full towers on smaller boats usefull or not

445 supermag · 02-10-2004, 08:28 PM

I was just wondering what you guys think of full towers with controls and electronics on say 31 footers and smaller? Does beam on a boat make any difference or the length make a difference in having a full tower.

I was just thinking if I ever in the future are capable of getting a stamas 31 or wellcraft 290 coastal and putting full tower on it. Mostly likely wont happen but just really interested in your thoughts.

Next is there any benefit of having a full tower on smaller boats? Are they really usefull or just cool looking?

Brian

Xanadu · 02-10-2004, 09:17 PM

Useful or Mandatory?

diver dave · 02-11-2004, 06:31 AM

towers are mandatory if you play around reefs in inboards. The are useful for spotting fish activity at a distance. They are nice for docking. 31' is not at all too small for a tower.

skypoke · 02-11-2004, 09:20 AM

Towers are neat alright, great for docking and spotting fish. But I've got to say they've absolutely destroyed the comfort and sea handling of many a small boat. Had a 25 GW Sailfish and often dreamed of taking a sawzall to the tower but didn't cause I knew I was going to sell it and lots of people think a tower is mandantory. You need a fairly stable boat to mount a tower successfully and be aware of the downside to handling characteristics.

Chuck

Recovery Room · 02-11-2004, 09:43 AM

I've got a 33' Wellcraft Coastal and have toyed with the idea. If it were $5K, I'd do it tomorrow, but I'm hearing prices closer to $20K.

My friend has a Blackfin 29 with a tower. I really love it, but have trouble justifying the cost.

I'd be extremely happy to hear if folks have gotten them done for signifcantly less.

Xanadu · 02-11-2004, 10:08 AM

I can assure you the full tower and hard top for Xanadu did not cost $20k including install and drive systems and gauges. Look around or hire it done in a cheaper area if you can. As I recall, ours was less than $10k.

KevinM · 02-11-2004, 12:51 PM

In my opinion you have to be careful as to height. The larger the boat the higher you can go. Don't know how many times I have been thrown around due to the top weight on a small boat in moderate seas. I think skypoke summarized it very well. Keep in mind the larger the tower, the performance will suffer.

scratcher · 02-11-2004, 01:20 PM

Mine is 24' length X 9.5 beam, flat stern sections and diesel inboard. It has a marlin tower, that is you stand on the hardtop so its not that high. With its heavy diesel and lack of deadrise in the stern and wide beam the boat is suited to a small tower. The higher the tower the more you raise the center of gravity and the more your boat will rock at rest. Also, the more deadrise you have, the more the tower will rock the boat at rest.

So you might consider a marlin tower over a higher tuna tower.

I love the view the tower provides, and I also like to be able to get away from the engine noise.