Long term storage with tower down

[2kwik4u]

Anyone store there boat like this? Tower down and supported only by the cables? Getting ready to put the boat in storage for 5mo like this. Looks OK to me, but looking for some experience.

@haknslash I think yours was like this for long periods right?

 

[jthackman]

that's how my ar240 spends most of it's life...
it parks in a carport that will allow me to put the tower up, but then have to lower it to pull boat out...so it usually stays down

 

[steveinmd]

I support mine with a strap to the ceiling. Takes the weight off of the cables.

 

[906Tony]

This is actually my first winter storage relying on the cables alone. I recently took off my 8” tower speakers and the tower felt so light I just left it on the cables, never even giving it a second thought. (I also worry about everything) I used to set a 2x4 across the side windows to support it.
I see no reason those cables can’t support that tower for severeal months.
my $.02

 

[crazy4life]

been storing my AR 240 for the last 3 years just like that. Sits for 6 months in a heated garage.

 

[Sean R]

I wouldn't sweat it, just make sure the kids don't swing from it ? the pics look nice with the setting sun. Cover looks brand new.

 

[suke]

Yup like others have said my boat spends most of it's life like that. Only time it isn't is when I have it on the water. Probably the equivalent of about 11 months a year.

 

[Maslin]

How much adjustment do the cables normally have? My tower pushes down against the cover a good 2-3" and the cables are still loose, the cover/strap supports the weight of the tower.

Switched to a taller storage bay today, won't have to lower the tower twice a day anymore, but I should probably get in there and tighten the cables a good bit.

 

[Crob83]

Ya man, mine has been sitting in my garage like that for over 2.5 years when not in use. No issues

 

[drewkaree]

Are you storing it like that to fit it into a garage? I've never had to worry about the height of the doors for my winter storage, so I always used the brackets. Did you lose the brackets?

 

[2kwik4u]

Are you storing it like that to fit it into a garage? I've never had to worry about the height of the doors for my winter storage, so I always used the brackets. Did you lose the brackets?

I didn't get the brackets when I bought it. By the time I learned what they were the dealership had tossed them. I know the boat came with them because I have pictures from the day we looked at it, and it wasn't prepped yet having just landed from the truck a few hours earlier.

So, the deal is that the local county 4H sells barn space in the winter. $300 gets me 5mo storage in a covered and locked barn. The issue is the doors are only 10ft tall, so the tower just barely (at about 10'2") doesn't fit. I was able to put the stops as far UP on the cables as I could get them, and it held the tower like you see it. So I dropped it off yesterday morning, uncovered, dropped tower, recovered and handed it over. 4H took the boat and backed it in the barn with a tractor and it'll sleep there until the end of March.

From what I'm reading here I'm overthinking it again. I'm sure it'll be just fine until it comes back out in the spring.

 

[Raylon]

This discussion made me go and look at my new 23 195S. I have my tower folded down and used some conduit and some pool noodles to support it. My cables are super loose right now, I wasn't aware that they did anything. I will have to see if the dealership messed up the install of them.

 

[Crob83]

This discussion made me go and look at my new 23 195S. I have my tower folded down and used some conduit and some pool noodles to support it. My cables are super loose right now, I wasn't aware that they did anything. I will have to see if the dealership messed up the install of them.


View attachment 190891

They will be loose in your case, because you have the cover on. The cables won't tighten up because the tower can go down further

 

[haknslash]

Non-issue regarding the cables holding the tower. Mine stayed stored for months always down.

Raylon, I would not store the boat like that. Your window framing will become loose over time. Adjust your cables so they take the weight.

 

[Maslin]

They will be loose in your case, because you have the cover on. The cables won't tighten up because the tower can go down further

The tower should rest on the cover (and therefore windshield) instead of the cables? Mine is like this as well, I'm sure it isn't right.

 

[Raylon]

Non-issue regarding the cables holding the tower. Mine stayed stored for months always down.

Raylon, I would not store the boat like that. Your window framing will become loose over time. Adjust your cables so they take the weight.

Why would that make the window loose? It's pushing straight down.

About where are the cables supposed to hold the weight? The full weight of the tower sat on the cover before doing this, it seems like they should be holding the tower above the cover?

 

[Crob83]

Why would that make the window loose? It's pushing straight down.

About where are the cables supposed to hold the weight? The full weight of the tower sat on the cover before doing this, it seems like they should be holding the tower above the cover?

Most people don't have the tower down with the cover on at the same time, considering you trailer with tower up. If people store outside with the cover on, the tower would be up as well. All your tower weight is sitting on the window frame as well as haknslash said, not good. Can the tower be up and the tarp above it adjusted for the height, hard to tell what's going on there.

 

[Crob83]

The tower should rest on the cover (and therefore windshield) instead of the cables? Mine is like this as well, I'm sure it isn't right.

I do not put the cover on with the tower down ever, never had a reason to. I absolutely would not rest my tower on the cover for any reason, sounds like an easy way to ruin your cover really quickly

 

[Maslin]

Our storage spot was too low to raise the tower up, but was open on one side and required to cover to stay on. The tower rested on the cover and the cables were loose. We moved down a few spots and can leave the tower up all the time, won’t be an issue for us going forward but still seems like the cables are adjusted too long.


With the cover off and the tower down it would be tucked in below the windshield a bit, is that normal? The cover doesn’t stick up there, it’s actually angled down a bit toward the rear.

 

[Crob83]

Our storage spot was too low to raise the tower up, but was open on one side and required to cover to stay on. The tower rested on the cover and the cables were loose. We moved down a few spots and can leave the tower up all the time, won’t be an issue for us going forward but still seems like the cables are adjusted too long.


With the cover off and the tower down it would be tucked in below the windshield a bit, is that normal? The cover doesn’t stick up there, it’s actually angled down a bit toward the rear.

Yes that's normal