One of the exhibitors at MAATS was Atlantic towers who were displaying their tower in a box which I confess I was unaware of before the show. Apparently they have been making towers for some 28 years and although they do make purpose built towers the tower in a box I found intriguing. Essentially the actual top is separated from the legs which have a very beefy but stylish clamp arrangement at the top which holds the top solidly in position when the top is erected on the boat. Because the top is bolted to the legs this means that the whole assembly can be flat packed in a card board box for assembly by the owner thus saving on shipping costs and ensuring that a bulky awkward complete tower does not have to be shipped. Secondly the spacing of the legs can be adjusted at the time that the tower is installed on the boat so accommodating varying widths of different center consoles.
I am going to be starting work on building a new center console skiff soon and I shall be wanting a T top so this looks like the way that I shall be going offering a good marraige of good looks and price, the tower costs a dollar under $1500. The only alteration is that I may go for a hard top instead of the Sunbrella which I think will be better suited for mounting the radar scanner and other antennas. The installation looks very straightforward and any competent boat owner with a decent tool kit should be able to easily complete the project in a weekend. Check out the installation instructions here which will give a good idea of the tools and skills required. I would also like to hear from any On Board reader that has actually installed one of these units and hear if it is as easy to install at it appears.
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