This article was written by Connor, one of our founding editors. Connor is a full-time travel and lifestyle photographer with extensive experience in the outdoors industry.
It’s not all about being able to pull a wakeboarder more efficiently. Wakeboard towers have a wide variety of incredibly useful benefits. But, before we get into that, let’s look at the reason they exist.
Due to the nature of the sport, wakeboarders were always looking for ways to get longer air time to perform tricks. Of course, there’s natural talent and developed skill that make a difference, but one of the biggest changes in the sport was rope height.
Originally, extra hang time came from an extended pylon which would be fitted onto the back of a boat. This was great, but people soon found that the pylon often got in the way. They also became loose easily and constantly needed adjusting.
It wasn’t too long (the 1990s) before we saw the introduction of wakeboard towers and the sport progressed from there. By having an elevated tow point, riders weren’t dragged down by the rope and there was a heck of a lot more time for tricks. In anyone’s books, that’s always good.
There’s no denying that extended pylons are far cheaper. That said, a tower is capable of providing far more than what a pylon will offer you and they have a much longer shelf life.
Over time, evolution does its thing and wakeboard towers have no longer just become an essential piece of gear for riders; they’re now fashion statements, lighting rigs, speaker stands, wakeboard racks, and more.
Aside from an enhanced riding experience, towers are unbelievably useful for giving you more space on the boat. They don’t get in the way like pylons do, which also needed to be strapped down for support. Not only did you have to avoid the pylon, but you also had to avoid the straps. As well, they’re handy for storage space with many of them being kitted out to act like wakeboard racks.
They have the potential to absolutely transform your time on the boat. Wakeboard towers are now widely used as lighting and speaker rigs. The ability to hang speakers from them allows you to blast your favorite music for both passengers and riders to enjoy.
One of the small (but useful!) benefits is that it also acts as a support for getting on and off the boat, or just simply moving around. Seriously, what did people hang on to before these towers?
Wakeboarding is a cool sport and given that the whole sport is about style, it makes sense that people take pride in their boat’s style, too. Towers come in a wide variety of styles, from color, shape, and material. This means that you can pick one to suit the way your boat is decked out.
There’s also the option to choose either a fixed or collapsible tower. Collapsible towers come with their advantages, like being able to take them down whenever you want. That said, they do tend to cost a bit more than fixed towers.
When it’s all said and done, if you’re someone who cares about style and/or are towing boarders, it’s unlikely you’ll regret investing in a wakeboard tower. They’ll make your boat stand out from the crowd and enhance your overall experience.