2001 Tige Metcraft Tower SNAPS...

[bcskypilot]

It's heart breaking and maybe season ending... The tower snapped under at the top on each side by the bolts. I guess I'm lucky nobody was hurt but with no local dealer here in Indy I am not sure where to turn... I understand that this has been something Tige has seen before. Anyone have any input on what way to go for a fix or am I looking at replacing a tower? For those that may be wondering... Yes, the tower and all bolts are always tightened down before we ride...

I pushed the tower back up to show where it snapped at if this helps...

Thanks


Hmm... No luck posting the pic. Anyone able to help with that as well^

[bcskypilot]

I was able to talk to Tige today and was told that the tower only had a 1 yr. warranty and that they now make their own towers. I was able to get Metcraft contact info though. I left a message and hope to hear something good soon...

[Matt Garcia]

Did it look like this? If so, its common among these towers. It happened to a friend with a 2001 21i as well. When I found out that mine was broken (had no idea how long it was cracked since the black pads covered it) I was devastated. I called Tige and the told me the same thing they told you. I dealt with Bob Metcaft of Metcraft Industries. I ended up having to ship the tower to them so they could reweld it with a better support system and re-powdercoated it. I think I spent around 375.00 total since it was not covered under warranty. 175.00 Total for shipping and about 200.00 for fixing it. It took them about 2 weeks to fix it and ship it.

Really got my blood boiling when I realized that I had to pay for something that broke in a weak weld. Good thing that I dont have to deal with that anymore since I sold it after I got it fixed.

By the way, my tower bolts were very tight when I found out the tower broke, in fact I checked them almost every outing and I never took my tower down.

[Matt Garcia]

Broke at both welds..

[bcskypilot]

Wow... It's like I am looking at my own boat tower... That is the exact problem I have now... It's snapped on both ends but also pulled down some since I was boarding from it. I noticed after looking at it more tonight that it looks like it may have torqued the whole frame under the load because my gelcoat on one of the legs is also cracked. I think it was Bob they left my message for at Metcraft so I'll have to see what he says... Shipping form Indianapolis to Metcraft could hurt a bunch...

Anyone else have this happen??

[lee]

It happened to a lot of the 2001 towers, might be the design of the tower. Seems the metal is a little thin in that area.

[bcskypilot]

Everyone at Metcraft must be pretty busy because I haven't heard anything back yet. Incase I need a new tower does anyone know if the newer Tige Tower fits the 1998 22i or not? Any other tower suggestions for that boat?

Thanks...

[Matt Garcia]

You just have to be very persistent. I called non stop until I got a resolution.

Just keep calling.

[Bog]

once you get ahold of bob tell him to send you a new "H frame" dont send your old one in to have it welded. Just get the new part and install it your self

[lee]

Yeah, just measure the "H" bar you have now and they can make you a new one with different mounting points.

[bcskypilot]

Is the "H Frame" the whole top part? I know it bolted on the back side of the tower in two spots and has screws on each side in the front. Am I thinking of the right thing?? Anyone have a pic of what you are talking about? Thanks!

[lee]

Yes, the "H" bar is the top section. If you took it out and stood it on the end it would look like a H.

[Matt Garcia]

lee is right, the "H" bar is the part that they had to work on. I also had to send them the back legs since it was a new support system they were sending me.

Break it down and you will see that top section is a sepearte piece.

[bcskypilot]

Just tried to break it down. The screw in the front on one side looks like it snapped off when the tower pulled down so I am having a heck of a time getting it apart. The whole tower seems screwed up now because I have one mount on the front right of the boat that is gapping and the other side is dug into the gel coat... Both post are tight on the underneath, one I can loosen the other is so tight and ackward to get at that I haven't been able to get it loose... I may have to take the whole thing off to have it checked to see if it torqued. Is there a way to even check for that??

Thanks for all the help...

[bcskypilot]

I was able to talk to Bob at Metcaft and he seems to have a fix for the tower if I pay to ship it to him. Thanks for all the help guys and thanks Metcraft for offering to take a peak at it for me.

[Bog]

of course he has a fix. He did a horrible job building that POS to begin with!! Props to Matt Dettman for hooking me up when mine broke a couple years ago:)

[Zacky]

Amazing! Our tower just broke in the exact same place (2001 21V)! We have already been in contact with Metcraft and was less than pleased with their response. They wanted us to disassemble the tower, ship the H frame and two side pieces (minus the board racks) to them, they would "repair the tower making it stronger than before", and ship it back. All for the extremely reasonable price of $250 to ship it, $250 for the repair, and I believe $250 for the return ship. $750 to repair that tower??? Are you kidding? Looks like this is a design problem that they should already have a solution to. Perhaps a recall is in order?

So what you guys are saying is that they can just ship the H frame for the repair?

bcskypilot, what did they quote you?

[bcskypilot]

I haven't heard back form Bob after sending my pictures in. From what I hear he was stuck in "Jury Duty". So, I am also stuck in limbo. My shipping prices are a little higher then what you have. Who are you going through and from where? With shipping costing that much I have been thinking about a different tower all together... With the number of towers that seem to have broken you would think something would be done... Please let us klnow what the outcome of yours is...

[Zacky]

After reading all of this, we are going to call them Monday morning and see about an entirely new H frame. This seems to be the source of all the problems. I will let you know after we hear from them...

[scootc]

Well, waddaya know! After reading this string I pulled the pads off my tower and found mine broken on the right side/rear link :mad: . The interesting thing is the left side was ok except one of the bolt heads was sheared off.
I'm going to take it to a local fabricator to see what they can do. Otherwise, for the $500-$750 it cost to go back to Metcraft, might as well buy a Monster tower and be done with it.

[bcskypilot]

Still no word back form Metcrtaft so I left another message for Bob this AM. They told me he may not be available at all today...

[bcskypilot]

Update. I heard back form Bob today and my tower is toast. With the tower not setting flush now on the boat there must be a twist somewhere in addition to my H bar being toast. Guess it's back to lets find a tower...

[scootc]

I just picked the boat up from a local fabricator, who was able to weld it back together. I had him go ahead and weld up the entire joint - since I really don't plan to ever take the tower apart. This cost $100, which he told me was mostly the prep work and protecting the boat.
The pictures not too great because I took it with my crappy phone camera.

[Bog]

why the hell was the H frame a separate part to begin with???!?!!? Bob get on here and tell us about your creative engineering on that tower

[NICKYPOO]

Man am I happy I got rid of my metcrap. I knew if I didn't upgrade to something else, something bad was going to happen. Sorry it's happening to you guys. Just get rid of them. New towers aren't cheap but, what a difference it makes. I couldn't be happier to pay that bill.

[piggyfa]

Another person here with a broken Metcrap tower. I too could get nowhere with a call to Metcrap and ended up emailing them. I asked as someone suggested that they send me the 'H-Frame'. There response was: We can't just send you the H frame, because that would not solve your problem. We completely replace the couplings with a new pin system. This is the only way to be assured you will have no more problems.
Good Luck to all of us who have to deal with this issue.

[rpaxton]

I'm glad I read this. I will check my tower today. It sounds like we all need to get together and possibly look at a class action law suit against the tower manufacturer. It sounds like their tower design has several significant weak spots due to poor design and materials. I think they should be the ones to pay to fix their design.:mad:

[bcskypilot]

I've still been trying to work something out with them. I removed the tower this last weekend so we could atleast float on it over the holiday. It was really hard leaving the wakeboards behind...

[sagmanaur]

It sounds to me that if there is that many problems with this tower someone should get together with all of your names and contact a lawyer to get the towers fixed at their cost. It sounds like they designed a faulty tower! If this was in the auto industry it would be a recall.

BTW, has anyone had problems with the Wake Design tower from 04?

[lee]

We have a used 2004 tower white in color with black bimini top for sale if some one needs to replace a tower. It will fit 22v, 24v and with some help 21v and 23v.

[Bog]

regarding the wakedesign tower, I have seen a couple 03's with really crappy welds that broke over time. I dont know about 04

[NICKYPOO]

I'm really torn on this issue. Yes, those towers suck. It's no secret. All of you who have them know this. I had one and I new it sucked. So who is to blame? Metcraft for building a weak tower? Tige for putting them on their boats? Boat owners who know they have a weak product but refuse to take responsibility for the weak product on their boat? I'm gonna get grilled for this one but, I think it's the boat owners. It's not like these things are breaking right off of the showroom floor. If one did, then I would be looking for answers. Over time, everything will break. That is why I replaced mine before it broke. You can't own one of those things and not know that eventually it is going to break. You can't really fault Metcraft. They were contracted by Tige to build that tower. I would bet they could have built a better one but, at what cost? Tige could have had a better one built but, at what cost? Why do you think they build different towers now? If that tower was so great, why don't they still use them? Does anyone know what the factory warranty was on those towers?

[lee]

The towers has a one year warranty.

[NICKYPOO]

There you go. Thanks Lee.

[Cheeky]

I did replace my 2001 because I was unhappy with how much it swayed and the design in general. Before I bought the boat, the previous owner had the tower repaired under warranty. The H bar never broke on my while I had it. The bolts on the rear base kept snapping (apparently you are supposed to loosen them whenever you lower the tower, but I nver knew). I got a deal on a 2005 tower on never looked back. Thanks to Lee for working that one out to make it work on the boat.

[LovinPowell]

I am amazed at this thread, I don't even know what kind of tower I have, I have a 2005 21i that I bought a year ago. Did Tige still use metcraft towers then or did they change before that? I hope that I don't have a metcraft tower, what a pain.

[bcskypilot]

I called Tige about buying a new tower from them direct since the Metcraft Tower failed. I was told the new towers wouldn't fit the 98 22i I have though. Lee are there any options available for a custom tower since you guys build your own now? My season is almost over so waiting a little while wouldn't be as painful if we could work something out...

Thanks,

Brian

[xpjim1]

So I will most likely get toasted for this but I had a Metcraft on my 2002 20V and one on my 05 24V. I have to say I liked the 2002 model better as it seemed more solid. The 05 has some sway but I was the one who made the decision to buy it. I wanted the Samson Razor but ran out of money. Maybe I was lucky and did not own the tower long enough for problewms or Metcraft improved there design.

[bcskypilot]

The metcraft tower I had always had some sway to it. The sway went hand in hand with the rattle I could always count on. For me, at my skill level and riding style I it was practical still so I never griped about it. I liked it with the board racks built in and I thought it looked pretty good as well. Till it broke anyways^

[lee]

We do not build towers in house but have a metal fab shop that can make a tower to fit any boat. We also have a machine shop that has made some parts for us so we can attach piviting or rotating board racks to the 2005-2006 Tige towers. Hope to have some pictures of the racks soon.

[bcskypilot]

Lee is it possible to get the contact info for the shop you are talking about. I would be interested in seeing if they could build a tower for my 22i.


Thanks,

[Zacky]

Nickypoo-

How are you going to hold the owners responsible? That is one of the most ridiculous things I have heard. I, for one, am not an engineer. Therefore, I cannot look at the makings of a tower and have the ability to tell whether or not it will stand the test of time. Sure, the tower swayed and creaked. Most do. Was that an indication that it would eventually snap? The windshield on my Tige flexes and the dash vibrates and rattles. Does this mean my boat is falling apart and will eventually sink? I am lucky that it only snapped in one place compared to the others that have snapped in two or three places.

Has Metcraft publically acknowledged this problem to the owners or Tige? I have never received notification. Until they do, then they obviously stand behind the integrity of this particular tower, and see the breakings as a mere fluke rather than a manufacturers error. By doing this they are opening themselves up to huge liabilities. Hopefully, the next tower that snaps will not cause serious injury or death. In this day and age, Metcraft would lose and lose big. Did manufacturers not learn anything from Firestone Tires?

Is it a coincidence that all of these towers are breaking in the exact same places? The only way an owner can be held responsible is if Metcraft acknowledges the problem (through a recall of some sort). Then, if the owner chooses not to have the tower fixed, it's on the owner.

I agree that all things eventually break. But three years and 200 hours later? Come on...

[NICKYPOO]

Zachy,

Outstanding reply. Excellent points throughout. However, I liken those particular towers to a paper clip. If you bend it back and forth enough times, it will break. I agree with you that Metcraft should have put some sort of notice out about those towers. That would have been the stand up thing to do.........I also agree that Metcraft is opening themselves up for a world of hurt. My point was that you dont need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that that tower is jenky. I knew it when I bought the boat. At the time, it was a Tige and it had a tower with board racks. I needed it. I eventually paid the boat off and it was staight to Boss to have a tower built that would hold up as long as my Tige. I was just lucky that the Metcraft didn't break before I got rid of it.

[bcskypilot]

Finally had a chance to go out and price what it was going to cost to fill in the holes and gel coat where my Metcraft tower used to set. All I can say is wow^ I know the dealer I am working with will do it right to assure what ever new tower I mount will have a nice secure place to rest. They also know how crazy I am about the look of the boat so I am sure I'll never even see where the holes used to be. I have 2 bids and the lowest one is $1,700, It cost more then I anticipated but has to be done. Anyone else made this type of gel coat repair? Cost about the same? I'm also going to give metcraft another call...

[lee]

That is way too high to fill those holes. Our fiberglass man in Nashville gets about $600 for that job.

[20up]

no complaints from my 03 WD tower

[talltigeguy]

FWIW, I owned a 2002 and a 2005 with Metcraft towers and both have been excellent. My understanding is that the towers that Metcraft put on the 01-02 were prone to breaking and swaying a lot. I think that they were just learning what works and have now done a great job with their towers.

This is a pic of my 2002 21V. Notice it is different than what is shown at the start of the thread.

[talltigeguy]

Unbeleivable coincidence, I was just surfing on Ebay and found this for sale. this is the tower of concern.

[dcauthen]

Been watching this one for a while....and it helped make my decision. The '00 21V Fox Edition is getting a Monster over the winter and losing the Metcraft before someone gets hurt. Fortunatley, the Monster will mount and use two of the three holes on the rear, and only need one hole drilled for the front and it's done. Decent prices too.

There's some nice Tige owner pics on the website of people who have added or made the switch.

www.monstertower.com

DC

[bcskypilot]

Yep thats the tower...

A comment on a couple post before about the boat owners being responsible for having and keeping this tower...

I looked long and hard at different boats before I purchased the 22i. At the time, my Tige wasn't the most expensive boat you could get but it definitely wasn't the cheapest either... I think the 98 22i was voted Boat of the year if I remember correctly. It was sold to me as a "West Coast do it all boat". A boat "built by a great group of people who took pride in what they put out there". With the “Taps”, I could barefoot, ski, board or even drag the kids around on a tube in a little chop... The boats size and versatility was exactly what I wanted. I had one of the first Tige's here in Indy and I was and still am damn proud of it. Heck my boat today with 230 hours on it still looks better then 90% of the boats on the waters here in Indy.

I’ve never doubted that the “Tige People take pride in what they put out there”. Can they better serve those who invested in them though? This tower is built by a company they now choose not to do business with. I’m not sure how many of these towers are even out there. My tower and I would guess all the others out there are probably out of warranty. At this point, neither Tige nor Metcraft, have to do a thing for any of us. My question is this though… What if they did? How many customers does a company retain or gain if they always try to do what’s right even when no one is looking? Does it pay for a company to go “above and beyond”? Could it cost them if they don’t?

After my experience with Tige, Metcraft and this tower I agree with both “responsibility posts” that I read. I wish I had the time and skill level that would justify me going out and upgrading a tower that may not be perfect on a boat that I purchased (For the record, I loved the way the tower looked and didn’t really know that it wasn’t a good tower till it snapped. Am I giving away my skill level??). Now that I think about it I wish I had the time and skill level that would justify me going out and getting my dream 8ok wakeboard boat… Reality is though that I am a family man who enjoys getting out and just having a good time riding when time allows. Unfortunately, that's not that often... The fact is though that I made a purchase on a product "built by a great group of people who took pride in what they put out there". I believe this purchase should assure within reason, a safe and exciting boating experience. At no time would I have ever thought that to assure my enjoyment or the safety of my family that I would need to replace the tower manufactured for the boat.

Ready for the other side??? Talk about responsibility… The “H-Section” on my tower failed just like the others listed on this post. It snapped on both sides while I was being towed from it allowing the H part to pull down into the boat toward my family and friends. One of the wakeboards came crashing down into the boat, fortunately, nobody was injured. Knowing how bad it could have been I feel pretty lucky that the hardest thing I am dealing with right now is trying to decide if the old Tige that I still love so much is worth a 1.7k gel coat repair and 1-2k tower replacement charge or if I am ready to move on...

[LovinPowell]

Does Metcraft have a website?

[bcskypilot]

They used to have a website. I remember seeing it because on the site they showed other products they manufactured like the throttle handle etc. They either switched it or discontiued using it though...

[NICKYPOO]

1-2k for a new tower= good deal
1700 for gel coat repair= rip off

[Matt Garcia]

Boat owners who know they have a weak product but refuse to take responsibility for the weak product on their boat? I'm gonna get grilled for this one but, I think it's the boat owners.

How is it the boat owners fault? That's like saying it was the people who bought Firestone tires it was their fault since they were faulty tires. No one was to know before hand that the tower had a major weak link in it until it happened. It also seems that the towers were breaking in an inconspicuous spot (black pads covered the joints) and was not noticeable until the damage was severe. In the end I am glad I got rid of that tower because it did have a lot of sway and was noisy. I think that tower was just a design mistake that Metcraft has now learned from.

[bcskypilot]

This is the new Metcraft tower?? Anyone know if it is solid or are we back at shake rattle and roll?

[Tequilasun]

I don't know about shake rattle and roll, but man that is ugly.

[bcskypilot]

The look may have to grow on you but will it do this??

[xpjim1]

Smendez has the new Metcraft. i have seen it in person and that picture does not do it justice. Here is the the link to Smendez post and pictures

http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1114&highlight=smendez

[Tequilasun]

Yes, The pic above does not do it justice. Smendez's looks great on his boat. I hope that's not a marketing photo above, I certainly wouldn't choose it from that.


Edit: Just went back and looked at Smendez's tower. Are those towers wrapped in plastic on the downtubes? Smendez's looks like it is fiberglass, but the one above looks like plastic. Maybe it the red that is so ugly on the one above,

[NICKYPOO]

Matt-

Mabey fault is a little strong. How about resonsibility. When I had the Metcraft I checked it regularly to make sure everything was tightened and still in one piece (the H frame bolts were always coming loose). I also had a friend with a Ford Explorer that had the faulty Firestones. As soon as the bad news started coming out about those tires, he had them replaced. Was it his fault the tires were faulty? No. Was it his responsibity to do something about it before they failed? IMHO, yes. Now that the word is on the street about these towers, hopefully people will take the responsiblity for their craft and do something about it before someone gets hurt.

So far as the new Metcraft is concerned. I like it. Zleeper also has one on his boat.

Boy, I sure know how to get poeple fired up at me.

[talltigeguy]

I've been in a boat with the NEW Metcraft tower. It is extremely solid. I'm especially fond of the way the bimini hooks up. I think the pic above with the orange looks ugly, but the boat I went on was orange and the orange tower was very sweet looking when put in with the gelcoat.

It's not plastic, but all metal. It's very similar to the Malibu Illusion tower, just turned differently and braced in the front. The only downside is that it is a bit shorter than my metcraft. I would say it's about 6 feet 2 inches from the floor of the 22V I was on (I'm guessing here).

[Tequilasun]

Yeah, must just be that pic.

Why do they keep making short towers though. I personally can't stand (pun?). I want the tower to be a minimum of 6'6" off the floor!

[bcskypilot]

talltigeguy
Where you in a boat with one of the new towers that fold down? It was still solid? No rattles or sway? How about the bimini, form the pic I have it looks like the tow rope would actually pull down the back part of the bimini if you had it in use...

[xpjim1]

Smendez says its 6'10 inches in his post. It looks alot shorter than that.

[LovinPowell]

bcskypilot:

where did you come up with that picture, is it from their website? If so, could you post the address.

[bcskypilot]

I received the picture in an email.

[Zacky]

The word is out on the street, or at least in our little community of Tige owners. I wonder if anybody at Metcraft has been advised of this forum? Even if they were, I am pretty sure they would not post. I would like to see Metcraft come on this board and offer up some explantion. Either they stand behind their product or they acknowledge the problem. OK, I'll keep dreaming...

About this out of warranty thing. I see that it keeps coming up. I can tell you that I received an "advisory notice" of a potential problem with the fuel injection on my car. The advisory notice came well after (a couple of years after) the warranty had expired. They stated in the notice that it was not a recall, just an advisory. Any repairs to the fuel injection after the date of the notice would be at the owners expense. Any repairs made prior to the notice and the owner would be reimbursed. Hmmmmmm...

[bcskypilot]

Liability... With all the lawyers crawling around it's really all about covering your butt...

I wonder if the people at Tige have talked to Metcraft about the problems with the towers. After all, they are the one's who used Metcraft as the manufacture. When people purchased their boats and towers they all came through Tige or a Tige rep I would assume, not Metcraft.

I talked to Bob at Metcraft at the very start of all of this and told him I had found multiple towers with the same problem out there on this site. I wouldn't be surprised if they checked it out and are waiting to see where it goes. Metcraft has made free repairs for people in the past. He offered to repair mine too until he saw how it had twisted. I was to pay shipping though...

He told me the problem area was a result of a specific design request from Tige. If I understood him correctly Tige wanted the tower to have the additional sections allowing it to be packaged and shipped easier. To create those sections we all ended up with the famous welds...

[Zacky]

Originally posted by bcskypilot
He told me the problem area was a result of a specific design request from Tige... [/B]

Translation- I built it the tower the way Tige wanted me to. It only snapped because of their specific design request. If you have problems, talk to them...

Ahh yes... the official passing of the buck.

[smendez]

For those of you who are interested in reading my experience with the Metcraft 2005 Evolution tower, here's a link to my review.

http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=13052#post13052

Saulo

[Zacky]

Hey bcskypilot-

Any update? What are you planning on doing about your tower?

[bcskypilot]

I am trying to work out a good deal with Metcraft on a new tower like the one pictured in the link above. I've emailed Bob and am waiting to see what my options may be... I haven't ruled out other towers yet so I am still open to ideas or suggestions that may help.

[scootc]

Doesn't Monster have a mounting set up that uses the same mounting holes as the Metcraft? They have a before and after picture of a 21v on their website.

[piggyfa]

Does anyone from Tige have a response to MetCraft telling bckypilot the following:

"the problem area was a result of a specific design request from Tige"?

[bcskypilot]

I hear such good things about the Monster Tower but I'm not 100% on the look of it... I would want a bimini that attached just to the tower, not the boat... Can you do that with a Monster Tower? For the record Tige has never said anything else to me since referring me back to Metcraft...

[Bog]

of course metcrap is going to blame Tige and vice versa!! No one wants to admit they are responsible for the worst tower ever created!!!! When one of us gets injured or killed we will name both parties in the lawsuit and Bob will be out of business, Tige may survive.

[Zacky]

Bcskypilot- please tell me you are not seriously considering buying a Metcraft tower? After all of this you would actually give them your money?

OK, I have to vent. It must be nice to have the luxury of sitting on top of the pyramid as a boat manufacturer. Oh, you are having engine troubles? Call Merc. We did not build that engine, we just installed it. Oh, your tower snapped? Call Metcraft. We did not build that tower, we just installed it. Oh, your gauges are no longer working? Call Faria. We did not manufacture those gauges, we just installed them. Oh, your V-drive went out? Here is the contact information for the company that built that V-drive. We did not build that V-drive, we just installed it.

What's next? Oh, you had an electrical failure? Here is the number for the Home Depot where we bought the wire to wire your boat. They must have sold us bad wire. Give them a call and tell them the problem..

HELLO TIGE! These are the manufactures/components you CHOOSE to have represented in YOUR boats with YOUR name and YOUR logo on the side!

I am not blaming Tige for my tower breaking. If my tower was the only one that broke like this, then I should have to deal with it. However, here you have all of these towers that are breaking in the exact same manner. Coincidence? Not a chance.

Why won't somebody from Tige address this issue on this forum?!?!

[talltigeguy]

BCskypilot,

Sorry to be slow to answer...I've been at Lake Powell :cool:

The 22V I rode in with the new Metcraft tower had a bimini that actually had a little hole in it so you could reach the tow point with the bimini up. I thought that was really neat. The rope would settle on the bimini if there was no tension in it and was no big deal. When riding, the rope does not touch the bimini, even if the rider falls, the angle was such that the rope wouldn't touch it.

[Zacky]

It's been a week and still nothing. Reasons?

a) They don't care about their customers. (Future boat sales)

b) They don't think it is their problem.

c) They don't want to address the issue, hoping the problem will go away.

d) They have been advised by attorneys not to post.

e) They are too busy watching their new multi-million dollar boat factory being built.

f) All of the above.

g) None of the above.

There, I made it easy. Rather than post a response, just pick a letter and post it...

[Zacky]

Yet another week goes by...

[bcskypilot]

Well an update form Metcraft if that helps. They are offering a discount on the purchase of one of the new towers to me. I haven't moved one way or the other on a tower yet. I've been too busy at work to do anything...

[damon_anthony]

Has anyone looked at a Roswell Tower? Their line looks very sweet. I think they are standard on Sfvara and Supra now. I have a contact/dealer in town but have been dragging feet to go check it out.

[Ruune]

definitely check out Roswell... far superior in quality and worksmanship. Also, check out their website at www.roswellwakeair.com ... also take note that last I heard from them, they were sold out on the dream rider and platinum towers for 2005. So, you may have to wait for their 2006 offerings before you can get one of their top models.

[Zacky]

I was checking out the Wake Designs Monsoon tower. I want to try and stay with something that will match the existing hole pattern. Anybody have experience with this tower?

Oh, and Tige, I am still waiting for you to post...

[bcskypilot]

I am very happy to see that Tige stepped up on a recent thread about the v-drive problem a board member was having. Many of us are still having problems with the Metcraft tower. Has anyone heard anyhing new from Tige in regards to the towers?

[piggyfa]

My answer would still be no. And I say that with disappointment.

[bcskypilot]

With Tige making their own towers now how hard would it be to make replacement towers for the Metcraft models that are having problems? Having a new tower option maybe discounted from Tige would go a long way in my book and I would think would show the Tige customers that they do care... Somebody mentioned something like this in a previous post if anything came of it please let us know.

[Zacky]

I mentioned it over on Zeda's previous thread. I think the problem is that our boat years all had 100" beams. The new boats all have 102" beams. It has been done, and I think the pictures are somewhere in the galleries. Lee did it and if I am not mistaken, he said he had a horrible time.

This is just pure frustration. The later half of Zeda's thread was about his V-drive AND our towers. Harvey finally jumps on the board (which I applaud him for) and responds only to the drive issue. Will we have to wait another two months for the tower thread to be answered? Or was that a hint for the rest of us that the tower issue will not be addressed?

By the way- did you notice how quickly Zeda's thread disappeared?

[bcskypilot]

If we resolve the tower issues I have no problem with them taking this thread down... I would prefer to start a new one as Zeda did, applauding them on fixing something that they must know is affecting multiple owners of their boats. Are there enough towers out there that would warrant the headache of setting up the correct mold for our beam width? That’s not a question I can answer…

[Zacky]

I'm right there with you. I would love to start a "happy" thread. I would also love to wakeboard behind my boat, from the tower. Local welders and another local tower manufacturer don't seem to want to touch the Metcraft tower...

[bcskypilot]

I wish I could take mine to a welder to fix... I still have to deal with the gel coat repairs as well though... That cost as much as the tower...

[Harvey]

Have you guys contacted your dealers. I don't think there is a Tige dealer out there that will not help with a discounted tower or a repair.

[bcskypilot]

Hi Harvey,


National City Boat Mart here in Indianapolis is who I purchased my boat from. Within a very short period after they stopped selling and servicing Tige. Bob Kirk boats picked them up but also stopped selling and servicing the boats after a very short time. Both dealerships shy completely away from any work on Tige. I have contacted both dealerships in regards to options I may have not only on a tower but on repairing the gel coat on my boat that was damaged when the tower failed. National City wouldn’t even see the boat and Bob Kirk Boats suggested I take it to a Tige Dealer in Ohio...

The only dealer really that has stepped out some is Lee from this site who lives in Tenn. and MD Boats, the local Nautique Dealer. MD's have done all of the routine maintenance on my boat for years now. They have offered to order and install a new tower of my choice after the repairs of the gel coat are complete. No discounts but at least they are local and willing to work on the boat unlike the past Tige dealers you had here...

The guys over at MD's are great. They always put their customers first, even their Tige one... It's no wonder they are the best known dealer here in Indy... I’d love to se MD carry the Tige name but it sounds like the talks have come and gone a few times on that...

Tige isn’t a real big name here in Indy. My purple one stuck out a ton though and always drew compliments. I recently met Nick, your new Tige Rep for this part. He seems like a great guy and seems to be working hard on finding a new dealership to carry Tige here in this market. I've offered to drive his beautiful 22Ve around on the water for positive Tige Publicity but it's been a no go so far...

My season ended this year when the tower broke. As I said I’m not happy about that but very glad nobody was hurt. I'm ready to winterize and make final decisions on fixing this boat again or moving on to a new one. I've said before how much I really like my boat. I'm not exaggerating when I say I believe it is to this day one of the cleanest and nicest looking boats on the waters here.. When I think about spending the $1,700 to fix the gel coat damage, buying a new tower at 2-3k then paying $900 to have the tower installed I really start to ask myself it this Tige is really worth it though... I’m open to any suggestions or criticism^

[Nick Howard]

Hey Brian (bcskypilot),

I know that you and I have spoken about tower options on multiple occasions, but I thought I would bring up Monster Tower again.

Monster Tower offers plans showing how to install their tower so that all but two of the original factory holes are used. This eliminates the need for expensive gelcoat repairs as the only two holes that are not used are the two smallest 'screw' holes to the very back. And Monster says that most customers who replace the Metcraft tower either uses the two 'screw' holes as an exit point for speaker or tower light wiring or just plugs them with something they find at your local Home Depot. This would eliminate gelcoat repairs all together.

The tower itself is only $1,195 with no tax or shipping charges.

Also, their tower is designed as a DIY project, so you don't need to pay anyone to install it. I'll even offer to help you install it myself!

As you know, I'm a big believer and supporter of Monster as an aftermarket tower. I don't think there is an option out there that is more solid and more quite. I'll try to get a copy of the Metcraft replacement instructions for you to take a look at.

I've attached some pictures from Monster Tower's website of a '98 2200i so that you can see what one would look like on your boat.

Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll try to answer what I can.

Nick Howard
Tige' Boats, Inc.
Midwest Regional Product Manager

[Nick Howard]

Here's one more picture of a Monster Tower on a '98 2200i...

[jl470]

Good looking out Nick!!
I now remember why I chose Tige! People like you and Kip Davis are the reason my faith in your product continues, even when it seems that Tige is getting slammed from all directions.It may take awhile sometimes, but, you(Tige) always end up hearing the voice of the consumer. It shows in the changes and added options over the years.

I have a 98 21i with a phat budde tower. How easy would it be to do the same conversion?

BTW, Matt your doing a great job too!

[Nick Howard]

jl470,

I've never spoken with Monster Tower about the process to replace any brand of tower other than Metcraft. I can, however, try to help based on my general knowledge.

If your older Phat Budde is a similar design to their basic tower the past couple of years, your tower bolts to the deck of the boat with a single bolt for each foot. The Monster Tower requires two bolts per foot for mounting. The first thing you would want to find out is how similar in size the current bolt/hole used is to the diameter of the Monster Tower bolt. If the same hole can be used with out needing to be adapted, the intall would probably only require the drilling of a second hole per foot. If the current mounting hole is substancially larger than what Monster requires, you may have to get some fiberglass/gelcoat work done.

For better information, however, I would suggest contacting Monster Tower directly at 877-77T-OWER. Because there's always the possiblity that I am completely wrong! ;) :D

Nick Howard
Tige' Boats
Midwest Regional Product Mgr.

[Zacky]

We just contacted our (former) dealer today, and much to our surprise, they no longer carry the Tige line. They do not sell them, they do not work on them, they don't have anything to do with them...

Harvey, check your PM...

[Zacky]

Nick-

Your post has peaked my curiosity. If I am reading it correctly, there are already pre-drawn instructions detailing the replacement of the Metcraft tower with a Monster Tower? Obviously, this is a process that has been duplicated many times in the past. And why is it that you have only spoken with Monster Tower about replacing Metcraft Towers and not any other brand of tower? Just curious...

[Nick Howard]

Hey Zacky,

From what Monster Tower tells me, they have specific instructions on how to replace a Metcraft Tower, although, I have not seen them yet myself. I'll try to get a copy this coming week.

And yes, I think that Monster Tower gets the majority of the 'replacement tower' business, regardless of the original brand, because they are such a good buy. If someone is having tower issues, it's usually at least 5 years old or more. At this point, most people are looking to buy a new boat and don't want to spend $3,000 on a replacment tower when they're going to replace the whole boat in the near future.

I haven't spoken with Monster about replacing towers other than Metcarft because I have very limited personal experience with other brands (other than the factory towers and Wake Design towers). When I worked for the Tige' dealer out in Phoenix, we used WD towers on everything. WD's was located down the street from our shop, so if there were any warranty concerns, we had the customer work directly with Wake Designs. It would'nt have made much sense for a customer in WD's back yard to work with a tower company out of Georgia. (Btw, the Tige' dealer in PHX has switched exclusively to Tige' factory towers for '06).

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks,
Nick Howard
Tige' Boats, Inc.
Midwest Regional Product Mgr.

[Zacky]

I could only wish that I got five years of use out of the tower. Let's see. We got the boat in 2002. That's three years. Our season is about five months long, so that's about 15 months of actual use. Oh, and the boat only has 250 hours on it. So, roughly 15 months or 250 hours of use on our tower...

[Zacky]

Harvey- Thanks for responding. I sent you another PM...

[Andrew]

Zacky I have PM'ed you a response to what I can do to help you. Tige has and always will stand behind our product and provide excellent Customer Service. If there are any questions please call me 325-676-7777.

Andrew