Tow Hook for 88 ski

I have an 89 and pull multiple tubes from the pylon. If you use the stern tow ring you loose almost all ability to turn at idle speed.

The boat in the 1989 brochure has the same hook so I would guess it is original. However, you can buy them from overtons, at least you used to be able to, I have installed them on a few i/o' over the years owned by the summer camp I used to work at. If you have any problems locating one let me know I am fairly sure I have one kicking around still. Depending on the boat you might want to put a large backing plate in the inside of the boat to disperse the load.
-Joe.

I used to pull tubers with the pylon. Then got the idea of oh hooking the ropes to the rear lifting ring so I could cram as many people in the back seat to make a huge wake. Well, pulling 1 tube with the Mustang (barely able to plane out) caused the SS sheetmetal screws on rear ring to crack the gelcoat a bit. The older boats use treaded rod to the ring with 2 sheetmatal screws to the fiberglass. So no more on the rear ring(so I say). It was almost worth ths gel coat split to see them fly.
                                      Jeff

I don't know....everywhere I go there seems to be an abundance of Tube-Nautiques...what a great use of $55,000.

I definatly agree with that! I think the boat should be used to ski only! Thats why its called a SKI Nautique and not a Tube Nautique! I guess everyone else doesnt understand! I hate to tow them because i'm scared of stress cracks and hurting anything!

75; Love the pics that good with your threads.

82tique; My favorite method of pulling tubes!

jbear

sorry that was suppose to be "pushing"

Don't know about the 88 and the lifting hook strength but I, like 75tique, have used my lifting hook to tow a couple skiers while using the pylon to tow 3 without any problem, but neither skier was on a slalom and they didn't have very much room to cut around.

Anyone have any idea how many people the stock pylon on a solid 1967 mustang might be able to pull? We were pretty successful pulling 5 out of the water and I got a couple more pairs of ski's and a new wakeboard over the winter so next year we will definitely go for 8.

I would not be completely sure about tubing loads never exceeding a slalom skiers load, we had an aftermarket pylon on a 1986 glastron camp boat that survived a 12 years of 240lb 6'2-6'4 slalom skiers (not pro's but certified skiing instructors). That pylon met its death (one of the support arms buckled causing the hole thing to collapse and get yanked off the boat headed for the tubers, luckily no one was hurt) when I had two considerably smaller tubers on it and allowed them to pick up a lot of slack, the tubes sink and slow then accellerate very fast when the lines tighten, I don't think it will bother a correct craft pylon but it is a lot of force.
-Joe.

This has come up before. The consensus was that there is no problem pulling using the rear lifting ring. Especially with tubes that offer little to no resistance (well, except maybe on start up). Myself, I have pulled several skiers with the lifting ring, with the other half of them coming off the pylon. Even though the lifting ring is made for lifting, I think the stresses of a lateral pull are minimal compared to the strength of the set up. In terms of pulling from the pylon...that's what its made for. A strong skier, deep in a cut, puts a lot more strain on a pylon than a tube would.
In the words of many forum contributors... "there is my 2 cents"