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Author Topic:   Ski Pylon for 2005 170
Feejer posted 03-18-2008 11:37 AM ET (US)   Profile for Feejer   Send Email to Feejer  
Has anyone added an after market one to their Montauk? My son is really into wake boarding and even though the stern eyes work good for tubing they don't work to well for boarding.
BlueMax posted 03-18-2008 01:26 PM ET (US)     Profile for BlueMax  Send Email to BlueMax     
Even using a tow harness such as these?

http://www.boatwatersports.com/c/Accessories-TH/Tow+Harnesses.html

BlueMax posted 03-18-2008 02:24 PM ET (US)     Profile for BlueMax  Send Email to BlueMax     
PS - I have the AirHead heavy duty tow harness and it works great for all sports (skiing,tubing and kneeboarding). Keeps a good center-point behind the boat for manuevers. The float device that keeps the quick connect on top of the water is also a pleasure for keeping it out of the prop and finding the end of the harness to quickly change out tow ropes for the toys.

http://www.boatwatersports.com/pc/AHTH-2/Accessories-TH/Airhead+Heavy+ Duty+Tow+Harness

Feejer posted 03-18-2008 02:28 PM ET (US)     Profile for Feejer  Send Email to Feejer     
Hey BlueMax

I have the same set up as you. My son has a problem getting "Air" while wake boarding. I've basically told him to live with it, especially since he's not paying for the gas

BlueMax posted 03-18-2008 02:42 PM ET (US)     Profile for BlueMax  Send Email to BlueMax     
:-)
cooper1958nc posted 03-18-2008 04:11 PM ET (US)     Profile for cooper1958nc  Send Email to cooper1958nc     
Pulley harnesses that clip to the lifting eyes are not considered serious water ski or wake board equipment.

1. They will break under heavy load. Seen that quite a few times.

2. They do not allow the stern of the boat to steer properly. This is especially true at low speeds or when the skiier is deep in the water awaiting launch.

3. The rope is carried low and hits the wake.

4. The angle of pull is down. Especially bad for wakeboarders. Bad for everyone else too.

5. You will back over the line one day.

6. The line is hard to reach. This is important because the line should be retrieved and boated betweens skiers. Leaving the line out while the next skier gets ready invites you or another boat to run it over. THe best practice is to get the line in, then hand it to the next skier coiled, who holds the handle in one hand and the coils in the other. That way the skier controls the line and is less apt to get entangled.

Other things to remember about skiing/ wakeboarding with your outboard:

1. You probably need a prop with less pitch. Even if you can pull the load, a small prop gives better speed control at wakeboard speeds (15-20 mph).

2. The engine trim should be full bow down. Try to set the antitorque adjustment to live with this. Full bow down will bury the propwash away from the boarder, and will also make planing quicker.

3. Use of trim tabs is optional, but remember they can alter the wake.

4. Balance the boat precisely. The wakes will really change if the boat is even slighly off center.

5. Even with an observer in the boat (optional in some states) you need a very good mirror. I prefer a truck-type large glass mirror. Some states require a wide angle mirror as well. A small wide angle mirror is just insufficient. You should be able to see the boarder's teeth from the helm. Do not turn around to view the skier. This can be is a source of terrible accidents.

6. Never leave a skier in the water while you go do something else, like fetch a ski that was dropped or something. Protect a fallen skier from other boats by returning quickly and interposing your boat between oncoming craft and the skier.

7. If you have a boat with the helm on the right, make a right hand turn to recover a fallen skier. That way you can see her.

8. Get a good, big, water speedometer that has a maximum speed of less than 40 or so. You need to really see well in the 15-20 mph range, and some are so condensed there it is impossible to see. You need to hold the proper speed within a mph or so. Your boarder can't improve if the speed is variable.

9. For wakeboarding, ballast the boat with either commercial water ballast or, on the cheap, get plastic storage bins from WalMart and fill them with water. Three or so will really make a wake. When you are done you just tip them over and let the boat self bail.

10. The rope length for wakeboarding should be long enough to get the boarder behind the rooster tail but short enough to get her in front of the peak and valley wave. The length changes about 1.5' per mph (longer with faster).

Feejer posted 03-18-2008 07:22 PM ET (US)     Profile for Feejer  Send Email to Feejer     
yea
witsendfl posted 03-18-2008 07:55 PM ET (US)     Profile for witsendfl  Send Email to witsendfl     
Or you could just buy a WAKEBOARD boat or a SKIBOAT...In all seriousness. A Montauk is a FAR cry from a WAKEBOARD boat. If you where to install a pylon Whaler does make one
for that hull. Those rope things that get attached to the stern cleats are worthless and dangerous. If you want input about a WAKEBOARD or WATERSKI boat send me a email.

Thanks

witsendfl

Jim K

Feejer posted 03-19-2008 06:25 AM ET (US)     Profile for Feejer  Send Email to Feejer     
Whaler does make one? Could you point me in the right direction to find it. So far I've been told they do not
bigjohn1 posted 03-19-2008 07:44 AM ET (US)     Profile for bigjohn1  Send Email to bigjohn1     
Feejer, a couple of considerations from a fellow 170 owner. I once considered fabricating custom rod holders for Marlin fishing by attaching a welded assembly either to the splash well or the transom. I decided against it after pouring over the wood diagram for the boat and pricing custom fabrications at welding shops.

I am one of many who grew up waterskiing behind an outboard-powered boat with few problems. Much of what cooper says can be true but it also can be almost totally avoided by a prudent and observant boat captain. I slamon skied pretty agressively in my younger years with nothing but the V-shaped tow harness and not one time did I ever have one break, and I have weighed 220lbs for years now.

This boat was never designed to be a serious ski/wakeboarding boat. That said, you, I and others have used this boat with the V-harness and it does ok (not great though). The problem I see is how to attach a ski pylon for maximum strength. The best way would be to bolt one to the rear deck immediately forward of the splashwell and on the boat centerline. As it extends up, a supporting clamp would help structural integrity by also clamping it to the spashwell. A couple of problem you will encounter though:

1. The bilge prevents mounting a pylon to the deck where it should go. Even if the bilge were not in the way, there is no embedded wood where the pylon would bolt into the deck.

2. When you tilt the engine up at an extreme angle (such as to change your oil), it will hit the pylon and won't be able to tilt all the way up.

I am not aware of a ski pylon being available "over the counter" for the 170 Montauk. Perhaps I am wrong on that but I am not aware of one. If you are dead-set on a pylon and none is available, consider having one custom fabricated per your personal design. It would need to be some sort of V-shape and bolt at four points into the transom (two bolts on each side and mounted in the rear quarter seat areas. You could design it not to interfer with tilting the outboard up and down but it would still have to come off ocasionally such as when you want to raise or lower the engine or when the steering cable needs replacing. The 170 Montauk requires engine removal to change steering cables. Considering all the work and expense this would entail, I consider a V bridle the best alternative for a 170 Montauk.

Feejer posted 03-19-2008 08:03 AM ET (US)     Profile for Feejer  Send Email to Feejer     
Thanks guys for all your import. After giving the pylon some consideration I think I'm going to bail on the idea. I spent many years skiing behind a simple Y harness off the stern eyes. And my son and his buddies are just going to have to do the same. He would like to trade the Whaler in for a ski boat, thats just not going to happen.
witsendfl posted 03-19-2008 07:37 PM ET (US)     Profile for witsendfl  Send Email to witsendfl     
www.mastercraft.com

I speak from TONS of experience

Your Montauk will be a blast and produce lots of memories...nothing like owning 2 boats though !!!

witsendfl

Jim K

cooper1958nc posted 03-21-2008 02:13 PM ET (US)     Profile for cooper1958nc  Send Email to cooper1958nc     
Correct Craft's quality has never been matched by Mastercraft, though the MC has been more innovative.
witsendfl posted 03-22-2008 07:07 AM ET (US)     Profile for witsendfl  Send Email to witsendfl     
WRONG FORUM for this that is for sure. I think you need to take a REAL close look. Correct Craft ALL PLASTIC,
MC All Billet. CC is a great boat and was a great boat. MC surpassed them in fit quality and finish over the last 5 years....take a closer look

witsendfl

Jim K

Chuck Tribolet posted 03-23-2008 09:51 PM ET (US)     Profile for Chuck Tribolet  Send Email to Chuck Tribolet     
The Montauk doesn't throw much of a wake. My water ski friends
have been happy to ski off my Montauk (and the look on the
CC and MC folks as we go by with a good skier on, driving
standing up, VHF antenna flapping in the breeze, is ABSOLUTELY
PRICELESS. There was one guy that my have had gelcoat damage
from his jaw dropping ;-)

Wake boarders are underwhelmed with the Montauk. That's OK.


Chuck

cooper1958nc posted 03-24-2008 11:12 AM ET (US)     Profile for cooper1958nc  Send Email to cooper1958nc     
I never have boats newer than 15 or 20 years, so I can't speak for the last 5.

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