CONTINUOUSWAVE

I would like to add a ski pylon and tower to my [2003] Outrage 240. My kids would like to tube and ski off our boat. The 240 OUTRAGE has twin OptiMax 150-HP engines.

Has anyone here done or seen this sort of modification for [a 2003 OUTRAGE 240] hull design? No time like the dead of winter to figure this out.

Any comments, help, and directions are greatly appreciated.

I reviewed the diagrams for the 2003 and 2004 Outrage 240 on http://www.bostonwhaler.com/boat-ownership/resources/ and don't see an option or a clean installation. 2004 has more diagrams.

The rear stern sea or bulkhead make a typical install appear moot. Aft of the bulkhead, the splashwell appears to lack any backing to handle the load.

I would contact Boston Whaler Customer Support and see if they offered a tow bar as an option.

http://www.bostonwhaler.com/contact-us/

One method is to install a tow bar around the engines similar to this: https://turboswing.com

A few of us CW members have installed the Turboswing. I installed one on my 170 Montauk and it has worked out very well. I can easily tow large tubes, multiple tubes--plus I tow two skiers very often.

By attaching a towing line to an elevated post, you will be creating a very high turning moment on the post. You need to carefully calculate the forces involved and design the post and its attachment points to be strong enough to handle the forces. You should look at installations of elevated towing posts on other Boston Whaler boats (and boats from other manufacturers) to get an idea of useful arrangements.

I doubt that any single post could be built and attached to withstand these forces, so the addition of sloping reinforcement rods to distribute the turning moment on the post into compression force on the support rods will likely be necessary. The attachment points of the support rods to the deck or hull will then have to be made sufficiently strong to withstand those loads. Note that sloping support rods will generate high downward compressive forces on the deck to which they are attached. There will also be downward compressive force created on the towing post. Perhaps a consultation with a mechanical engineer would be useful.

It is much simpler to attach the towing line to the transom, as the transom is already designed for sufficient strength to handle the forces produced by the outboard engine creating the thrust to propel the boat.

You will also have to design the elevated towing post to be removable, assuming you don't want the post and its support rods to be in place at all times. This can further complicate the design of the post, the supports, and the attachment points.