ISO Factory 282 arch / Tower.

[Moeron]

Any ideas who made these for Cobalt?

[Big Block Power]

What year? Mostly roswell back in the day and now Samson and some in house. And another local manufacturer.

[AsLan7]

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Hey Moeron.

Welcome to the Cobaltchat forum. So glad you found us!

Yup, mostly Roswell and Samson. A little more information will help. Any pics of your Cobalt?

.

[dashdriver505]

Hello all
I just joined up here. I purchased a 2006 Cobalt 282BR a year ago and really enjoy this boat. It has a factory Bimini top; however, I am interested in finding an arch tower, preferably a used OEM that they originally came with new. I've had no luck finding one and now thinking of having one manufactured through Samson. Has anyone ever come across a used one, or even a salvage 282? I can't seem find anything out there and I have scoured the internet. Any help or advice is most welcome.

Cheers!

[AsLan7]

Hello all
I just joined up here. I purchased a 2006 Cobalt 282BR a year ago and really enjoy this boat. It has a factory Bimini top; however, I am interested in finding an arch tower, preferably a used OEM that they originally came with new. I've had no luck finding one and now thinking of having one manufactured through Samson. Has anyone ever come across a used one, or even a salvage 282? I can't seem find anything out there and I have scoured the internet. Any help or advice is most welcome.

Cheers!

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So glad you found us dd505…

We had a 262 with no arch and scoured the internet as well. Ended up selling the 262 and purchased a 263 with the arch. It’s a game changer for sure. The 282 is an amazing boat especially with twin big blocks. Any pics?

And welcome aboard mate!
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[Dhooghe81]

That Tower was made locally in Neodesha near the Cobalt plant. You'll be hard pressed to find one and I'm almost positive that the towers were model specific ie: 282, 272, 262 etc. If I remember correctly the 282 had a slightly wider beam that any other tower model from that time period. In all honesty you'd have an easier time finding the right 282(with tower) than just the tower itself for your 282. Best of luck to ya though.

[dashdriver505]

Thanks for all of your advice on this. I've decided to have one custom made out of Samson; however, they tell me they have never made one of these for the 282 so I will be going through a long journey of measuring and collaborating with them. I like their models and build process, but their Bimini size options seem a bit small and don't provide as much shade as my current OEM Bimini. It's also a 4-to-5-month lead time, and I will provide an update and photos if I pull the trigger on this. Thanks again for the input!

[cccsolana]

Hi, Any luck on finding a tower? I have a 2013 A25 with beautiful tower made by Sampson that I am considering selling and swapping out for a traditional bimini. My boat is at Lake Powell in Arizona/Utah

[dashdriver505]

My tower arrives next week--Finally! I am planning to install next week. The process took exactly 16 weeks from flash to bang, just as they said when I ordered it. The folks at Samson (Melody and Scott) were VERY helpful and responsive at all stages of the measuring, options, fitment, and ordering process so I highly recommend them if you are in the market for a custom tower, they definitely know their craft. Hoping to take it out wake boarding next weekend! Thanks for the response I had from all of you in the forum, I will post some photos once I get it all done.

Happy Boating

[dashdriver505]

Greetings all. I finally have my new Samson "Blade" tower w/Bimini installed on my 282 BR. The whole process took 5 months, but it was worth the wait. I am still doing some tweaks and adjustments on the Bimini and should have the minor kinks worked out soon. Samson has diagrams and fitment for multiple boat manufacturers and models; however, they had never done a Cobalt 282 until now, so I was their first. So, for any of you 282'ers out there, the code is cracked on this, and they now have a solid template for the 282 model (which was a bit tricky). The Bimini was a one-off design, so I am still working on a simple set-up and take-down method, as it is larger and heavier than the average Bimini, but it provides awesome shade and is sturdy and stable at 55 MPH!

Cheers!

[AsLan7]

Hey nice job on breaking the code! Great pictures too. You’re going to love the versatility and shade. Enjoy!

[dashdriver505]

Thanks, AsLan7!

One thing I didn't mention; the tower is fully collapsible; you just loosen two knobs at the base, the gas struts inside the frame lighten the load and it just comes down for easy stowage so it can fit through the standard 10-foot storage garage door. Can't wait to wake board and surf behind it, just need to find more time for maximum use this summer!

Cheers!

[mdadgar]

Nice! That came out great!

Did you have Samson install it for you? They are great people and I really enjoyed working with them.

[dashdriver505]

Thanks! I installed it myself. The install was initially straight forward; however, there were some required critical steps (setting the base pads to match gelcoat curvature of my boat) in the process that were not shown in the instructions and video. Due to this, I had alignment issues; however, Mike at Samson (Their installation expert) walked me through the correct procedures, which required me to do the install all over again. I was not happy at first, but I wanted it right, so I removed it and followed his instructions to the letter and VOILA, it fit like a glove with no issues. Because of this, they said they will be revising/editing all of their installation instructions and videos to better help customers in the future.

I am still working on some tweaks to improve the set up and stowage process easier, but I am extremely happy with the new tower and would highly recommend Samson to anyone interested in adding a tower to their boat. I don't want to sound like a promo for Samson; however, it is certainly warranted in my case as Melody, Scott, Mike, and Brian went above and beyond to ensure that my tower was correct and that I was satisfied and they are still taking the time to follow up and assist me with it. Have a great summer everyone!

[jhnmdahl]

That's a great result to a difficult problem - thanks for documenting it here, and sharing your work with the rest of the forum! The tower will be great, but the bimini is an incredibly valuable addition. I have no problem identifying companies or employees who go above and beyond to help members here get the most out of their boats, and Samson sounds like they definitely did.