towers really do suck!

I put a ND tower on my 89 Supra Sunsport it fit perfect right out of the package. Make sure you add support to the gunnels where it mounts the flimsy 1/8'' aluminum plates they give you suck.

Feel your pain. That's a lot of money for it not to be perfect. I've heard mixed reviews on their customer service. Will be interested to see how this turns out for you.

sport1999 wrote: Feel your pain. That's a lot of money for it not to be perfect. I've heard mixed reviews on their customer service. Will be interested to see how this turns out for you.

Thanks - yeah I’ve read some mixed reviews too but mostly from the late 2000s. The tower is overall beautiful and clearly well made.

I’m bigtime dreading having to pack this thing back up and ship it. If I have to do that I may just ask for a refund.

NCH20SKIER wrote: Perhaps speak with them and tell them as a result of this experience they should replace AND install the tower. Pretty sure they are in TN which is likely 5-6 hours away from NC. Just a thought

towers do really suck... to have shipped! I remember the installation instructions that came with my ND Tower did say to recheck a few (hand written) measurements before installing, and tweak if necessary.  I had to gently tweak mine for a perfect fit.  I was surprised how easily I was able to tweak it; and no damage to the fresh powder coat ( five years later still looks perfect). there was also no "preload" tension to speak of, I just returned the metal to the shape it left the jig. I too had a gouge on one of the bars ; most likely from careless forklift transport, which might have also been part of the reason it wasn't a perfect fit out of the packaging. That said if there was indeed an error made on their end, they need to make it right.

I don’t think it’s reasonable for you to bend that. I did that on a Nautique tower to make it fit another Nautique and it was to achieve 6” narrower (like yours). That’s way too much for helping a supplier fix a major error. I used come along not ratchet straps. It was super easy with the come along.

WakeskateNW wrote:   I definitely wouldn't proceed with the install until all the feet sit flush to the deck, .

Tyler,

Like said above a Come Along should be easier to work with. Harbor Freight might make an inexpensive one or look to rent one. 

I’d skip wood but others have been successful with it. I used starboard. It’s somewhat compressible but I just kept tightening until it was totally compacted.

If a stack of washers works for you you’ll probably be fine. The less stuff you have under there that has any give to it the less flex and motion you’ll have in use.

I had a fairly flat surface underneath in the 96 SS hull. Your tower will be (as HW says) “solider” than mine was.

tryathlete wrote: If a stack of washers works for you you’ll probably be fine. The less stuff you have under there that has any give to it the less flex and motion you’ll have in use. I had a fairly flat surface underneath in the 96 SS hull. Your tower will be (as HW says) “solider” than mine was.

I just want to make sure whatever I do is stable and doesn’t cause cracking of the deck...

Donald80SN wrote: I have some scrap star board I can give you. It is at my home here in Denver, NC.  When you drill the holes in the gel coat first run the drill backwards when starting. This will help to make sure the gel coat does not crack. Also place tape on the surface before you drill. This also helps too. However, some of your previous photos showed some tape some seems like you might be ahead of my suggestion.  Let me know if you need the star board. You have my number. Donald Tilley

Appreciate the offer! To be honest now I’m confused about starboard vs plywood for this application. Kinda thinking 1/2” plywood glassed in might just do the job?

ND used to include a quart of bondo- Kitty Hair filler with the tower.  On my installation there was also the little strip running under the gunnel that was used to screw the various wires, cables, etc, to.  The instructions were to pile on a bunch of kitty hair, slap the aluminum plate over it and tighten it enough to compress the kitty hair glob between the uneven deck surface and the aluminum plate.   Not the least hokey thing out there, but that thick ol glob of cured kitty hair doesn't need to be carefully fit to the hull to avoid stress concentrations and it is not going to compress over time and loosen up like wood or foam products.  I have had my ND tower installed that way for 10 years and it has seen 800 plus hours of pretty severe use on a big lake with a lot of weight on it, pulling just about every thing at just about every speed… no gel coat or deck cracks.  I retightened the tower bolts once after the kitty hair set up as I didn't want to bend the aluminum plates the first time I compressed everything, but other than that it has been set it and forget it.   I spent a lot of time thinking about better ways to do it and had a barn full of the fanciest composites available but couldn't come up with anything that would have been significantly better. 

Wanted to put some closure on this...