2001 Cobalt 262 Removable Ski Tow Pylon

[jon.rose]

Hi, I have a 2001 Cobalt 262 with the removable Ski Tow Pylon. We lost it earlier this week and have found that Cobalt no longer makes the part.

@Cobalt, do you have any recommendations for who can manufacture one? Are you willing to share the specs? Or do you have a recommendation for who could build one here in Utah?

Does anyone here on the forum have an extra they'd be willing to sell and ship to Utah? How have you been able to fix this problem in the past?

Thanks for your help!
Jon

[AsLan7]

..
So glad you found us joe.
Those are unicorns to find on their own. I’ve only seen one on eBay and one on a parts boat.

We can probably get you the specs though.

Is it in the lake?

Any pics of your 262?

And welcome aboard mate.

.

[ajcampen]

Talk to this amazing member

https://slideruleracing.com/product-category/custom/

He could do it I bet bc he already makes the adapter for umbrellas

[Big Block Power]

Talk to this amazing member

https://slideruleracing.com/product-category/custom/

He could do it I bet bc he already makes the adapter for umbrellas

I think we tried him and he said it would cost to much to top it up? But he would need another to get all of the measurements.
Like A7 said they will pop up on eBay every now and then.

[ajcampen]

Talk to this amazing member

https://slideruleracing.com/product-category/custom/

He could do it I bet bc he already makes the adapter for umbrellas

I think we tried him and he said it would cost to much to top it up? But he would need another to get all of the measurements.
Like A7 said they will pop up on eBay every now and then.

Every year people loose them. This is a guaranteed business for him to sell a minimum of ten over a span of 10-12 years

[Big Block Power]

Talk to this amazing member

https://slideruleracing.com/product-category/custom/

He could do it I bet bc he already makes the adapter for umbrellas

I think we tried him and he said it would cost to much to top it up? But he would need another to get all of the measurements.
Like A7 said they will pop up on eBay every now and then.

Every year people loose them. This is a guaranteed business for him to sell a minimum of ten over a span of 10-12 years

I think you work in this environment.

[jon.rose]

Thanks everyone. I'll try Sliderule Racing and see what he says. I'm definitely running into a lot of dead ends.

[slideruleracer]

I've been in touch with Jon and I think we've found a good path for him.

To provide some clarity, for me to make these from scratch to the same type of design as Cobalt is expensive. The stainless tubing alone would cost me $400 per unit and that doesn't include any fabrication or costs for the ski rope hook top. Everytime some one has reached out I've given a one-off quote but they have decided not to buy it due to pricing. 1 every year or 2 is just not enough qty for my little business to invest in the cost of a run. So usually the better path is for me to buy an off the shelf unit on Ebay and modify it. In Jon's case I think I found an even better option (for him anyways -- I'll let him report back after he's tried it out).

Hope this helps clarifies for future folks who search/find this thread.

[Titaniumboy]

I’m not disputing your word on your costs, but how can a short piece of stainless tubing cost $400?

What am I missing?

[slideruleracer]

I order my raw stock from onlinemetals.com. Go look up 2" O.D., .187" thick, seamless 316 stainless x 36" (need 30" for 262 ski pylon). Tell me what you get with shipping.

[slideruleracer]

If you're asking why stainless is so expensive, it got tangled up in raw materials shortages with all the supply chain BS during covid and has only gotten worse this year. All my stainless costs are through the roof.

[Titaniumboy]

I order my raw stock from onlinemetals.com. Go look up 2" O.D., .187" thick, seamless 316 stainless x 36" (need 30" for 262 ski pylon). Tell me what you get with shipping.

It’s even worse than you said. $407 before shipping. I am gobsmacked.

If you could live with a 0.158” wall instead of a 0.187” wall, here is an option from eBay. I can’t tell if it is seamless or not.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/182995314628?h ... SwiDFYK03~

6BC6CDD8-E919-4940-8731-E162050E44AD.png

[slideruleracer]

If the photograph is accurate, that's welded tube. Which may be ok but I always thought the oem was seamless. Towing tubes - especially when they submerge - puts a huge strain on the pylon.. My business is an LLC, but there are risks I'm not interested in taking.

[Titaniumboy]

Good catch on seeing the weld seam.

The prices for stainless are just mind boggling. This is what I would have considered to be titanium metal prices just a few years ago.

[jon.rose]

I received the pylon today, but won't be able to test it until next Monday when I get back in town. I'll let everyone know if it works.

In the meantime, I'm really impressed with Slideruleracer. He has helped me in a very open and honest way. Rather than just selling me more than I needed, he found a potential solution that I could buy on my own which made it so he didn't get my business. That is real integrity in my opinion. If this doesn't fit, I'll be shipping it to him for any of the modifications it may need. I'll certainly be working with him on any future needs on my Cobalt.