for the fisherman- anyone have a tuna tower?

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Author Topic:   for the fisherman- anyone have a tuna tower?

bbrunner posted 03-18-2004 01:07 PM ET (US)
I was wondering if anyone has installed or has a "tuna tower" on their whaler. I thought this was generally reserved for the larger vessels, but I saw one on a conquest and was wondering if anyone has one/has installed one/ bought one.
Joe Kriz posted 03-18-2004 09:52 PM ET (US)
bbrunner, Fellow Boston Whaler enthusiast...
I would suggest you view all the photos in the Cetacea Section on this fine Web Site... It may take you a couple of days, but there are many photos there that will enlighten your perspective on all things Whaler.... You, and anyone else, is missing a wealth of information if you/they, do not look at all the photos... I spent many hours viewing these photos when I first visited this site.. All I can say is, WOW
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/
There is also an Outrage 18 on the page below where the owner added a Tuna Tower... Check it out.......
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/cetaceaPage19.html
jimh posted 03-19-2004 12:35 AM ET (US)
All weight aloft is detrimental to boat stability and should be kept to an absolute minimum.
cape_rover posted 03-19-2004 06:05 AM ET (US)
I've never owned a tower but I've considered installing a "flats tower" on a smaller boat:
http://chewonthis.tv/flatstower.htm
LuckyLady posted 03-20-2004 01:07 PM ET (US)
Here on the Big Isle in Hawaii, on my way to work, I pass an older Ribbed Outrage all decked out with an unbelievable tuna tower that they use for their Whale Watching business.
I plan on stopping one day and take some pictures and ask a few questions on how the boat handles with all that superstructure on top.
Lars Simonsen posted 03-20-2004 02:16 PM ET (US)
I'm considering building a small "tower" for my 18' Dauntless for cobia fishing. My dauntless is set up for a ski pylon; I'm thinking about building a fairly short stainless steel "stepladder" with a ring (like a basketball goal) that you stand inside of to lean against and hold onto. I'm figuring if it can get you 4 feet above the deck, it'll provide enough height to better spot cobia. So far, it's just an idea . . .
kglinz posted 03-20-2004 04:09 PM ET (US)
I think this is a 28 Conquest... http://community.webshots.com/s/image1/3/97/14/84039714UuMaZL_ph.jpg
bbrunner posted 03-22-2004 09:32 AM ET (US)
Joe,
The cetacea section is great, and having looked through it, I wanted to hear from owners if they had done this and what their experiences were. A picture tells a thousand words, but sometimes a few more are helpful!
Thanks for the specific references!
bbrunner posted 03-22-2004 09:39 AM ET (US)
Lucky Lady-
post any pics you get!
kglinz-
I couldn't access the url that you posted. Can you check it? I got an "access denied" error from the web server.
Does anyone know the owner that added that tower to the Outrage 18? Was it mounted to the boat independent of the existing top or was it mounted to the top?
kglinz posted 03-22-2004 10:29 AM ET (US)
Try this URL... http://members.fishingworks.com/kglinz/PhotoImages/84039714UuMaZL_ph.jpg
bbrunner posted 04-22-2004 12:34 PM ET (US)
I found this ttop hooked to a 23 conquest on boattrader.com
http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/3/2/69483432.htm
It looks like he just screwed it to the existing hardtop. I emailed BW and they did not recommend mounting something to the top as the hartop was not intended for that use. It looks like it would be a custom job to have one put on the conquest and maybe mount it to the hull and have it extend throught the top, without the top bearing any of the weight. I have never tried to stand on my ttop, it would probably take it, but i am probably not willing to risk it.
Does anyone know what the hardtops are made of?
Southpaw posted 04-28-2004 12:35 PM ET (US)
here's my 1992 23WA/twin '95 200SWS yamahas with added folding tower. it's makes a big difference offshore. this boat will be for sale soon.
http://members.fishingworks.com/southpaw1
Southpaw posted 04-28-2004 12:42 PM ET (US)
http://members.fishingworks.com/southpaw1
this boat is located in east central florida.
HAPPYJIM posted 04-29-2004 04:07 AM ET (US)
Very nice boat, Southpaw.
Tom2697 posted 05-08-2004 04:55 PM ET (US)
A tuna tower on a whaler is probably not a good idea. A marlin tower would be better, yet a spotting tower would be best. I know it sounds confusing so I'll try to elaborate. A tuna tower generally is really tall and only has room for 1 or 2 people. They are used usually on boats with a flybridge to raise the visibility up even further. A marlin tower is mostly used on an express style boat to give the visibility of a flybridge. A spotting tower is often used on smaller center console boats. It it basically a platform (with railings) built on top of a hard-roofed t-top. All three styles can have controls installed although tuna towers and spotting towers usually don't. The spotting towers are quite common for flats fishing boats. This style tower would definitely work on a Whaler as a neighbor of mine has one on his Gulf Coast flats boat. This boat is basically a 70's era Whaler Outrage hull that was copied and modified to include a tunnel.
bbrunner posted 05-10-2004 03:21 PM ET (US)
nice info, did not know the nuances of the towers. i was just wondering if it was a possibility and was interested in how people have setup their conquests for fishing.

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Author	Topic: for the fisherman- anyone have a tuna tower?
bbrunner	posted 03-18-2004 01:07 PM ET (US) I was wondering if anyone has installed or has a "tuna tower" on their whaler. I thought this was generally reserved for the larger vessels, but I saw one on a conquest and was wondering if anyone has one/has installed one/ bought one.
Joe Kriz	posted 03-18-2004 09:52 PM ET (US) bbrunner, Fellow Boston Whaler enthusiast... I would suggest you view all the photos in the Cetacea Section on this fine Web Site... It may take you a couple of days, but there are many photos there that will enlighten your perspective on all things Whaler.... You, and anyone else, is missing a wealth of information if you/they, do not look at all the photos... I spent many hours viewing these photos when I first visited this site.. All I can say is, WOW http://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/ There is also an Outrage 18 on the page below where the owner added a Tuna Tower... Check it out....... http://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/cetaceaPage19.html
jimh	posted 03-19-2004 12:35 AM ET (US) All weight aloft is detrimental to boat stability and should be kept to an absolute minimum.
cape_rover	posted 03-19-2004 06:05 AM ET (US) I've never owned a tower but I've considered installing a "flats tower" on a smaller boat: http://chewonthis.tv/flatstower.htm
LuckyLady	posted 03-20-2004 01:07 PM ET (US) Here on the Big Isle in Hawaii, on my way to work, I pass an older Ribbed Outrage all decked out with an unbelievable tuna tower that they use for their Whale Watching business. I plan on stopping one day and take some pictures and ask a few questions on how the boat handles with all that superstructure on top.
Lars Simonsen	posted 03-20-2004 02:16 PM ET (US) I'm considering building a small "tower" for my 18' Dauntless for cobia fishing. My dauntless is set up for a ski pylon; I'm thinking about building a fairly short stainless steel "stepladder" with a ring (like a basketball goal) that you stand inside of to lean against and hold onto. I'm figuring if it can get you 4 feet above the deck, it'll provide enough height to better spot cobia. So far, it's just an idea . . .
kglinz	posted 03-20-2004 04:09 PM ET (US) I think this is a 28 Conquest... http://community.webshots.com/s/image1/3/97/14/84039714UuMaZL_ph.jpg
bbrunner	posted 03-22-2004 09:32 AM ET (US) Joe, The cetacea section is great, and having looked through it, I wanted to hear from owners if they had done this and what their experiences were. A picture tells a thousand words, but sometimes a few more are helpful! Thanks for the specific references!
bbrunner	posted 03-22-2004 09:39 AM ET (US) Lucky Lady- post any pics you get! kglinz- I couldn't access the url that you posted. Can you check it? I got an "access denied" error from the web server. Does anyone know the owner that added that tower to the Outrage 18? Was it mounted to the boat independent of the existing top or was it mounted to the top?
kglinz	posted 03-22-2004 10:29 AM ET (US) Try this URL... http://members.fishingworks.com/kglinz/PhotoImages/84039714UuMaZL_ph.jpg
bbrunner	posted 04-22-2004 12:34 PM ET (US) I found this ttop hooked to a 23 conquest on boattrader.com http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/3/2/69483432.htm It looks like he just screwed it to the existing hardtop. I emailed BW and they did not recommend mounting something to the top as the hartop was not intended for that use. It looks like it would be a custom job to have one put on the conquest and maybe mount it to the hull and have it extend throught the top, without the top bearing any of the weight. I have never tried to stand on my ttop, it would probably take it, but i am probably not willing to risk it. Does anyone know what the hardtops are made of?
Southpaw	posted 04-28-2004 12:35 PM ET (US) here's my 1992 23WA/twin '95 200SWS yamahas with added folding tower. it's makes a big difference offshore. this boat will be for sale soon. http://members.fishingworks.com/southpaw1
Southpaw	posted 04-28-2004 12:42 PM ET (US) http://members.fishingworks.com/southpaw1 this boat is located in east central florida.
HAPPYJIM	posted 04-29-2004 04:07 AM ET (US) Very nice boat, Southpaw.
Tom2697	posted 05-08-2004 04:55 PM ET (US) A tuna tower on a whaler is probably not a good idea. A marlin tower would be better, yet a spotting tower would be best. I know it sounds confusing so I'll try to elaborate. A tuna tower generally is really tall and only has room for 1 or 2 people. They are used usually on boats with a flybridge to raise the visibility up even further. A marlin tower is mostly used on an express style boat to give the visibility of a flybridge. A spotting tower is often used on smaller center console boats. It it basically a platform (with railings) built on top of a hard-roofed t-top. All three styles can have controls installed although tuna towers and spotting towers usually don't. The spotting towers are quite common for flats fishing boats. This style tower would definitely work on a Whaler as a neighbor of mine has one on his Gulf Coast flats boat. This boat is basically a 70's era Whaler Outrage hull that was copied and modified to include a tunnel.
bbrunner	posted 05-10-2004 03:21 PM ET (US) nice info, did not know the nuances of the towers. i was just wondering if it was a possibility and was interested in how people have setup their conquests for fishing.