in a multitude of colors, and one of the less expensive towers out there (under $1K when I bought mine). I really like the design of the mount points - no Heim joints, just solid billet aluminum. And they're made right here in the USA, in Southern California.

Call and talk to them. Costs nothing and you'll get a good education.

[laserfish]

Put the Samson Razor on mine last year and love it. Best move we have made after 10 years of the old one. Don't know about the Ariel other than made in China. Samson, right here in the USA and great people to work with. They can make you one that will fit in the original mount points like they did mine. Airborne does look cool though. Welcome to the Tige family, you have chosen well.

[Fire_medic]

I had installed an ariel on my old malibu it was fairly easy to install, it did the trick for starting out. They are thin and seem cheap but for me it was my budget at the time. I had got mine from H2O sports wearhouse on line and got a board rack and ski rack mirror and speakers total I spent less than 1000$ because they sell their stuff on ebay (dont know if they still do) I just didnt like the rubber spacers you need to put in. I now have an 05 22v with a Samson tower FAR better tower and boat.

[MoneyPity]

Put the Samson Razor on mine last year and love it. Best move we have made after 10 years of the old one. Don't know about the Ariel other than made in China. Samson, right here in the USA and great people to work with. They can make you one that will fit in the original mount points like they did mine. Airborne does look cool though. Welcome to the Tige family, you have chosen well.

I put a Razor on the 07 20V I owned and loved the tower. It went up and down easily and the bimini was so much easier to use verses the stock one.. The Sampson folks where great to work with and when I ran into a defective tower light and tower spot no questions asked they sent me replacement parts and if needed would set me up with a Marina they work with in my neck of the woods. Their service was outstanding and the product was great. To sum it up my goes to the Samson Razor. As much as I had to raise and lower to get in and out of garage as well as bridges on the lackes we visited it was a heck of a lot easier than the e-series Tige tower.