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Author Topic:   Ski Pylon

silver whaler posted 04-23-2002 10:27 PM ET (US)
What is the best rig to put a ski pylon on a 17 Montauk?
Any idea on how much and where to get it?

knothead posted 04-24-2002 07:31 AM ET (US)
Silver Whaler
Take a look at the Swivel-Eze Pro Ski Pylon
Available at Barts or Overtons for $209.00
Happy skiing - knothead
NEVER SCARED posted 04-25-2002 06:09 PM ET (US)
Silver whaler
I have one from my Outrage 18'I dont plan to use. $75 plus shipping and its yours!
Chesapeake posted 04-29-2002 11:52 AM ET (US)
Knothead: The swivel-eze looks really nice and is removable, but also looks like it would put a lot of stress on the transom. Also, how would you mount to deck as there is no wood support in that portion of the deck - at least not on my old 16? Can you comment with your thoughts?
Bob
knothead posted 04-29-2002 05:03 PM ET (US)
Chesapeake,
My base is screwed to the floor foward of the rear bilge opening, the two side supports
go into the transom near the lifting eyes. On my montauk there was wood at all locations. So far there seems to be no problem with over stressing the transom. It seems to me that pulling a skiier or wakeboarder stresses the transom much less than picking the boat up by the lifting eyes, but I could be wrong... So far, no problems
where2 posted 05-01-2002 01:16 PM ET (US)
Never Scared, E-mail me about that pylon at where2@juno.com if Silver Whaler hasn't made a deal with you yet. I'm curious which mounting base it uses.
Tom W Clark posted 05-01-2002 03:12 PM ET (US)
The Swivel-Eze is a nice product. I had one on my last boat.
Chesapeake, don't worry about it it will be plenty strong. I spent several years skiing behind a friend's 16' Whaler with a pylon braced back to the area of the stern eyes. No problem.
Chesapeake posted 05-10-2002 11:38 AM ET (US)
Tom: I just checked out the wood diagram for the Nauset. It looks like there is 1/2 plywood running on top of the tunnel from stern hole to console hole. Great.
One question though... given that the tunnel runs underneath the ply, how would you screw into it? Just barely enough to make it through the ply? Probably makes sense to not breech the tunnel as one wouldn't want a point of a screw exposed to the the wires and gas lines. Also couldn't seal the hole from the tunnel side. How much room would you suppose is between the bottom of the ply and the top of the tunnel?
Thanks, in advance, for your thoughts.
Bob
Best
tbirdsey posted 05-12-2002 12:11 PM ET (US)
Never Scared: Is that ski pylon gone? I need on for my 18 Outrage. Any difficulties mounting it in the 18? Thanks, Tom
carlz posted 05-12-2002 05:01 PM ET (US)
I am avoiding new holes in my transom by installing the Swivel-Eze pylon supports into a stern deck built out of 5/4 mahogany. It will wrap the motor well, putting a portion of the seat in the right place to receive the pylon supports.
On drilling into the deck:
-be carefull not to drill too deep or you will ruin the holding power of the plywood with too large a penetration. Don't use a tapered pilot drill. Rather, start with a drill bit the diameter of the screw shank and just penetrate the fiberglass. Be careful! The plywood is directly below the fiberglass and it is easy to go into it if you are pushing on the drill. Change to a much smaller bit to continue the pilot hole through the plywood.
-With the whole in the plywood, you should be able to determine the depth to the tunnel by probing throught the relatively soft foam.
If enough clearance, I would use a screw long enough that the tapered portion clears the plywood.
-use a bedding compound such as 3M 101 polysulfide for superior grip and a watertight seal of the opening.
Tom W Clark posted 05-13-2002 12:49 PM ET (US)
Chesapeake,
The Swivel-Eze Pro pylon has a round base with five fasteners, if I remember correctly. When you lay out the holes for this base you need to screw the pylon into it all the way and rotate the whole thing so the pylon is oriented in the correct position. The screw holes will fall where they fall. You could back the pylon off a bit but I was happier having the pylon screwed all the way down (but not tight)
Chances are three or maybe four of the screw holes will fall to either side of the tunnel, the tunnel being a tube under the plywood in the floor and tangent to the plywood only along a straight line down the middle of the boat.
So you really only need worry about one or two of the fasteners penetrating the tunnel.
For fasteners I would recommend as large a stainless steel sheet metal screw as the base can accommodate. I recall them as #14 (1/4�) fasteners. I used an oval head with a finish washer which looked nice, was easy on the feet and distributed the load evenly.
The plywood in the floor is 1/2" and is covered with perhaps 1/8" of fiberglass at the least. The base for the pylon is about 1/8" thick and does not have a counter sink in it.
So theoretically, a 1" screw might begin to penetrate the tunnel on those one or two screws that lie directly over the tunnel, but I would do as Carl suggests and drill a pilot hole and investigate the depth with a straightened paper clip or other short piece of small diameter wire and see just how far down you can go before bumping into the plastic of the tunnel tube.
NEVER SCARED posted 05-13-2002 01:21 PM ET (US)
Tbirdsey
Its in the garage, the unit is pretty much complete. You need the two posts that screw to the top of gunwhale, and a base plate that screws to the floor. The plate I had looked homemade and was rusting so I tossed it. Easy to make. Everything else is mint condition.
Chesapeake posted 05-15-2002 03:00 PM ET (US)
Carl and Tom:
Perfect advice. Thanks.
Carl, sorry to admit that I would never have conceived to probe through the pilot hole to check depth to the tunnel. Great idea.
Tom, must be a pretty wide base for the pylon if it will miss the tunnel. That tunnel must be 4" wide.
Thanks again, men.
BW
Tom W Clark posted 05-15-2002 03:06 PM ET (US)
Bob,
The base is wide ( maybe 6" or 7") but that was not really my point. The tunnel is round in section, so its highest point is only at the middle. Move an inch or two off center and the tunnel is now well below the bottom of the plywood and not really a worry in terms of hitting it with a screw that comes a little ways through the plywood.
Chesapeake posted 05-15-2002 08:22 PM ET (US)
Gotcha Tom.
My point was also a bit different. the strip of plywood on top of the tunnel in my '69 is only 4" wide (same width as the tunnel). Hence, if I get too wide, I don't have anything to bite into. I guess I could always do the hockey puck of epoxy trick, but it is not my favorite for high stress areas, like under the deck.
BW
boarderbrain posted 07-10-2006 03:46 PM ET (US)
Does anyone one how east the swisl-eze removes. Also, after you pull the pylon and supports(if you can) are the mounts fairly flush or do you have brackets sticking out of the floor.
Thanks
Martman posted 07-11-2006 11:17 PM ET (US)
Chesapeake,
Tom is correct. The Swivel-Eze is a very nice product. I installed one on my 1963 Nausett several years ago. Right after I installed it, I took the boat out for a sunset run by myself (very rare occurance in those days) and ran upon a 19' Grady broken down. I tied a bow line from the Grady to the ski pole (I know, not the perfect idea, but a good test at the time). I towed the Grady from my area to the boat ramp (approximately 3.5 miles) at a fairly good clip and didn't have a problem at all. We then wake boarded and tubed behind it for 2 years with no issues at all. Like Tom said, when installing the base, I rotated it to miss the most center portion of the boat in order to not penetrate the rigging tube. I pulled some hefty skiers and wake boarders with this pylon and had no issues with the boat. I uninstalled for the restoration last year and haven't reinstalled yet, but as soon as the kids are old enough and express interest in skiing/wakeboarding, the pylon will be installed again. I was very impressed with the quality as well as the "Eze" of removing the pylon when extra room was needed.
whalernut posted 07-12-2006 08:26 PM ET (US)
Could you maybe screw one into the well saround on the outside(towards the driver) of it? Any wood in there, lots of area to mount to? I have seen some ski poles that mount that way on the back on transoms. Jack.

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Author	Topic: Ski Pylon
silver whaler	posted 04-23-2002 10:27 PM ET (US) What is the best rig to put a ski pylon on a 17 Montauk? Any idea on how much and where to get it?
knothead	posted 04-24-2002 07:31 AM ET (US) Silver Whaler Take a look at the Swivel-Eze Pro Ski Pylon Available at Barts or Overtons for $209.00 Happy skiing - knothead
NEVER SCARED	posted 04-25-2002 06:09 PM ET (US) Silver whaler I have one from my Outrage 18'I dont plan to use. $75 plus shipping and its yours!
Chesapeake	posted 04-29-2002 11:52 AM ET (US) Knothead: The swivel-eze looks really nice and is removable, but also looks like it would put a lot of stress on the transom. Also, how would you mount to deck as there is no wood support in that portion of the deck - at least not on my old 16? Can you comment with your thoughts? Bob
knothead	posted 04-29-2002 05:03 PM ET (US) Chesapeake, My base is screwed to the floor foward of the rear bilge opening, the two side supports go into the transom near the lifting eyes. On my montauk there was wood at all locations. So far there seems to be no problem with over stressing the transom. It seems to me that pulling a skiier or wakeboarder stresses the transom much less than picking the boat up by the lifting eyes, but I could be wrong... So far, no problems
where2	posted 05-01-2002 01:16 PM ET (US) Never Scared, E-mail me about that pylon at where2@juno.com if Silver Whaler hasn't made a deal with you yet. I'm curious which mounting base it uses.
Tom W Clark	posted 05-01-2002 03:12 PM ET (US) The Swivel-Eze is a nice product. I had one on my last boat. Chesapeake, don't worry about it it will be plenty strong. I spent several years skiing behind a friend's 16' Whaler with a pylon braced back to the area of the stern eyes. No problem.
Chesapeake	posted 05-10-2002 11:38 AM ET (US) Tom: I just checked out the wood diagram for the Nauset. It looks like there is 1/2 plywood running on top of the tunnel from stern hole to console hole. Great. One question though... given that the tunnel runs underneath the ply, how would you screw into it? Just barely enough to make it through the ply? Probably makes sense to not breech the tunnel as one wouldn't want a point of a screw exposed to the the wires and gas lines. Also couldn't seal the hole from the tunnel side. How much room would you suppose is between the bottom of the ply and the top of the tunnel? Thanks, in advance, for your thoughts. Bob Best
tbirdsey	posted 05-12-2002 12:11 PM ET (US) Never Scared: Is that ski pylon gone? I need on for my 18 Outrage. Any difficulties mounting it in the 18? Thanks, Tom
carlz	posted 05-12-2002 05:01 PM ET (US) I am avoiding new holes in my transom by installing the Swivel-Eze pylon supports into a stern deck built out of 5/4 mahogany. It will wrap the motor well, putting a portion of the seat in the right place to receive the pylon supports. On drilling into the deck: -be carefull not to drill too deep or you will ruin the holding power of the plywood with too large a penetration. Don't use a tapered pilot drill. Rather, start with a drill bit the diameter of the screw shank and just penetrate the fiberglass. Be careful! The plywood is directly below the fiberglass and it is easy to go into it if you are pushing on the drill. Change to a much smaller bit to continue the pilot hole through the plywood. -With the whole in the plywood, you should be able to determine the depth to the tunnel by probing throught the relatively soft foam. If enough clearance, I would use a screw long enough that the tapered portion clears the plywood. -use a bedding compound such as 3M 101 polysulfide for superior grip and a watertight seal of the opening.
Tom W Clark	posted 05-13-2002 12:49 PM ET (US) Chesapeake, The Swivel-Eze Pro pylon has a round base with five fasteners, if I remember correctly. When you lay out the holes for this base you need to screw the pylon into it all the way and rotate the whole thing so the pylon is oriented in the correct position. The screw holes will fall where they fall. You could back the pylon off a bit but I was happier having the pylon screwed all the way down (but not tight) Chances are three or maybe four of the screw holes will fall to either side of the tunnel, the tunnel being a tube under the plywood in the floor and tangent to the plywood only along a straight line down the middle of the boat. So you really only need worry about one or two of the fasteners penetrating the tunnel. For fasteners I would recommend as large a stainless steel sheet metal screw as the base can accommodate. I recall them as #14 (1/4�) fasteners. I used an oval head with a finish washer which looked nice, was easy on the feet and distributed the load evenly. The plywood in the floor is 1/2" and is covered with perhaps 1/8" of fiberglass at the least. The base for the pylon is about 1/8" thick and does not have a counter sink in it. So theoretically, a 1" screw might begin to penetrate the tunnel on those one or two screws that lie directly over the tunnel, but I would do as Carl suggests and drill a pilot hole and investigate the depth with a straightened paper clip or other short piece of small diameter wire and see just how far down you can go before bumping into the plastic of the tunnel tube.
NEVER SCARED	posted 05-13-2002 01:21 PM ET (US) Tbirdsey Its in the garage, the unit is pretty much complete. You need the two posts that screw to the top of gunwhale, and a base plate that screws to the floor. The plate I had looked homemade and was rusting so I tossed it. Easy to make. Everything else is mint condition.
Chesapeake	posted 05-15-2002 03:00 PM ET (US) Carl and Tom: Perfect advice. Thanks. Carl, sorry to admit that I would never have conceived to probe through the pilot hole to check depth to the tunnel. Great idea. Tom, must be a pretty wide base for the pylon if it will miss the tunnel. That tunnel must be 4" wide. Thanks again, men. BW
Tom W Clark	posted 05-15-2002 03:06 PM ET (US) Bob, The base is wide ( maybe 6" or 7") but that was not really my point. The tunnel is round in section, so its highest point is only at the middle. Move an inch or two off center and the tunnel is now well below the bottom of the plywood and not really a worry in terms of hitting it with a screw that comes a little ways through the plywood.
Chesapeake	posted 05-15-2002 08:22 PM ET (US) Gotcha Tom. My point was also a bit different. the strip of plywood on top of the tunnel in my '69 is only 4" wide (same width as the tunnel). Hence, if I get too wide, I don't have anything to bite into. I guess I could always do the hockey puck of epoxy trick, but it is not my favorite for high stress areas, like under the deck. BW
boarderbrain	posted 07-10-2006 03:46 PM ET (US) Does anyone one how east the swisl-eze removes. Also, after you pull the pylon and supports(if you can) are the mounts fairly flush or do you have brackets sticking out of the floor. Thanks
Martman	posted 07-11-2006 11:17 PM ET (US) Chesapeake, Tom is correct. The Swivel-Eze is a very nice product. I installed one on my 1963 Nausett several years ago. Right after I installed it, I took the boat out for a sunset run by myself (very rare occurance in those days) and ran upon a 19' Grady broken down. I tied a bow line from the Grady to the ski pole (I know, not the perfect idea, but a good test at the time). I towed the Grady from my area to the boat ramp (approximately 3.5 miles) at a fairly good clip and didn't have a problem at all. We then wake boarded and tubed behind it for 2 years with no issues at all. Like Tom said, when installing the base, I rotated it to miss the most center portion of the boat in order to not penetrate the rigging tube. I pulled some hefty skiers and wake boarders with this pylon and had no issues with the boat. I uninstalled for the restoration last year and haven't reinstalled yet, but as soon as the kids are old enough and express interest in skiing/wakeboarding, the pylon will be installed again. I was very impressed with the quality as well as the "Eze" of removing the pylon when extra room was needed.
whalernut	posted 07-12-2006 08:26 PM ET (US) Could you maybe screw one into the well saround on the outside(towards the driver) of it? Any wood in there, lots of area to mount to? I have seen some ski poles that mount that way on the back on transoms. Jack.