Question about towing.....Tube

[Blackntan90]

When my kids want to ride the tubes, we hook them to the lifting rings at either side of the transom. If you can lift the boat from them, they are probably strong enough for the tubes. There is some tow line drag from the rooster tail, but when the rope clears it- hang on! I do insist on riding boards, and skiis before the tubes come out also!

[rludtke]

I have a large flat bottomed tube, and when I make an right turn with a rider, to move them to the left side of the wake, accelerate and then make as agressive turn to the left to bring the tube along the left side, the tube will catch air underneath as it comes off the wake, and fly off the water as it moves to become abeam the boat. You have to then get on the power to stay with the tube, as it wants to go faster than the boat and create slack in the rope. The tube maintains a steep angle of attack, showinging its bottom, but flys completely off the water by a foot or so at the lowest point. If you are skillful with the throttle, you can keep it airborne, but prevent it from blowing over, and then reduce power to carefully set it back down on the water after a second or two of flight. You have to be careful not to slow the tube down too much on landing, or the weight shifts forward on deacceleration and the rider can fall off the front when it sits back down on the water. My daughter and her friends just love it when I do this to them, and it looks pretty impressive I must say. I can fly two kids, but it flies much easier with one. I think the enabler of this flight is the extended pylon. Pulling from closer to the water will prevent the nose of the tube from rising as much, and it will not fly.