pulling a tube with the pylon vs rear hook,

[dshaff24]

I don't know if the newer style boats do this but my 86 sunsport pulling a tube behind the boat from the rear hook creats the tube to be pulled nose down in to the water and snaps the line so last year we been pulling the tube from the pylon with out any issues and it makes tubing a blast compared to being pulled behind my speedboat, Now is the pylon rated to be pulling a tube? How about a wakeboard tower? Reason I ask is because when we have friends and fam down the tube is the #1 water sport and I want to actaully remove the pylon for more room and maybe use the tower, The tube is a small 1 person really, but 2 can fit with limited room!

Just looking for some input, My tower is a fat bar2.25 side bars and 2.38 top bars

[Fman]

I don't know if the newer style boats do this but my 86 sunsport pulling a tube behind the boat from the rear hook creats the tube to be pulled nose down in to the water and snaps the line so last year we been pulling the tube from the pylon with out any issues and it makes tubing a blast compared to being pulled behind my speedboat, Now is the pylon rated to be pulling a tube? How about a wakeboard tower? Reason I ask is because when we have friends and fam down the tube is the #1 water sport and I want to actaully remove the pylon for more room and maybe use the tower, The tube is a small 1 person really, but 2 can fit with limited room!

Just looking for some input, My tower is a fat bar2.25 side bars and 2.38 top bars

How is your pylon mounted? On the newer V-drive boats it is no problems with towing a tube on the pylon. If it is the old style with a longer pole and not too much support I would probably not recommend it. Definitely a "no" on towing tubes with your tower --- wakeboards only on the tower.

Do you have some pics on how your pylon is mounted?

Just my .02

[docdrs]

The problem are the lateral forces that can be applied by the tube due to the weight in the tube but also the tube drag that is amplified by more weight and the tube hitting waves. Sure a small kid in a small tube will be ok but with 3 person tubes and the fact that we are usually pushing the limits to get those 3 out of the tube,and some of the jerking that can occur with inexperienced drivers , there is no way i would use anything other than the lifting hooks. Unless you have some sort of safety release for your tower (not sure at what lbs it should be set at, have a wake boarder do a power cut ) . If your staying in the wake then thats a diff story. Plus its fun to see the looks on their faces when the nose of the tube start submerging.

its all good

[klewis]

Do not pull a tube with the tower ever! Not only because of the forces the tower wasn't designed for, but the potential for a tube to get farther into the air than it should. If a tube gets too much air it will flip and not be a good experience for the riders.

I pull our tube from the pylon only because the rear hook drags the rope in the wake too much and makes it impossible to get a good whip. I wish I could though as getting a good whip is easier to initiate the farther back on the boat the tube is attached.

[csuggs]

Think of it this way - the pylon on your boat was originally used by skiing professionals for slalom pulls, which is a much greater load on the pylon than you will ever have with a wakeboard. Skiing a slalom course at 36mph with a grown man running the course at 15-off results in hard-pulling slalom turns that are felt inside the boat. If you've ever driven the course with such a skier you know that it's a hand-full to keep the boat straight through the narrow bouys that the driver must navigate - all the while keeping the speed on 36. That being said, the pylon is made to take such a load. Now consider ski show professionals that pull multiple skiers forming pyramids, or even multiple barefoot skiers from a deep-water start. All of these are pulled from the pylon that was designed for this load. Last year, I pulled five large tubes with five grown teenagers in them, all from my pylon. I could see the pylon flex as we pulled them, but that is what it was designed to do. I would not however pull such a load from a tower - not because the tower can't handle it, but because the stress on the fiberglass where the tower is mounted would be too great. Unless of course you have one of the newer boats with integrated tower that is anchored into the frame of the boat. Even still, I like what klewis said about the tube flipping if mounted on the tower - that could be bad for the riders. Bottom line, the pylon is your best bet for heavier loads.

[iwakeboard]

You should never tow a tube with a tower, period. I don't know why you couldn't use the pylon, if I ever used a tube I'd use it...but I'll never use a tube, so...

[Fman]

You should never tow a tube with a tower, period. I don't know why you couldn't use the pylon, if I ever used a tube I'd use it...but I'll never use a tube, so...

Consider yourself lucky, my kids love that thing, its a three person ride. I always dread when they want to take it out, but they sure have a great time on it. Its good to use when the water is choppy and the wind kicks up.

[csuggs]

Consider yourself lucky, my kids love that thing, its a three person ride. I always dread when they want to take it out, but they sure have a great time on it. Its good to use when the water is choppy and the wind kicks up.

Dittos here Fman. I don't like to take it either, but the kids like it and, well when the wife says we take it, I usually take it. But . . . the kids are getting better about wanting to take it less frequently. Yay !!!!

[docdrs]

Yep, i'm with you guys, i hate the things,but the kids love em.....so i have a 1:1 policy. You get 10 mins of tubing for every 10 mins of wakeboard, ski, wake surf, kneeboard. tubes are the couch potatoe of the water world

[iwakeboard]

I have no problem with anyone else using them, as long as they're not screwing up the water too bad, but I just surf when the water is crap. To reiterate though, never tow a tube with a tower! A friendly message from your friendly neighborhood tower-guy!