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Thanks Wolfman!
Doesn't sound like it's much more work than folding up my current bimini and zipping up the cover on it for tow then?? Probably a 3 minute jobby!
As I'd have to remove to garage it anyway, probably would remove it to tow. so I guess the real issue is will it fit in the bed of my truck? I'm going to have to do some measuring and see.
Appreciate the input
[quote=wolfeman131;118237]It holds your speakers. Oh wait, have I ever been in your boat with the stereo on?
quote]
speakers have been removed as I rarely used them and when we did I thought they sounded crappy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wolfeman131
The wife is wondering why im laughing my ass off
I can only imagine what that was like.
Shhhhhhh! My daughter will hear you. She already wants upgraded tower speakers.
Was yours 60"? sound right?Quote:
Originally Posted by wolfeman131
Also does anyone have a pic of the Monster Cargo rack installed on an LSV?
Okay, the weather and my back haven't been cooperative to getting back into the install mode but here are a few pictures of how I am mounting the new Taco Ball & Socket hinges to Speaker Clamps rather than drilling the tower to mount the ball & socket hinges sent with the Monster Tower Cargo Bimini. The new clamps and Taco hinges cost about 200 bucks, but I think it'll be worth it.
The original clamps sent with the bimini had the mounting holes too far apart to mount them on the speaker clamps and they have an arched base. So I ordered some flat bottom hinges that had the mounting holes closer together than would fit onto the flat mounting area of the speaker clamp.
Edit: The first two pictures from left to right are of the original hinge from Monster (left hinge) and the Taco hinge (right Hinge) and it displays the size and mounting hole spacing
Ksmith........very interested to see how this all comes together! Great idea and may have to copy you in the future if/when I upgrade to a cargo style bimini.
On a 2nd note - I get kinda hungry every time to discuss your mod. I'm craving mexican :)
Hey Viking, I'll post some more picture when I get it mounted, but there isn't much else to show. Wolfeman did a good job documenting, which I why I am just appending to his thread.
The rack is assembled and sitting in the garage right now, the clamps and hinges for the tower side are ready. Now it is mostly just deciding where to mount the clamps which is dependant on what height I want the bimini.
I have the Roswell Swivel board racks on my boat which are installed on the middle oval crossbar. I also have a set of standard fixed racks installed in the bottom crossbar (set up to use with WakeSkis Port, and Slalom skis on Starboard).
I have a pair of double bullet tower speaker cans and a multitude of speakers (a set each of Polk DB651 and Infinity Reference 612M) that I would like to mount on the tower.
So when the weather permits, perhaps even tomorrow, I need to get the rack out into the Moomba, load up the racks on the tower and get a set of tower speaker cans out and start messing around with different heights to mount the bimini.
I think I have conflicting requiremnts though, I want the Swivel board racks to be functional with wakeboards and surf boards, but I would also like to mount the tower speakers, I would also like enough space between the tower and/or speaker cans and the rack to put another surf board or two on or perhaps a kneeboard.
So I may have to sacrifice the tower speakers, or do the dreaded micky mouse mounting on top, which I'd rather not do.
At any rate, I'll post some pictures when I am finished, I may take a few pictures of the bimini at different mouting heights just for fun if I remember and have a free hand
Ohhhhh, this makes me so mad at myself for not being more patient to do this mod for the bimini! I asked the folks at Monster a 1/2 dozen times about doing something like this, but they said it couldn't be done and I wasn't aware that you could buy the "tacos" aftermarket.
AWESOME MOD! Monster should at least consider putting together an optional kit for this.
Thanks Wolfeman.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing about Monster offering it as an alternative. If they went with Taco as the sole source Taco makes the same hinge as I used but like the original hinges have a 7/8 arch to the bottom.
The down side is the taco hinges use a pull pin where as the original hinges us a spring loaded twist pin with a cut out to allow the ball to escape the socket.
I kind of like the twist pin idea, no lost pins. Yes the Taco pins have a teather but those tend to break after awhile.
I like the twist locks on the original hinges, and since they fit the 7/8 tubing with the arched bottoms I'll use those on the rack and as the release points when droppng the back of the rack.
They could offer all the same clamps sizes as DIY, the one thing they would have to do to make it user friendly is drill the mounting holes in the speaker clamps as I did (since there are no existing holes in the speaker clamps the are in the proper spacing or orientation).
It'd cost a bit more but you could make up say half the cost by not having 4 extra ball and socket hinges that won't get used.
Anyway... back to work I go:shock:
Here are a few pics after the install.
Looks great! Do you think it would be possible to shorten the bar (3rd pic) and move the clamp closer to the outside of the tower?
Possible yes, and actually something I am going to be tinkering with. The bar shown is the adjustable bar that comes with the bimini. It is made from a 7/8 OD tube and 3/4 OD tube that slides inside the larger tube and has the spring loaded button to allow it to extend to several sizes. It is in the shortest length as shown.Quote:
Originally Posted by brain_rinse
What I have done is order a couple ball hinge end caps with the straight configuration and two ball hinge end caps with the 90 angle. I have a bunch of 7/8 tubing so when they arrive I am going to cut a shorter length of tubing and use the new end caps to make my own non-adjustable bars. I could use part of the existing bars but I didn't want to ruin them. But if one wanted to they could use the two 90 degree end caps and the 7/8 tubing section, just toss the 3/4 tubing and end cap sections, cut down the existing 7/8 to length and put the two new end caps on.
I should add that on my install the rear bars extend in toward the center of the more than wolfmans as I installed the bimini higher. By installing it higher The mounts needed to be moved in until I can get the parts to make shorter bars. If the bimini is installed with more space between the tower top and bimini then it wouldn't be a severe. I played with different heights. One set of heights was to allow me to mount the double bullet speakers cans I have under the cross bar (a typical speaker mounting) but I decided I liked it better higher so I could stand up more under it and also I made sure when I have surf and wake boards in the Rowsell swivel racks they could swivel all the way in without impacting the bimini. The stock bimini was lower and when it was being used the racks couldn't swivel fully as they would hit the bimini and straps. I had the same issue with this bimini when I had it mounted lower, so I moved it up until I had clearance to swivel the loaded racks fully.
Anyway, depending on how the bimini is mounted will effect the length or the bars required and angles to mount them unless one tinkers with it.
Cool, looking forward to seeing how it goes for you. If you could get those supports closer to vertical I think it would be a much cleaner looking setup.
Great looking top
is it just me, in pic 3 does it looks like there is a crack in the tower
If you are talking about the vertical line between the welds to the right, that is where the top section bolts to the left side. The tower is 3 pieces, two sides and the top center section that bolt together.Quote:
Originally Posted by moombadaze
yep thats was what I saw.
Nice job - think it turned out great. Too bad Monster doesn't offer a "add-on" kit to do just that! I would think it'd be a hot seller?
I exchanged some emails with Monster. Not sure they had any real interested but I thought I'd toss the concept their way just the same. They did ask for some pictures so I sent them some. That was the last I heard out of them. Oh well... I tired.Quote:
Originally Posted by viking
Hey Todd,
You will need 4 of these speaker clamps size 1 7/8.
http://www.bulletlines.com/wakeboard...amp-p/1142.htm
Our towers are 1 5/8 BUT the 1 5/8 clamps did not fit well as they were a tad too small. The 1 7/8 are too big BUT some self-stick non-slip pads from Lowes (or probably Home Depot) cut to fit the inside of the hinge worked great. I cut the non-slip pad I put on mine a bit large, peeled the tape off, stuck them onto the inside of the clamps and used a bare utility knife blade to trim.
Next you will need 4 new Ball and Socket Hinges which will replace 4 that come with the top.
Taco Marine F13-0241/244BN-1 7/8" 7/8" Flat deck hinge w/pin-lanyard
I got mine here:
http://www.westmarine.com/1/1/14447-...-flat-7-8.html
Make sure you use the following
G. Deck Hinge Flat, 7/8" 6471353 F13-0241/244BN1 In Stock $21.99
That is all the major parts you need to not have to drill holes in the tower.
I mounted my cargo top higher than Drew so if you look at the pictures at https://forum.moomba.com/showt...t=10144&page=6 Post #51 middle picture you'll see the rear support bars at laid down toward the center of the tower at a pretty steep angle. To address that I also bought two 90 degree and two straight Ball end caps and used some 7/8 polished aluminum tubing I had laying around to make shorter rear supprt bars. I could have used the 7/8 tubes and the 90 degree end caps off the support bars from Monster but I would have had to cut the 7/8 tubing and then the rear support bars as sent from Monster, which are adjustable, would have been ruined, but it would have some a few bucks. Instead of ruining the original rear support bars I built new shorter ones, which I cut the 7/8 tubing to 4 inches. I do not have pictures of this as I just did it and then it is going to rain so I button it up. It'' take some this weekend and add to the original install thread from Drew like I have been.
I bought the 90 degree and the straight Ball end caps from here:
http://www.marinepartdepot.com/newststdehi.html
But I see they do not have the 90 degree Ball end caps listed anymore. But If you wanted to shorten the rear support bars and you wanted to use the Monster supplied parts (the 90 degreeBall ends and 7/8 tubing) from the original rear support bars all you would need are two 7/8 Straight Ball end caps like these MPD_8801Regular from MarinePartDepot.
If you need the 90 degree Ball end caps you can get them at the same west marine link as above but use part number B. 90° Top Cap Side Mount, 7/8" 6471304 F11-0180-1 In Stock $24.99
Yeah, they are way more expensive at west marine than the clearance at the other site. I paid top dollar as the clearance wasn't going on when I bought them. Anyway...
NOTE: DO NOT order the MPD_8803 ball hinges show at MarinePartDepot as they are too big to mount on the speaker clamps. Good price but they won't work.
Next I also decided I did not want to use the last 2 Ball Hinges from Monster that get screwed into the cargo top frame, these two hinges are the cargo top hinges for the rear support bars to hook into. So... I ordered 2 Slide mount ball hinges from
http://www.westmarine.com/1/1/14447-...-flat-7-8.html
F. Stainless Steel Jaw Slide - 1" 6471346 F12-0300-1 In Stock $27.99
To Be Continued:
Part Deux
What these do is wrap the 1" cargo frame with stainless and allows yo to tinker with mounting locations and angles easily as the original Monster clamps you need to drill into the cargo top frame. These made it easier to adjust and in my mind provide much better strength and support that 4 screws as teh stainless wraps the 1" frame tubing. The problem was these were a major pain to get around the bends in the frame tubing. It can be done but it'll scratch the tubing up some, which is minor to me and some of the scratches get hidden by the canvas. You can somewhat see these in the 4th picture from the left on the Moomba install thread post #15 (same link as above)
You will also need at least one 5/32 drill bit (more is better in case they dull or break). Also you will need a 10-24 Thread Tap to add thread to the mounting holes, I got mine from Sears. Then you will need 8 10-14 X 1/2 stainless screws (Lowes or Home Depot), and some LocTite (I used LocTite Red)
Okay now that you have ordered what you want from the basics 4 speaker clamps, non-slip pads, and 4 new Taco flat bottom Ball Hinges or you go all out like I did, the next thing you need to do is mount the new Ball hinges to the new Speaker Clamps.
You'll need to make the Center lines Across the flat round mounting area on the speaker clamps. I just used a couple framing squares and pencil and eyeballed it. But it needs to be as close as possible to center. Once the centerlines are marked place a new Ball Hinge onto the centerline showing through the screw holes. Mark the screw holes onto the flat round mounting area and drill them out with a 5/32 drill bit. Once the mounting holes are drilled you will need to use th e10-24 Tap to thread the holes. After that add some LocTite to the newly threaded mounting holes and secure the Ball Hinges to the Speaker Clamps.
Add the non-slip pad (it is a black flexible plastic looking pad about 4 x 6 inches I think several pads per package, kind of a ribbed texture and self-stick on the back,)to the speaker clamps if you have not already.
From there it gets easy to finish the install.
Good luck and if I need to clarify anything let me know.
Great looking boat BTW!
Kraig
I think this Mod should be a "sticky" for easy retrieval in the future?
Here is a snap of the short rear support bars I built to replace the longer original ones.
I'm wondering, could you take the rear mounting rods from the rack and attach them to the front tower crossmember, seeing as they come factory very long, and that i have 4 tower speakers on the rear crossmember. I would think this would be possible... am I wrong? I would think this would also allow you to fit snug up against the tower speakers rather than being so low creating future headaches.
Nice job, looks good :)
I recently finished my install, w the help of a few:rolleyes:. You should be able to mount the rear supports just about anywhere as long as you dont get real aggressive with the angle. I have four tower speakers on my boat and mounted the rear supports to the rear bar w no problems.
If you follow the instructions on here it is very easy.
No pics, please do share. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by 11 Outback V
I will gladly share the next time I pull my boat out of the garage, hopefully this weekend!!:p:cool:
Yeah a picture would be helpful so I can visualize my case before I drop 600 bones. I know ssmith posted a picture of the rack with speakers but my tower is slightly different. Thanks
There is nothing written in stone that says you have to attach the rear supports to the crossbars front or back. You could have the attachment point on the rear legs with the support bars extending up to the bimini. The only real restriction is as was stated before try and keep the angle of the bar between the mounting points reasonable, and if needed shorten the support bars (they entend pretty far stock). There are several places on the outer bimini frame that the rear support bars cab be attached, based on where the bimini frame is exposed from the canvas.
i think it may be safe to say that you can make the bimini rack work, with patience, beer, and some home depot supplies. i'll definitely be using the speaker clamp idea, thanks to ksmith
Yup, beer helps :-) To illustrate what I meant by the rear support bars tower mounting point being below the bimini, the home page pictures of the LSV and XLV with the new tower are good examples of the support bars perhaps being below the bimini. The tower mounting point could then be on the rear leg of the tower below the bimini rather than the crossbar above the bimini. It may make it a bit more difficult to drop the bimini as the release points would be out futher and at least I cannot reach both legs at once so I would have to release one, move to the other sode and release the second ball hinge... but I am rather short too so you that have massive wing spans may not have any troubles ;-)
i dont mean to hurt anyones feelings with the monster rack but after looking at all these pictures i sure am glad my boat came with the Z5!
hell i'd take the Z5 over the monster any day, but replacing the factory bimini i just can't justify the cost of the Z5 over the moster. i couldn't agree more that the Z5 would be better.
Regardless of cost, Outback & Outback V owners have no choice as the Z5 won't fit the 1 5/8 inch tower.
i'm sure it could be modified to fit older models with the 1 5/8" tower... but then again why would someone spend that much from something they know they'll have to modify to fit. just doesn't make sense unless you have your heart out for the Z5 or you happen to get your hands on one for a cheap price.Quote:
Originally Posted by wolfeman131
For all those waiting on pics from me, well I actually took them today so I will be uploading them shortly.
Got to it sooner than I thought.
Any questions let me know
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...veone/top1.jpg
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...veone/top2.jpg
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...veone/top3.jpg
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...veone/top4.jpg
nice work! Monster really needs to make this standard or, at the very least, an option.
looks very good! i like that bar clamp mod