Cool you can remove the ski pylon!

Was looking at my motor yesterday and noticed theres a bolt that appears to hold the ski pylon in it's bracket, it LOOKS like I could remove the bolt, pull the pylon, and put the bolt back in place without the pylon.

Now to say, I don't ski - at all, (not since I was like 10 anyway) and neither does my fiancee or anyone I know other than my mom who's in her 50's and has yet to set foot on the boat and hasn't skiied in a couple years anyway. We wakeboard, surf, and tube and that's plenty, all respect to anyone who loves skiing, but it's just not our thing. That said, back to the point...

So I'm thinking I can pull out the pylon, which would make my fiancee and her friends very happy so three of the girls can lay out on the sundeck when we're stopped (which I have ZERO problem with :D makes the boat look even better) without anyone hitting their head on the pylon, and I'm thinking I could just keep it and the wrench on the boat in case anyone ever does want to ski, but for the most part we use the grab handle above the swim platform for tubes (hope that's what it's for haha) and the tower for wakeboard and surfing, so no use really for the ski pylon.

So am I seeing right? Does it come out without weakening anything structurally? Anyone done this? Think I'm gonna pull it next weekend.

Lance,

Keep the pylon in to tube from or use the rear lifting eye bolts. don't tube from the tower unless very small children going slow

my .02

Don't forget the karma issue of pulling out a ski pylon. It's in there for a reason and if you pull it out... bad things may happen.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jmvotto

Lance,

Keep the pylon in to tube from or use the rear lifting eye bolts. don't tube from the tower unless very small children going slow

my .02

---

no no, i think you mis-read me JM, we pull tube from the grab handle above the swim platform, there's a ring for it in the middle of the handle, i would NEVER pull tube from the tower, that would make it WAY too easy to tump over on turns. Here's a pic of the handle....

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/219/handlering.jpg

As far as karma, what like I come out one morning and theres a slalom ski through the windshield of the boat ?! LOL like the ski-gods are angry for defiling a tourney boat, now if it was a direct-drive, i'd actually kinda be scared of that :D

Lance, I see, i don't have one of those fancy smancy grab handles . good to know you tube from back there. Now you have an extra beverage hodler on the sun deck....:p

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lancesaville

no no, i think you mis-read me JM, we pull tube from the grab handle above the swim platform, there's a ring for it in the middle of the handle, i would NEVER pull tube from the tower, that would make it WAY too easy to tump over on turns. Here's a pic of the handle....

As far as karma, what like I come out one morning and theres a slalom ski through the windshield of the boat ?! LOL like the ski-gods are angry for defiling a tourney boat, now if it was a direct-drive, I'd actually kinda be scared of that :D

---

The ski-gods are already pissed about this whole v-drive thing, so you never know. If only I could have all that room and keep the DD charistics... Oh well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jmvotto

Lance, I see, i don't have one of those fancy smancy grab handles . good to know you tube from back there. Now you have an extra beverage hodler on the sun deck....:p

---

Yeah I think they added them for 09, I was surprised myself the first time I noticed it, keeps the tow center of gravity real low for the tubes, now that video I posted under wakesurfing the other day, we were using the ski pylon instead of the handle to pull tube cuz my buddy is an idiot and wanted to do it from the tower for big air so we compromised and he lived to make it to work in one piece the next day. Other than that one time tho we've solely used the grab handle for tube and the tower for wake/surf so I'm thinking it will make a good beverage holder too :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Waynes345

The ski-gods are already pissed about this whole v-drive thing, so you never know. If only I could have all that room and keep the DD charistics... Oh well.

---

Yeah it def doesn't zig and zag on a dime like a DD but we love the room, we like to test the capacity recommendations on occasion :D I've not noticed it slide in a hard turn yet, but still doesn't have that 'on rails' feeling my buddys 98 ski nau-tank had.

Actually I thought I had heard if you remove the pylon you will get a leak where the pylon was - something to do with structural integrity....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BensonWdby

Actually I thought I had heard if you remove the pylon you will get a leak where the pylon was - something to do with structural integrity....

---

Might be on DD's but the pocket the pylon sits in has nothing under it, it's a square tube of forged aluminum with the pylon sitting in it. I'll prob just check w/ my dealer to be sure and see what they say, I'm sure they've removed/replaced one at some point or another.

I guess the sign of a good joke , is when people can't tell when you are joking ...

Lance, my 2 cents on this one. Don't do it. That handle, which my '07 LSV has also is only held in place by two thru bolts. Pulling a tube from that location is going to put a lot of strain and drag on the handle and you risk hull damage, probably stress cracks at least around the bolts. AND, it will also alter the handling pulling from there versus the pylon. AND it's way to easy for the rope to come off there versus the pylon.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Razzman

Lance, my 2 cents on this one. Don't do it. That handle, which my '07 LSV has also is only held in place by two thru bolts. Pulling a tube from that location is going to put a lot of strain and drag on the handle and you risk hull damage, probably stress cracks at least around the bolts. AND, it will also alter the handling pulling from there versus the pylon. AND it's way to easy for the rope to come off there versus the pylon.

---

Thought about stress cracks, but i wonder why they put the pylon there to begin with if they don't want us to use it. Thought about it some more last night and I will prob keep it on just for those who like a shorter rope for boarding (I run the extra down and around the ski pylon for folks that like the narrower part of the wake).

In the 08 and 09 the pylon is designed to be removed. It sits in square tube that is welded with a plate under the pylon and has no structure difference if the pylon is there or not. You have a large hole in the area the pylon goes.

As for tubing, yes you can use the handle on the back of the boat, i prefer not to because it just seems that isn't beefy enough for the stresses a tube adds.

A suggestion, the 09 Supra has a collapsible sky pylon in the exact same location as the LSV. It has a release pin you pull and it comes up to normal height, push it back down and its level with the swim deck. This is an upgrade im looking to as the ski pylon is only used for tubing on out boat also and its in the way the rest of the time.

Could have sworn EdG already determined that one wouldn't work on the Moomba boats.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kaneboats

Could have sworn EdG already determined that one wouldn't work on the Moomba boats.

---

He may have just meant on the Outback V's. I pulled it today just to see, MMandley is right, just sits in a forged square tube, comes right out. Think I will go the route of finding a collapsible one if possible, if not, I'll keep the pylon and a 3/4 in wrench in one of the compartments for when i need it, takes all of 5 secs to mount.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kaneboats

Could have sworn EdG already determined that one wouldn't work on the Moomba boats.

---

Yea im not positive if the Supra one will fit but when i was at the dealer last weekend i was snooping around the Supra display boat and its looks pretty identical, i didn't get a chance to open the engine compartment to see if its deeper or something, i didn't want to push myself into shopping for another boat LOL.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ed G

Nope not determined.
It probably will fit, but needs some modifications that have not been designed for the moomba...as of yet.
That's why I was curious if someone wanted to pick up the ball and run
The cost of the retractable pylon is $160.00

---

i would gladly give 2x - 3x for this. i just don't want to run with this ball.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by yearround

i would gladly give 2x - 3x for this. i just don't want to run with this ball.

---

I'm game, gonna call my dealer tomorrow. If the retractable is do-able. I'm gonna do it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jmvotto

Lance,

Keep the pylon in to tube from or use the rear lifting eye bolts. don't tube from the tower unless very small children going slow

my .02

---

Believe or not (after you read my question), i am a fairly smart dude who knows the boating rules. I only have small kids so i always use the tower otherwise the tube nose dives too much. why not for big kids? is it a weight issue on the tower? a tube safety issue or a boat safety issue?

It is embarrassing to ask, but i learned a long time ago, nobody knows everything and i'll never know anything unless i ask.

It's a weight and stress issue on the tower. Pulling a tube from the tower puts a load of side load upon it that it wouldn't ordinarily get. In fact almost all mfgrs tell you not to and some will void warrenties on the tower and any gel damage incurred. I know a guy that did it for the same reason and cracked a tower weld on his new boat, factory said nope.

While some will argue that it equals the weight of a boarder, the boarder offers a lot less resistence and that's what cracks them or creates stress cracks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Razzman

While some will argue that it equals the weight of a boarder, the boarder offers a lot less resistence and that's what cracks them or creates stress cracks.

---

Yep. It's not even the weight of the boarder as much as the maximum resistance that can be offered. With a boarder, it's only as strong as the rider's arms. With a tube, it as much force as the tube can exert if it gets caught behind a wake, even just for a moment. It can launch two full-grown adults 10+ feet straight up in the air (I've done this). That is a huge impulse, and much more than a boarder could possibly muster via his arms.

The "only as strong as the boarder's arms" makes a lot of sense. I saw the warning on the tower in the past but thought it was just a typical overzealous CYA.

Thanks folks!

Remove it I did it got me in rear to many times and lots of other fokes hurting them selfes it does nothing different to the boat just saves your ass!!

Sorry for the lack of update on the retractable pylon, I started a new ballast project this week and jumped projects for now. Swinging by my dealer this weekend and will ask him about it. Gotta say tho, If I have to cut into the box frame the engine sits in to make it work, I prob won't do this. Don't want to get that involved for a retractable and will prob just pull it when needed.