[Slash9point5]

Hello MOC Community,

I have been looking for a wakeboard tower for our Barchetta and was not really into the "look" of most of the standard towers (I think our windshield is just too long to make those look good). After many hours of searching, I found this Freeride Tower made by Aerial, and I pulled together a crude mock up using Straad's picture because it matched the angle of the picture with the tower in it. Our boat is exactly the same as Straad's without the docking lights.

So, I am interested in anyone's thoughts on the look of this tower, and I also would like to know if anyone has an idea of the fiberglass thickness on the top of that wing, as well as the thickness on the side.

Thank you and have a great day,

Kris

[Dredd]

I don't think it looks bad. It's different for sure.
My main concern would be the boat's angle of attack with the pull point that far back. You might need some ballast up front, especially with heavier riders.

[Oregondunes]

that style is all the rage here in the NW. However, most mount it quite a bit more forward so that the rope mounts directly over the drivers head.

[Slash9point5]

Thank you for the responses thus far. I am really looking to get a sense for what people think of this look (good or bad). So, my feelings won't be hurt if you let me know that you don't like it. Of course, any positive reviews would be great too.

In terms of function, I see a few for sure positives:

- Wakeboards stored in back where there is access to them from the swim deck
- Rope stays behind every passenger (not in the way)
- No visibility concerns
- Does not block access to boat from stepping over just behind the window (some do)

As for the potential to push the back of the boat further down, I would expect this to occur to some degree due to the weight being towards the back of the boat. However, while pulling a wakeboarder, I think this would actually occur less than if it were mounted further forward.

Although this seems counterintuitive, imagine trying to lift the bow of a toy boat up with 2 fingers (placed on the hull of the port and starboard side)...it would be easier to lift the bow if your fingers were in the middle of the boat and opposed to the back of the boat. This is due to the concept of moments. Call me out if this for some reason does not apply in this case, but I believe it does. If the tower's legs had a larger span, there would be 4 feet (fingers) involved and this would create more bow rise because the rear legs are pushing down while the front legs are pulling up. This is getting confusing, I'll stop.

Thank you for your time and have a great day,

Kris

[simpleaz]

I attached one I like from this forum. I have no idea which post or gallery I got the photo from but he put on a regular tower backwards. He pulled it off nicely and I am considering when I get to the tower point.

I am not sure if it will show in the post or just an attachment.

Also if you are the owner, maybe let us know. I looked for the post to give credit but I found it months ago. Search didn't help me much either.

Thanks

[Andy-Z202 Shabah]

Hello SlashPoint5,

In regards to the Freeride tower I to loved the look so Im in the process of getting one installed on my Z202 Shabah! It should be completed very soon I will post pics as soon as I get the bad boy back! (excited)

[Slash9point5]

Hi Andy,

I am really excited to see your pictures. I am also installing a wakeboard tower this weekend, but my family and friends did not dig the Freeride look as much as me. Therefore we went with the Aerial Assault.

I think both are great towers, and I fear that I am going to wish I had just went with the Freeride and proved them wrong when the actually saw the Freeride on a Mariah. But, I also know that the Assault will look good.

Have a good one,

Kris

[BiggShabahZ202]

We installed a Freeride Tower on our Z202 a few weeks ago... it looks pretty tough and turned out great.

In terms of how thick the fiberglass is I purchased the installation kit and installed the tower myself. The kit consists of treated plywood cut to size, and marine adhesive. I hated buying treated plywood but it made installation easy and provided extra support. We also added thick steel washers for added strength... sturdy as can be and adds an awesome angle to the boat.

If you plan to buy the tower/speaker combo do not purchase the wiring harness, it's not for the Freeride Tower and is difficult to route.

If price is an issue you can usually find Aerial towers (new) on ebay for a fraction of what you will pay purchasing directly from Aerial.

[steven0720]

Originally Posted by BiggShabahZ202

We installed a Freeride Tower on our Z202 a few weeks ago... it looks pretty tough and turned out great.

In terms of how thick the fiberglass is I purchased the installation kit and installed the tower myself. The kit consists of treated plywood cut to size, and marine adhesive. I hated buying treated plywood but it made installation easy and provided extra support. We also added thick steel washers for added strength... sturdy as can be and adds an awesome angle to the boat.

If you plan to buy the tower/speaker combo do not purchase the wiring harness, it's not for the Freeride Tower and is difficult to route.

If price is an issue you can usually find Aerial towers (new) on ebay for a fraction of what you will pay purchasing directly from Aerial.

do you have any pics of your install, i am going to install exact same tower on my 272. how hard is the install by yourself??