Monster Wakeboard Tower FAQ's

The MTE will fit all ski boats and runabouts with beams from 60" to 102". The innovative design of moving the pivot points at the top of the tower provides industry leading flexibility for mounting. The front and rear legs can move closer together or farther apart to adjust to different boat sizes. Very low sided boats like bay boats will have a much lower tow point since the tower was designed for runabouts and ski boats where the gunwale is about 24" above the side of the boat. Also, Boston Whalers and other "closed cell" boats require the backing plate to be exposed on either the inside or outside of the boat. The rear legs can rotate closer or farther from the front legs so the distance between the front to rear mounts can adjust between 48" and 75" to fit different mount points. The recommended front to rear leg distance is between 53" and 65" because the height of the tow point is the highest with this installation. The feet can mount on the top of the deck, the side of the deck or at any angle using our swivel base and Heim joints, and can even mount to curved surfaces with our innovative Monster Paws.

The MT1 will fit all ski boats and runabouts with beams from 60 " to 102". The innovative design of moving the pivot points at the top of the tower provides industry leading flexibility for mounting. The front and rear legs can move closer together or farther apart to adjust to different boat widths. Very low sided boats like bay boats will have a much lower tow point since the tower was designed for runabouts and ski boats where the gunwale is about 24" above the side of the boat. Also, Boston Whalers and other "closed cell" boats require the backing plate to be exposed on either the inside or outside of the boat. The rear legs can rotate closer or farther from the front legs so the distance between the front to rear mounts can adjust between 40" and 70" to fit different mount points. The recommended front to rear leg distance is 48" because the height of the tow point is the highest with this installation. The feet can mount on the top of the deck, the side of the deck or at any angle using our swivel base and Heim joints and can even mount to curved surfaces with our innovative Monster Paws.

The MT2 will fit all ski boats and runabouts with beams from 60 " to 102". The innovative design of moving the pivot points at the top of the tower provides industry leading flexibility for mounting. The front and rear legs can move closer together or farther apart to adjust to different boat sizes. Very low sided boats like bay boats will have a much lower tow point since the tower was designed for runabouts and ski boats where the gunwale is about 24" above the side of the boat. Also, Boston Whalers and other "closed cell" boats require the backing plate to be exposed on either the inside or outside of the boat. The rear legs can rotate closer or farther from the front legs so the distance between the front to rear mounts can adjust between 65" and 100" to fit different mount points. The recommended front to rear leg distance is between 70" and 85" because the height of the tow point is the highest with this installation. The feet can mount on the top of the deck, the side of the deck or at any angle using our swivel base and Heim joints, and can even mount to curved surfaces with our innovative Monster Paws.

The MTK will fit all ski boats and runabouts with beams from 72 to 102 inches. The innovative design of moving the pivot points at the top of the tower provides industry leading flexibility for mounting. Very low sided boats like bay boats will have a much lower tow point since the tower was designed for runabouts and ski boats where the gunwale is about 24" above the waterline. With closed cell boats, you must have access under the deck of the boat. The feet can mount on the top of the deck, the side of the deck or at any angle using our swivel base and Heim joints, and can even mount to curved surfaces with our innovative Monster Paws. Mounting bases are fixed at 16 inches apart.

Your new Monster Tower will include everything you need to install and enjoy your new wakeboard tower. Each tower includes the top section (called a header) with swivel tow point, two front and two rear legs (MTK has only one starboard and port leg), four Heim joints and bases, backing plates, and all the hardware needed to attach the tower to your boat. Allen wrenches and our detailed tower specific step by step instruction manuals are also included. The wakeboard racks and other tower accessories are not included but can be ordered separately.

The MT1 and MTK come in a black powder-coated finish, as well as the polished and anodized finish, with no difference in price. The MTE and MT2 is provided in polished and anodized only. If you would like to have a custom color we recommend that you purchase a polished tower and work with a local powder coater to match the finish to your desired color.

Perhaps, but unlikely. Monster towers fit each boat differently based on the size of the boat. Also, Bimini tops are different from one boat to the next so there is no way to tell for sure. Most "convertible" style tops that button to the windshield will work but the taller the existing Bimini the less likely it will work. If you need a new bimini top for your boat, iboats.com also sells cargo rack biminis and bimini tops for wakeboard towers. These bimini tops can be purchased here.

The installed MTE will be a little over 7' above the floor on most boats. This can vary depending on the width of the boat and distance between the front and rear feet. The optimum range is 53" to 65" apart. The top section tube is 48" wide and the overall width is 54". The front legs are 69" for the tube and 73" overall. The rear legs are 47" for the tube and 50" overall. Each leg is attached to your boat with our innovative use of a Heim Joint and rotating swivel. The tower ships via UPS in one box of approximately 48lbs.

The installed MT1 has a tow point height of approximately 60" above the height of where the rear legs are mounted and will be about 7' above the floor on most boats. This can vary depending on the width of the boat and distance between the front and rear feet between about 55" and 60". The top cross section tube is 48" wide and the overall width is 56". The front legs are 66" for the tube and 71" overall and the rear legs are 46" for the tube and 51"overall. Each leg is attached to your boat with our innovative use of a Heim Joint and rotating swivel. The shipping weight of the tower is approximately 60 lbs.

The installed MT2 will be a little over 7' above the floor on most boats. This can vary depending on the width of the boat and distance between the front and rear feet (optimum range is 70" to 85" apart). The top section tube is 48" wide and the overall width is 56". The front legs are 83" for the tube and 89" overall. The rear legs are 54" for the tube and 59" overall. Each leg is attached to your boat with our innovative use of a Heim Joint and rotating swivel. The tower ships in two boxes of approximately 35lbs and 27lbs.

The only maintenance needed on a Monster Tower wakeboard tower is to occasionally polish the tower as you do the other metal items on your boat. If you use your boat in salt water we recommend spraying the Heim joints with CRC or WD-40 after each use. You should also check the bolts periodically for tightness.

All Monster Towers use 6063 Aluminum tubing with the "6063" designating the "recipe" of additives that go into the aluminum. The most popular aluminum for marine use is 6063 as it is very strong when hardened and provides the best finish when anodized. Most other companies start with hardened tube that is already "brush finished" and anodized and then they bend and weld the tower into shape leaving lots of undesirable residual stresses.
At Monster Tower we do all the bending and welding to unhardened, unfinished aluminum. We then harden the already shaped tower legs and top sections to the strongest possible T6 hardness, which relieves any weld stresses. Lastly, we polish and bright dip anodize each component for a professional and clean finish. The result is the best built and most affordable wakeboard towers available.

One of the key goals we had when we started designing the Monster Tower was that it had to be silent. With several engineers working on the project and a lot of testing we developed a tower where nothing can move it at all once it is installed. We are so confident we guarantee it is silent; if not just send it back for a full refund.

The MT1 and MT2 universal wakeboard towers are made from 2-1/2" diameter tubing while the MTE universal wakeboard tower is made from slightly smaller 2-1/4" diameter.
All Monster Towers use 6063 Aluminum tubing with the "6063" designating the "recipe" of additives that go into the aluminum. The most popular aluminum for marine use is 6063 as it is very strong when hardened and provides the best finish when anodized. Most other companies start with hardened tube that is already "brush finished" and anodized and then they bend and weld the tower into shape leaving lots of undesirable residual stresses.
Monster Tower does all the bending and welding to unhardened, unfinished aluminum. Monster Tower then hardens the already shaped tower legs and top sections to the strongest possible T6 hardness, which relieves any weld stresses. Lastly, Monster Tower polishes and bright dip anodizes each component for a professional and clean finish. The result is the best built and most affordable wakeboard towers available.

The Heim joint is another name for a rod end bearing design. These have been used in automotive, marine and aircraft applications for many years and are not new, but are very effective for its use. The purpose of the joint is to ensure only axial (push and pull) forces are transferred and not twisting or torqueing forces. The reason this is an important feature is that it prevents the gel coat cracking that has been reported with towers that used welded on fixed mounts. With fixed mounts when the tower flexes (which is normal) it "torques" or twists the mount which is bad for the gel coat. This is also what allows the Monster Tower to lay down so easily and quickly making storage a snap.

All that is needed to install the Monster Tower is a drill, drill bits and an adjustable wrench. All other hardware and Allen wrenches are provided along with a step by step instruction manual. We do recommend using socket wrenches instead of an adjustable wrench but either will get the job done just fine. If you have questions about installation we are happy to help, give us a call at 1-800-914-1123. Some customers prefer to have their towers and accessories professionally installed and locally supported. iboats.com has teamed with a national network of independent installers that are ready to handle your installation needs. Find your local Amtech dealer here.

Holes for running speaker wire can be drilled one inch from the welds on the front or rear legs. Holes can also be added to the top section three inches in from the welds in the straight cross bar of the top section. If you add top section speakers or lights the wire will exit the top of the rear legs and enter the side of the top section. This short "bridge" will connect the top section to the legs electrically. Detailed wiring instructions are included in our speaker installation manual.

Monster Tower developed another industry first - the Monster Paws. These are mounting pads that not only contour to the curve of your boat, they also greatly reduce the stress at the holes which further protects your boat.

Once the final steps of installing the tower are complete the width between the rear legs is permanently set and cannot be changed. The only way a tower can be moved to another boat is if the rear leg mounting width is exactly the same.

Most competition ski and wakeboard boats, as well as more expensive boat brands like Sea Ray and Cobalt, have decks which are at least 3/8" thick and do not need to be reinforced. If your deck is thinner than 3/8" you should reinforce it with additional fiberglass to build it up to 3/8".  Fiberglass kits are available on iboats.com for purchase.  Or a 1/4" or 3/8" piece of marine-treated plywood can be added under the deck attached with 3M Model 5200 Marine adhesive and then covered with fiberglass. This is the best possible solution as it adds significant strength for the mounting location. This would be recommended for Bayliner, and similar brands where the fiberglass thickness may be closer to 1/4" or 3/16" thick.

The most common cause of a tower damaging the gel coat is abuse. The more accessories you put on the tower (racks & boards, speakers, lights, etc.) the more stress there will be on the boat. Also, never let someone climb on a wakeboard tower not only is it very dangerous but it could cause damage to the gel coat. The Monster Tower is very durable and uses Heim joints which greatly reduce the possibility of stress cracks. Older wakeboard towers that had 1-5/8" diameter tubing and fixed mounts were the cause of most of the damage we have ever heard of. Monster Tower is not liable for any incidental or consequential damage caused by installation or use of the tower.

The accessories (speakers and wakeboard racks) are very easy to install and will come with instructions to assist you. The Garage Wakeboard Rack requires attachment to your wall with screws. The wakeboard racks attach to your tower with just the use of hex wrenches. The speakers will require some wiring and some drilling, but again that will be outlined in the installation instructions for that specific product.