DIY Pylon Project

jdjgreenhair · Criminal Joined: 29 Apr 2005 Posts: 98

anyone know where to get the jack or base??? or what is something else simialar I can use!! aslo how much weight will this hold.?

89 skier · Addict Joined: 30 Jun 2004 Posts: 729 City: Dallas

Home Depot should carry the floor jack. Here's a link to their website
http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=PROD_META&CNTKEY=misc%2fsearchResults.jsp&BV_SessionID=@@@@1354155561.1115049081@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccdhaddeidfgjghcgelceffdfgidgnj.0&MID=9876

They have 3 different sizes available.

Also, here's a base plate I found.
http://www.bestnest.com/bestnest/RTProduct.asp?SKU=COAT-BP-01&src=froogle&kw=COAT-BP-01

jdjgreenhair · Criminal Joined: 29 Apr 2005 Posts: 98

thanks for the link, i went to home depot and they had no clue what I was asking for? what should I ask for?

jdjgreenhair · Criminal Joined: 29 Apr 2005 Posts: 98

I finnally found it at a local Lowes!! it aready comes with an attachable 4in by 4in base! will this work?

jdjgreenhair · Criminal Joined: 29 Apr 2005 Posts: 98

Hey, everything is purchased except i cant find the base plate for anything!!! the pole is like 2 1/2 in. so i need a base plate to fit that! if anyone has any idea please post!

pyrocasto · Posted: May 07, 2005 8:38 pm Post subject:

This is our pylon: http://pyronet.50megs.com/images/wakeboarding/pylon.jpg

Cost us $15. Works great. Wink

jdjgreenhair · Criminal Joined: 29 Apr 2005 Posts: 98

hey pyrocasto I cant see the pic...

jdjgreenhair · Criminal Joined: 29 Apr 2005 Posts: 98

nvm i see, lol, how did u get that base plate???

pyrocasto · Posted: May 09, 2005 5:14 pm Post subject:

Made it out of wood. Been working with wood my whole life so it's always what comes to mind first. How else could I have build my wood wakeboard? Very Happy

jdjgreenhair · Criminal Joined: 29 Apr 2005 Posts: 98

nice nice, i think im just going to purchase one

ExtremeMarine · Criminal Joined: 31 Jan 2005 Posts: 65 City: Twinsburg

dirtysparks
Instead of using webbing over your cable that attaches to your bow lifting eye try using a piece of foam pipe insulation or soft rubber hose. You can also get a 2" nylon strap that has a loop at each end and thread it thru the bow eye then connect your cable to the loops. This will keep all metal fasteners away from your fiberglass.

molypod · Criminal Joined: 05 Jun 2004 Posts: 85 City: Chilliwack

My winter project has turned into a late spring one but at least I've finally started.

Here's what I have after my frist trip to the Hardware store. I'll need another trip for some more thimbles,cable clamps and a few odds and ends, also a trip to another store for the baseplate and a new trailer ball ( my buddy is going to weld it to the top for me and he'll plug the extra holes I don't need before painting it all.)

At least I can get started now.

Thanks to everyones, posts on this subject throughout the site, they have helped tons!
thanks to DIYTOWER.COM as well.
I'll post more pics of the finished project soon.

molypod · Criminal Joined: 05 Jun 2004 Posts: 85 City: Chilliwack

Pics post welding and a little paint.
ended up welding on 3 strong chain links to the top for
the cables instead of using eyebolts.
had to have a base fabricated since I couldn't find one.

thanks goes to my welding buddy.

Powaman · Outlaw Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 170 City: escanaba

Looks good, just like I'm gonna be doing. Couple questions? What diameter tubing did you use? Did you use stainless or regular steel? Did you weld the ball on top of did you bolt it to a piece of round steel and weld taht steel to the pole. How tall did you make yours?

Powaman · Outlaw Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 170 City: escanaba

How thick is the steel for the base

molypod · Criminal Joined: 05 Jun 2004 Posts: 85 City: Chilliwack

Powaman,
The pipe is an adjustable steel column( Jack Post) AKA Tel-o-post, used to support basement floors. The largest pipe is 2 1/2" O.D. and the top pipe slides into the bottom one.
(see drawing below).
The trailer ball was bolted and welded to a 1/4" plate and then all was welded to the top pipe.
The base plate is from 1/4" steel with the bottom three inches of the top pipe cut off and welded to it. Everything was sandblasted, primered and then rust painted.
Total height from floor to tow point = 7 ft. when second from the bottom hole is used, could add a couple inches by using the last hole but I felt safer using the second one.
Hope this helps.

molypod · Criminal Joined: 05 Jun 2004 Posts: 85 City: Chilliwack

Here's the Tel-O-Post I used.(Mighty Atlas)
I bought mine at Revy-Rona (Canada) and it cost me $42.00 CDN

http://www.castlewholesalers.com/cat_productdetail.cfm?product_id=46779G

http://www.hometownstores.com/detail.aspx?ID=75504

Powaman · Outlaw Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 170 City: escanaba

Alright good deal. I don't need the pylon to be adjustable, so I'm going to just use steel tubing and it will be all one piece, but seeing yours definetly gave me ideas, and it looks very ncie also. I work at a collision center that also sprays bedliners so Maybe I'll get it bedlined.

molypod · Criminal Joined: 05 Jun 2004 Posts: 85 City: Chilliwack

Being adjustable allows for easy storage in the Ski locker.

Beulah Wakeboarder · Newbie Joined: 07 Jun 2005 Posts: 1 City: Beulah

I was wondering if you could put those pics of your boat with it on back up. We have the same boat as you and it would be easier for us if we could see exactly how it looked. Those pics u had up before were great.
Thanks Very Happy

molypod · Criminal Joined: 05 Jun 2004 Posts: 85 City: Chilliwack

Beulah,

I have maxum I/O and will take some pics this coming weekend when im home from work.

molypod · Criminal Joined: 05 Jun 2004 Posts: 85 City: Chilliwack

Took awhile to get some time off work but I got away for a few days and remembered to bring my camera.

here's a couple pics of completed pylon.
Works really well, better than I thought.

hermy1291 · Posted: Jul 13, 2005 1:54 pm Post subject:

could you use the rachet starps for the front. I want to just loop it around the bow insdead of the clip on the front. Would it work

molypod · Criminal Joined: 05 Jun 2004 Posts: 85 City: Chilliwack

I use a 1" 10000# ratchet strap that I connect hook of the free end to the coated cable ends and then feed the free end thru the Bow eye back to the ratchet.

rs4duke · Newbie Joined: 26 Jul 2005 Posts: 25

molypod, my question is how did you get your cable lengths for the rear connections? i have the same boat and want to do this

sidewayz · Newbie Joined: 31 Jul 2005 Posts: 19 City: Des Moines

? for the original poster:

so what exactly is that baseplate....I searched for 3 hours in menards and couldnt find anything that looked like that

molypod · Criminal Joined: 05 Jun 2004 Posts: 85 City: Chilliwack

rs4duke · Newbie Joined: 26 Jul 2005 Posts: 25

thanks molypod, that does help alot, im going to start on my pylon this weekend and hope its at least 75% as good as yours

PeeDeeRider · Criminal Joined: 31 Jul 2005 Posts: 77

dirtysparks, thanks so much for the post, I used your ideas and now have a working pylon that cost a little more than $50.

PeeDeeRider · Criminal Joined: 31 Jul 2005 Posts: 77

My friend and I used these plans as a guide except we used stuff that he had just laying around his house... it worked out well exept instead of using ratchet straps we just used regular tie-downs... we tightened them as much as possible but the boom still fell to one side. We went and baught ratchet straps and now it works perfect.

Wake Force One · Outlaw Joined: 11 Aug 2005 Posts: 100

When you go to the hardware stores, ask them for Floor Jacks used in basements, they are usally kept in the lumber section.

Wake Force One · Outlaw Joined: 11 Aug 2005 Posts: 100

Still cant find the base plate. Live in mid west. Any stores???

acej92 · Criminal Joined: 11 Jul 2005 Posts: 56 City: MIA

rs4duke · Newbie Joined: 26 Jul 2005 Posts: 25

hey guys, finally started on my pylon. went up to home depot yesterday and got everything except for the baseplate (cant find it). my question is would it be possible to use two ratchet straps in the front, loop one around the front of the bow like molypod did and use the second to replace the cable? (will this be strong enough?) Also this is just a safety question but are you guys that use the adjustable jack sure that this thing is strong enough?

acej92 · Criminal Joined: 11 Jul 2005 Posts: 56 City: MIA

i think it would be possible to use two more ratchet straps, but it might be more of a pain than it's worth. it would require a lot of adjusting anytime you want to put the pole up. also the straps might get in the way of your line of sight. it's more work in the beginning but will save you a lot of set up time in the long run if you just use the cables. as far as how sturdy the jack is...we put bolts through the holes that connect the two parts of the pole...3/4" x 4" i believe and they have been more than sturdy enough. i was surpised at how sturdy and how well it worked. hope this helped. if you have any other questions feel free to pm me.