Towing an inflatable

I am relatively new to the world of boating so please forgive the naivety. I have a 1991 Bayliner Capri with a 120 outboard. I want to tow the kids on an inflatable tube. I have a ski mast, but have been told it is not a good idea to use that for towing an inflatable. My question is, can I attach a Y harness tow rope to the eyelets that I use to strap the boat to the trailer during transit? These eyelets are on the inside walls of the transom (facing each other and the outboard). My concern is that the stress would seem to be a right angles to the intended loading of these eyelets. Any guidance about this or suggestions about an alternative towing strong point would be very much appreciated.

Re: Towing an inflatable

... hiya Jake,

thats what i use ,"Y" harness, when towing tubes. is it the angle of the ski pole to the tuber that is cause for concern? can you mount a ski cleat and have both?

Re: Towing an inflatable

use this it is a harness made for excactly what you are trying to do and has a float on it to keep it out of your prop if it goes slack.http://www.iboats.com/Evolution_Tow_Harness/dm/*******.152082781--**********.122067922--view_id.483910

Re: Towing an inflatable

Wow. I didn't expect to get answers so quickly. Thank you. Your answers seem to provide the guidance I was looking for. The manual that came with the inflatable implies that using the ski mast is not a good idea and so I am looking for alternatives. The eyelets I have mentioned are mounted horizontally, but are inward facing - i.e. pointing towards the outboard motor. I just want to be sure that they would handle the stress of towing. Again - thanks.

Re: Towing an inflatable

slasmith1 said:

use this it is a harness made for excactly what you are trying to do and has a float on it to keep it out of your prop if it goes slack.http://www.iboats.com/Evolution_Tow_Harness/dm/*******.152082781--**********.122067922--view_id.483910

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Coincidence - I am also in Tacoma, WA (Well Lakewood actually, but close enough). Thanks for the feedback.

Re: Towing an inflatable

JakeSaunders said:

Coincidence - I am also in Tacoma, WA (Well Lakewood actually, but close enough). Thanks for the feedback.

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maybe i'll run into you on the sound sometime

Re: Towing an inflatable

azlakes said:

... hiya Jake,

thats what i use ,"Y" harness, when towing tubes. is it the angle of the ski pole to the tuber that is cause for concern? can you mount a ski cleat and have both?

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the tube is pretty heavy under load, and the g forces in turns are far more than skiing or wakeboarding, so there is fear of something giving way. same thing with wake towers, no tube pulling from them either.