Are Wakeboard Towers Worth the Money?

Wakeboard towers are very common among boaters who pull wakeboarders. Riders who are being pulled by a wakeboard tower have a distinct advantage over those that are being pulled by the boat’s standard tie-off point. Along with these advantages, you will also gain some other significant luxuries by installing a tower. We can talk about these, and then go over some brief drawbacks.

Better Pull Angle

This is the most obvious advantage of wakeboard towers. A tower’s tow point is typically 6-8 feet higher than the boat’s standard tow point. This is going to give the rider a much more favorable pulling angle which will help with 2 things:

Getting up on your wakeboard will be easier. The rope will literally pull you UP, out of the water. Not parallel to it.
You will be able to get more height on your jumps. The boat’s tow point is usually very close to water level. This means anytime you are in the air on your board, the rope will be actively pulling you down, back towards the water. The rope will actually help you pop up off the wake when attached to the wakeboard tower

These advantages are consistent among almost all water sports, too, not just wakeboarding.

Declutters Your Boat

Wakeboard towers have the ability to free up room on the deck of your boat. If you choose to buy and install a tower on your boat, you should look into also getting a couple wakeboard racks. You can free up space inside your boat by strapping all of your boards onto these things instead of having them laying on the floor. Put a rack on each side of your tower, strap up your boards, and you’re off to the races.

Provides Shade

If your boat doesn’t already have a bimini, you can kill 2 birds by installing a wakeboard tower and attaching bimini to it. Save yourself some sunburns by adding some shade to your boat, you won’t regret it

Perfect Place for Speakers

If you want to go all the way, and really start tricking out your boat, buy some wakeboard tower speakers. You can add 1-2 on each side, or on the top rail, and start bumping tunes on the water. Music adds another level of fun on your boat. I also love being able to hear the music while I’m on the wakeboard. It totally pumps me up to go hard on my tricks.

Style

C’mon, man! They just flat out look cool! Whenever I see a ski boat without a tower, it looks like something’s missing!

Cost and Installation

The only drawback of wakeboard towers are that they can be expensive, and tricky to install. I typically see wakeboard towers being sold anywhere from $800-$1400. Then, once you purchase the tower, there is the task of installing it onto your boat. This is usually going to take at least 2 people and about 4 hours. Also, you are going to need to be comfortable with a power drill, because you will have to drill directly into the frame of your boat. If you aren’t comfortable installing it yourself, you can always hire a professional to do it for you. This will probably cost $200-$400 depending on the size of your tower, but its good to have the peace of mind knowing the installation is not going to damage your boat.

Conclusion

A wakeboard tower is a one time investment. Even if you buy a new boat someday, you can still transfer the tower from your old rig to new one. A tower is truly going to maximize your wakeboarding performance, as well as your enjoyment on your boat. I would definitely recommend adding a wakeboard tower to your boat if you can afford it.