Trailering Tower Down

[Honey Badger]

In a few months I'll be pulling my 2018 212 LS from Texas to Wisconsin. When I bought the boat the dealer dropped the tower, put on the shipping cover, and told me I was good to go to drive the 3 hours back home. The user manual specifically states the tower is not meant to be down during movement, but the dealer said the tower and shipping cover was redesigned so it is fine. Anyone have any experience with this? The dealer threw in a couple extra shipping covers specifically so I could beat them up towing it up and back. I would like to have the boat covered for the trip, but would hate to buy an $800 mooring cover just to destroy it on the trip. Pictures below of the boat with tower down and shipping cover on, and of the tower retention pin that is pulled to drop the tower.

 

[haknslash]

On the AR towers they come from the factory to the dealership with the towers folded down and locked in with tower brackets made for that purpose. I'm not sure about the Limited style towers as they use a completely different locking bolt and mechanism. Your shipping cover is definitely different than mine because you don't have cutouts for the tower base.

Why do you want to tow with it down? I tow with mine up as I don't have the bracket and don't have low bridges to worry about.

 

[Honey Badger]

I was hoping to keep it covered for the trip since it will take 2 or 3 days for us to get up there and then another 2 or 3 to get back. I haven't tried to put the shipping cover on with the tower up. I guess I could try that, but seems like it would catch a lot of air resistance like that.

 

[buckbuck]

Wow, that cover sure protects more of the boat than mine does.

 

[Speedling]

Would love to know if it works for you!
My tower is aftermarket but supposedly folds. Problem is the bimini is a pain to remove. But if you can do it perhaps i would look into it again. I only consider because i have a few low bridges near me and i only know that due to driving truck a bit.
If you feel confident, do it! If you go down the road a bit, stop at a rest stop and check it all out. You can always remove the cover and put tower up!

 

[haknslash]

Wow, that cover sure protects more of the boat than mine does.

Agreed but what I don't understand though is why it's so big, especially around the bow? I've never seen one look like that. I mean look at where the bow roller is. It looks like it's ripped! How do you even install that cover with the boat on the trailer??? The cover goes below where the bow eye is so how is that possible to install when the boat is on the trailer and winched up on the bow roller? My shipping cover and every other one I've seen goes above the bow roller.

Look at these two pics below to see how the covers are different and go above the bow roller. They also have the cutouts to go around the tower bases. One is an X model and the other is a Limited S but you get the idea.

 

[Honey Badger]

Agreed but what I don't understand though is why it's so big, especially around the bow? I've never seen one look like that. I mean look at where the bow roller is. It looks like it's ripped! How do you even install that cover with the boat on the trailer??? The cover goes below where the bow eye is so how is that possible to install when the boat is on the trailer and winched up on the bow roller? My shipping cover and every other one I've seen goes above the bow roller.

Look at these two pics below to see how the covers are different and go above the bow roller. They also have the cutouts to go around the tower bases. One is an X model and the other is a Limited S but you get the idea.

The front of the cover velcros together below the bow roller, and then buckles at the bottom. So it definitely has been redesigned a bit. I was worried the dealer was blowing smoke just to get me on the road.

 

[haknslash]

Is that not a rip though where you can see what looks like black gelcoat of the bow? The sides of the cover while offering a lot of protection almost seem too long too to bottom as I'm guessing where that flap is where the ratchets are. It just seems to fit weird on the boat IMHO. Never seen one like it so maybe this is a 2018 change.

I would still think you'd want something to keep the tower locked in place and not relying on the cables and gas strut with it folded and going down the highway. I wouldn't want mine bouncing around. I would look into this more but I don't have a Limited style tower so I'm of no help other than speculating if it's safe or not to travel with it down. Maybe some other Limited style tower guys will chime in.

 

[Honey Badger]

Is that not a rip though where you can see what looks like black gelcoat of the bow? The sides of the cover while offering a lot of protection almost seem too long too to bottom as I'm guessing where that flap is where the ratchets are. It just seems to fit weird on the boat IMHO. Never seen one like it so maybe this is a 2018 change.

I would still think you'd want something to keep the tower locked in place and not relying on the cables and gas strut with it folded and going down the highway. I wouldn't want mine bouncing around. I would look into this more but I don't have a Limited style tower so I'm of no help other than speculating if it's safe or not to travel with it down. Maybe some other Limited style tower guys will chime in.

It does look like there may be a rip at the top of the gap that goes around the bow roller. I wouldn't be surprised since I've been abusing it pretty bad this past month. I'll check it out today when we head to the lake. I was thinking that the pressure from the shipping cover would keep the tower from bouncing. If I added the anti-pooling pole while trailering that would be added stabilization as well. Seems like a lot of stress on those two tower cables in the back though. Would hate to be a 1,000 miles into the trip just have have them fail and mess up the boat. Wish Yamaha was a little easier to communicate with.

 

[haknslash]

Not sure how the anti pooling poles would help with stabilization unless they also changed how those work for 2018 models. That tower weighs like 200x more than those aluminum poles. My anti pooling poles basically just stand on top of the floor. I also would not tow with the anti pooling poles in but that's another debatable topic on here. Personally my shipping cover started to show excessive wear around the tightest fitting areas in the bow when I used the pooling poles while in tow. Yes I agree it would be a lot of stress on those cables while your tower is bouncing around if folded down and that's why I wouldn't do it without some brackets but your tower is not made with bolts in the rear like the AR style is so I'm not sure what they do from the factory transport to a dealer.

For reference this is the transit bracket dealers use on AR style towers. They fold down the towers of the boats so that they can stack several boats on a big trailer. They use these brackets to take the stress load and relieve any stress on the tower cables while in transit with tower down.

 

[Honey Badger]

Not sure how the anti pooling poles would help with stabilization unless they also changed how those work for 2018 models. That tower weighs like 200x more than those aluminum poles. My anti pooling poles basically just stand on top of the floor. I also would not tow with the anti pooling poles in but that's another debatable topic on here. Personally my shipping cover started to show excessive wear around the tightest fitting areas in the bow when I used the pooling poles while in tow. Yes I agree it would be a lot of stress on those cables while your tower is bouncing around if folded down and that's why I wouldn't do it without some brackets but your tower is not made with bolts in the rear like the AR style is so I'm not sure what they do from the factory transport to a dealer.

For reference this is the transit bracket dealers use on AR style towers. They fold down the towers of the boats so that they can stack several boats on a big trailer. They use these brackets to take the stress load and relieve any stress on the tower cables while in transit with tower down.

My anti pooling pole straps to each hand rail on the bow and then to the tower. It probably wouldn't do much, but was thinking that the down pressure created while towing would help prevent the tower from bouncing up. I can definitely see how that would just add extra stress to the shipping cover though.

Thanks for showing me those transit brackets. I had read about them on some other threads, but had no idea what they were. I definitely didn't get anything like that with the boat.

 

[haknslash]

Yea I think most dealers toss the transit brackets after they unload and do their first prep of the boat. I didn't get any brackets either when I bought my boat.

My anti pooling poles tie into the bow handles up front and out back they tie into the rear grab handles by the rear seats. Sounds like things have changed a little for 2018 models.

So that area above the bow rolled is stitched and sewn to be open like that so you can wrap the bottom over to the other side of the bow? At first I was thinking that whole area was supposed to be covered and couldn't wrap my head why they did that but it makes sense to wrap it underneath so long as its out of the way of the bow roller and bells. It just seemed ripped because of the circled areas below but probably just the illusion and not understanding how that cover was designed since it's new to us.

 

[swatski]

In a few months I'll be pulling my 2018 212 LS from Texas to Wisconsin. When I bought the boat the dealer dropped the tower, put on the shipping cover, and told me I was good to go to drive the 3 hours back home. The user manual specifically states the tower is not meant to be down during movement, but the dealer said the tower and shipping cover was redesigned so it is fine. Anyone have any experience with this? The dealer threw in a couple extra shipping covers specifically so I could beat them up towing it up and back. I would like to have the boat covered for the trip, but would hate to buy an $800 mooring cover just to destroy it on the trip. Pictures below of the boat with tower down and shipping cover on, and of the tower retention pin that is pulled to drop the tower.
View attachment 73671 View attachment 73672

Do you know if those new shipping covers are available - for purchase?
Those are perfect for trailering and storage, on the road - protecting from road grime (and they should have the fleece underlining that does not chafe the gelcoat), on the lift - protecting from the sun and UV.
I hope that Yamaha starts listing those for sale as a part, they haven't so far.
I bought one of the "shorter" old style ones from another member, use it for long trips. But it does not cover more than the Premium.

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[Matt Phillips]

It almost looks to me like he has a 24 foot cov on a 21 foot boat. I’ve never seen an original cover go so low on the sides of the boat. It also looke like there’s a lot of excess fabrics that will just whip around in the wind and possibly chafe the boat under it.

The manual for my 242 definitely says to tow with the tower up and not with the Bimini on (45 mph speed with the he Bimini out).

On both my 232 and 242 I’ve had the one towing/storage covers and they work great. Yes, they are $700 but in the end you get what you pay for. Last June I had mine out on the freeway in a really bad thunderstorm and when I got home the inside of the boat was totally dry.

Everything I’ve read on those shipping covers is that they don’t last that long and will disintegrate soon...as they really are only made to cover the boat from the factory to the dealer.

My recommendation is to bite the bullet and get the shipping cover. You won’t regret it.

 

[haknslash]

@swatski that's why I prefer the 'ugly duckling' shipping covers. They have the nice soft underlining and have the top material to decently repel water. Only areas that water gets through mine is around the tower base but even in those areas it does a good job considering it's a hole. The Deluxe mooring covers certainly look badass though!

@Matt Phillips I've been using my shipping cover pretty much every time I take the boat out with a handful of times where I didn't because I was lazy. It has seen thousands of miles even in heavy rains. The only areas mine show weare are the front where its tight around the bow navigation housing (see below pics). I never had wear there until I towed with the anti pooling poles because we were expecting heavy rains on the trip. By the time I got to the hotel the outer material had started to tear a little around that housing from the added stress the poles put on it. Ever since then I have not used the poles while towing and the tear has not grown. One day I'll get around to repairing it with white Shoe Goo. For a "free" cover it can't be beat IMHO and honestly it's held up better than some of the Deluxe covers members have posted on here. My cover needs a good bath but that's about all it needs and it's not deteriorating to this point (knocks on wood).

 

[Sbrown]

One day I'll get around to repairing it with white Shoe Goo. F

I've found that flex seal tape is great for repairing the shipping cover. You can use white and the repair pretty much disappears, or go with black if you like the "hobo" look.

 

[Honey Badger]

I've found that flex seal tape is great for repairing the shipping cover. You can use white and the repair pretty much disappears, or go with black if you like the "hobo" look.

Thanks for the pro tip!

 

[Honey Badger]

Do you know if those new shipping covers are available - for purchase?
Those are perfect for trailering and storage, on the road - protecting from road grime (and they should have the fleece underlining that does not chafe the gelcoat), on the lift - protecting from the sun and UV.
I hope that Yamaha starts listing those for sale as a part, they haven't so far.
I bought one of the "shorter" old style ones from another member, use it for long trips. But it does not cover more than the Premium.

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Not sure about purchase. As I was pulling out of the dealership I asked the guy if I could have a couple more. He looked surprised, but said said yeah no problem. Not sure if he just screwed a couple other guys out of covers or if people just don't want them. You might want to swing by your local dealership and see if they have some extras. My guy acted like I was helping him take out the trash. Not sure why Yamaha doesn't sell them. I guess they're making too much money off the premium deluxe platinum triple diamond covers.

 

[Honey Badger]

Yea I think most dealers toss the transit brackets after they unload and do their first prep of the boat. I didn't get any brackets either when I bought my boat.

My anti pooling poles tie into the bow handles up front and out back they tie into the rear grab handles by the rear seats. Sounds like things have changed a little for 2018 models.

So that area above the bow rolled is stitched and sewn to be open like that so you can wrap the bottom over to the other side of the bow? At first I was thinking that whole area was supposed to be covered and couldn't wrap my head why they did that but it makes sense to wrap it underneath so long as its out of the way of the bow roller and bells. It just seemed ripped because of the circled areas below but probably just the illusion and not understanding how that cover was designed since it's new to us.

Yeah you nailed it. Its designed to allow you to take the cover on and off while the boat is on the trailer against the bow roller. That upper area you circled is torn a little bit. Good catch. There's no stress on the fabric in that spot, so not sure what happened. Thanks for pointing it out so I can keep an eye on it.

 

[njmr2fan]

Different boat I know, but I trailered our AR190 600 miles to FL with the tower down and then home with the tower up and although there are more variable than that, I did see +3 MPG with the tower down.