Homegrown Illusion tower

(wakeboardaddy) · (wakeboardaddy) **Join Date: Sep 2006** 10-01-2006, 4:38 PM

here is some pics of my tower on 89 sunsetter, built it myself. what do you think? I know it aint the real thing, but neither is my boat. Upload

(entrustclothing)

dude that looks really good! i think it flows with the boat really well! good job

(festivus) · (festivus) **Join Date: Jan 2006** 10-01-2006, 4:48 PM

I 2nd that, nice work. I could never pull that off...

(cbk) · (cbk) **Join Date: Aug 2006** 10-01-2006, 4:49 PM

Awesome job! Looks like you should be earning money building towers.

(norcalmalibu) · (norcalmalibu) **Join Date: Jun 2004** 10-01-2006, 4:54 PM

dam sweet tower and super clean 89!

(air_warrior) · (air_warrior) **Join Date: Sep 2006** 10-01-2006, 4:55 PM

Awesome work Jeff!!

(c_rundell) · (c_rundell) **Join Date: Jan 2006** 10-01-2006, 5:01 PM

Very impressive. Nice job Jeff!!

(yosquire) · (yosquire) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 10-01-2006, 5:02 PM

wow.

(curtisco24) · (curtisco24) **Join Date: Dec 2005** 10-01-2006, 5:51 PM

That looks great man.

(rich_g) · (rich_g) **Join Date: May 2003** 10-01-2006, 6:11 PM

that is awesome work. Did you reinforce it underneath? I'm also wondering if it might be a good idea to have a mounting pad on the top, between the fiberglass and the metal. When I installed a factory tower on my last boat, it came with thick rubber pads; looked like conveyer belt material.

(wake_upppp) · (wake_upppp) **Join Date: Nov 2003** 10-01-2006, 6:17 PM

Darn nice job there!

(kraig) · (kraig) **Join Date: Dec 2002** 10-01-2006, 6:50 PM

Kudos Kudos Kudos!!! Madd props to ya man! Very impressive for a homemade tower.

(wakeboardaddy) · (wakeboardaddy) **Join Date: Sep 2006** 10-01-2006, 6:56 PM

Rich, I did run tubes bolted to floorboard for reinforcement, thanks for the advice on the rubber pads, will do that when I pull it off this winter to powdercoat. thanks to all for the positive comments, maybe it was worth all the work!

(kristin_ware) · (kristin_ware) **Join Date: Jun 2006** 10-01-2006, 7:31 PM

WOW!!!!! That is the best looking homemade tower I have seen. Looks real sweet.

(greatdane) · (greatdane) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 10-01-2006, 7:43 PM

I like it better than malibu's tower!

Put another cross member on there for more board racks and I would choose it over the current BU tower.

Excellent work!

mendo247 10-01-2006, 7:50 PM

well done! very nice.. how much time do you have in it??

(Message edited by mendo247 on October 01, 2006)

(yosquire) · (yosquire) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 10-01-2006, 9:28 PM

Is the Malibu logo at the base cut in with a CNC machine? That logo makes the tower look stock...Like they offered an illusion tower in 89. Plus the tower styling fits the styling of the boat, so it all goes together really well. I've looked at this thread 3 times today and have been impressed each time.

(whitie) · (whitie) **Join Date: Jul 2004** 10-01-2006, 9:33 PM

Put some clear coat ont it, that aluminum look is sweet.

(jetskiprosx) · (jetskiprosx) **Join Date: Aug 2004** 10-01-2006, 9:49 PM

powder coat the tower gray, strip off the malibu sun (as much as I love the classic look it just doesn't flow with the gray/white/black going on) and your boat will look sick!!!

(ghostrider_2) · (ghostrider_2) **Join Date: Aug 2004** 10-01-2006, 11:52 PM

great job!!

(ccryder) · (ccryder) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 10-02-2006, 6:39 AM

That looks awesome! Does the bimini still fit or is that the next step in the project?

(grant_west) · (grant_west) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 10-02-2006, 8:00 AM

Looks great. Go's with the boat well. Nice job

(malibuboarder75)

It is awesome seeing people build their own stuff, yet still make it look professional. Great job, it really makes the boat look like the tower came stock.

(Message edited by malibuboarder75 on October 02, 2006)

(guido) · (guido) **Join Date: Jul 2002** 10-02-2006, 8:39 AM

Congrats!! You do killer work. I'd definitely get some pads under it, otherwise you might end up with some stress cracking.

(dudeman) · (dudeman) **Join Date: Mar 2005** 10-02-2006, 8:39 AM

Great job Jeff. You definitely have some mad skillz.

(wakeboardaddy) · (wakeboardaddy) **Join Date: Sep 2006** 10-02-2006, 9:48 AM

was thinking med gray powder coat or the charcoal to match stripes on boat. like the aluminum, but nothing else on the boat is brushed alum. yes, the bimini is next project the original doesn't fit any more, plus it was to low anyway. thanks for all the great input

(wakeboardaddy) · (wakeboardaddy) **Join Date: Sep 2006** 10-02-2006, 9:56 AM

Oh yeah, I had a local machine shop scan and cnc the malibu logo for the gussets. also going to have them make a custom billet shift knob.

(ktmwakeboarder)

uber nice

(wakeboardin2k4)

that tower is amazing. That really looks like something you could sell and make a ton of money on. How much did the whole project cost you?

(jon4pres) · (jon4pres) **Join Date: May 2004** 10-03-2006, 9:37 AM

Very cool. Was the square stock hard to bend? I built a tower and found it to be alot of work. Nice. I agree that if you add modern grahics or take off the old ones your boat will look like new.

(wakeboardin2k4)

If you went all black, with red pinstripes on that boat and then powder coated the boat black it would be insane, but i would say just removing the old graphics and adding newer ones would make a huge difference

(monstertower) · (monstertower) **Join Date: Mar 2003** 10-03-2006, 6:58 PM

Awesome job! Just posted it to www.diytower.com. Please add more pics to this thread, especially anything you did underneath. By far the most innovative DIY tower made to date.

(wakeboardaddy)

wow! even the monster likes it. I was seriously having my doubts about posting pics of my project, just because sometimes this site can be, well, brutally honest. As far as cost goes I spent more than I ever imagined I would. I used 6061 1/4" aluminum 2" square (needed the thickness so I could round over the corners with a router. swivel pylon, skylon boardracks (which I dont care for) button head stainless bolts. total materials about $1,100 bucks and about 50 man hours. I have a hydraulic roller I used to roll the tubes, wasn't to bad. here is crude drawing of mount system. pictures would not show much, bcause the mounts are hidden. Upload