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wrenches with the correctly sized bits. Only have old worn out drill bits? Add new ones to the
list. Did you do a full recharge on your power drill? Have enough painter's tape? Maybe have
some 3M 5200 Marine Adhesive ready just in case. Have a tube of Loctite? On the day of your
install, it really helps to layout all the parts and hardware on a an old blanket that has some
thickness for padding. This will help you visualize what needs to be done, keep you organized
and speed up the process.
Have Someone There to Help You
•
We highly recommend having a family member or buddy out helping you during the process.
Not only will it speed up the install, but also the last thing you want to do is accidently drop a
tower section and potentially wreck your fiberglass, your beautiful new tower, or heaven forbid,
your noggin.
Reinforcing the Hull
•
We usually recommend a
strength to the boat's hull just under each tower mounting foot. Depending on the thickness
and amount of reinforcing your boat manufacturer originally provided, it might not be
necessary. The plates of marine grade plywood will help give a more even distribution of the
pressure exerted to the mounting feet from the tower. Over time, an improperly reinforced foot
might result in spider cracking or fiberglass damage.The pendulum forces created by a
wakeboarder combined with the drag of cutting in on the board transfers a lot of energy to the
tower and the boat.
Drilling Into Your Boat's Hull
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Probably the step our customers get most nervous about is taking a drill bit to your baby's
fiberglass. It seems unnatural, right? Here are a few simple pointers to follow- if that's not
enough, remember there are many online articles and YouTube videos. First, make sure you are
using new, sharp drill bits. Once you know the general location your mounting feet are going,
add a wide patch of painter's tape before doing your final measurements. That way, when you
go to mark the spot with with your Sharpie pen, it will be already taped and then visible. Before
you start drilling, make sure you have about a 6 inch diameter of tape around the drill spot to
protect your gel coat from accidental scratching from the metal drill and to help keep the
fiberglass from splintering.
There are several ways of performing the drill. One way is to run a pilot hole through with a
smaller bore bit, followed with the final bit size. To protect the gel coat, run the drill in reverse
at medium speed with medium pressure. Remove the tape after then chamfer the edge of the
hole to help prevent spider cracking. The best way to do this is to use a chamfer bit using just a
little pressure for a few seconds. You can also use a rat tail file or other conical shaped saning
bit. Either way, you want to create a 45 degree angle from the get coal to the fiberglass. Why is
this an important step? When it comes time to installing the hardware, you do not want a hard
edge on the hole- when the hardware tightens down, the pressure on that little extra gel coat
material pushed out creating fine spider cracks. Similar to your car's windshield, a small crack
will keep spreading over time.
backing plate kit
to all our customers to provide extra support and
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