Bent Ski Pole (1998 Seadoo Speedster)

[ajardine]

My fiance and I went out for the first time on our 1998 Seadoo Speedster and pulled a 3 person tube. We pulled 3 kids and then 2 adults with one child. I've attached a photo so you can see the fun we had. With the 2 engines it pulled no problem and we had a blast.
BUT...

After we got home and did our usual inspection of the boat... we noticed the TOW POLE had a slight bend/bent and now won't go back down into the hole for safe storage. It sticks out now. We can still pull but feel it's damaged and probably not great for the boat or the pole itself (and looks unappealing up now. Please note the pole in the picture is not mine in the photos. I was showing what product/tow pole I'm referring to that is bent).

Has anyone had this issue?
Solutions?
I don't like the Ski Towers that can go over the entire boats hull.. so don't really want that as an option. I'm assuming my only option will be to have someone make me a custom built ski pole from original hole that way stronger... ‍

I'm open to suggestions thanks!

 

[coachjjohn]

Did the exact same thing last Saturday pulling my son and his buddy. The pole wouldn't go down the last several inches. When I got home, I pulled it all the way up and sprayed it well with a WD-40 Silicon lubricant and then used a rubber mallet to tap it all the way down. I just kept moving it up and down while adding lubricant. At least I have it all the way down and I think as long as I spray it regularly, it should work with a little extra effort. For me, I am going to use the hook instead of the pole from now on if I have a bigger group on my tube.

I actually am interested in putting on a tower that can fold down, so if anyone has done that and has good suggestions for a type of tower, I would appreciate the input (sorry if I hi-jack your thread(-

 

[Dennis weimer]

I totally have the same problem with the ski pole. on a 1998 challenger.
I'm new to this game but, thinking this is a manufacturer s flaw.
I'm thinkin of upgrading to stainless thick walled pipe in pipe setup...

post pictures of your fix I'd like to see

 

[nesnfred]

My fiance and I went out for the first time on our 1998 Seadoo Speedster and pulled a 3 person tube. We pulled 3 kids and then 2 adults with one child. I've attached a photo so you can see the fun we had. With the 2 engines it pulled no problem and we had a blast.
BUT...

After we got home and did our usual inspection of the boat... we noticed the TOW POLE had a slight bend/bent and now won't go back down into the hole for safe storage. It sticks out now. We can still pull but feel it's damaged and probably not great for the boat or the pole itself (and looks unappealing up now. Please note the pole in the picture is not mine in the photos. I was showing what product/tow pole I'm referring to that is bent).

Has anyone had this issue?
Solutions?
I don't like the Ski Towers that can go over the entire boats hull.. so don't really want that as an option. I'm assuming my only option will be to have someone make me a custom built ski pole from original hole that way stronger... ‍

I'm open to suggestions thanks!

Does your boat have a tow eyelet on the rear/transom? I know it’s too late now but never tow tubes from the ski pole, it’s too much torque as you discovered. You also see people tubing from the wake tower which is also a no no…there should be a place to attach the tube rope on the rear of the boat…should be.

 

[Karrtire]

My fiance and I went out for the first time on our 1998 Seadoo Speedster and pulled a 3 person tube. We pulled 3 kids and then 2 adults with one child. I've attached a photo so you can see the fun we had. With the 2 engines it pulled no problem and we had a blast.
BUT...

After we got home and did our usual inspection of the boat... we noticed the TOW POLE had a slight bend/bent and now won't go back down into the hole for safe storage. It sticks out now. We can still pull but feel it's damaged and probably not great for the boat or the pole itself (and looks unappealing up now. Please note the pole in the picture is not mine in the photos. I was showing what product/tow pole I'm referring to that is bent).

Has anyone had this issue?
Solutions?
I don't like the Ski Towers that can go over the entire boats hull.. so don't really want that as an option. I'm assuming my only option will be to have someone make me a custom built ski pole from original hole that way stronger... ‍

I'm open to suggestions thanks!

Hi. I had this same problem. The pole comes out. I had access to a hydraulic press and I was able to straighten it out. You could also take it to a machine shop. It is easy to straighten out. The solution, after it is repaired, is to have everyone on the tube to lean back and make sure the front of the tube is up in the air. If you do this, it should not bend again.
Thanks
Kevin

 

[DJ230xp]

It’s amazing how many years this has been a problem. I recently purchased a 2007 challenger with a missing ski pylon due to it being bent by previous owner. EVERY boat owner I know on my lake tows huge tubes with their ski pylons and they do not bend. There’s got to be a fix for this! Anyone who has tried towing off of the transom eye knows it is not a pleasurable experience for anyone.

 

[Karrtire]

It’s amazing how many years this has been a problem. I recently purchased a 2007 challenger with a missing ski pylon due to it being bent by previous owner. EVERY boat owner I know on my lake tows huge tubes with their ski pylons and they do not bend. There’s got to be a fix for this! Anyone who has tried towing off of the transom eye knows it is not a pleasurable experience for anyone.

My pole also bent on my Seadoo speedster. I was able to remove and straighten it back out. To avoid it bending in the future, whoever is being pulled on a tube, they need to lean back and lift the front of the tube. This will get the tube out of the water super quick. The tubers can then tube normal. I have not had a problem with the pole bending since.

 

[DJ230xp]

I just sourced a new pole from someone parting out their boat. I’m going to try and come up with a way we can pull multiple tubes safely without worry. I imagine it will involve some bracing and possibly a racket strap. We used to run a ratchet strap from our tower on our old family boat to the bow whenever we pulled tubes just to prevent any unnecessary stress on the tower and mounts. Even a little extra bracing goes a long way and I imagine even more so with the retractable type.

 

[Karrtire]

I just sourced a new pole from someone parting out their boat. I’m going to try and come up with a way we can pull multiple tubes safely without worry. I imagine it will involve some bracing and possibly a racket strap. We used to run a ratchet strap from our tower on our old family boat to the bow whenever we pulled tubes just to prevent any unnecessary stress on the tower and mounts. Even a little extra bracing goes a long way and I imagine even more so with the retractable type.

Had this same problem. Removed the aluminum pole and straighten it in a hydraulic press. To avoid bending the pole in the future, have the tubers lean back and lift the front of the tube while the boat is accelerating to get the tube up and plaining. This greatly reduces the stress on the pole. I have pulled large tubes with multiple people and have not had any issues bending the pole since implementing this procedure. What bends the pole is the force that it takes to get the tube moving and out of the water. There is very little force on the pole once the tube gets going.

 

[Bonmotwang]

Does Airhead booster ball fix this problem?

 

[sosmond]

I have a 1996 Speedster, and I bought the Airhead Ball as the tube/tow line are almost always below the waterline without it. The ball keeps the towline and tube out of the water. I've towed three 17 year olds and haven't had any issues at all, I notice that starting up is less onerous and the tube never nose dives under the water now - both things must reduce the drag on the boat. NOTE - I'm towing using the tow eyelet (like this - came stock on my boat)