Re: Towing pylon for outboards
I'm sure there are people pulling tubes with the pylon, and they may not have a problem. The guy I bought our boat from said he did it, but I have no idea what type of tube he was using and how many people. If you are just pulling a small kid in a single tube slowly behind the boat, that's a very different force then pulling 3 high school aged teens at 25MPH and whipping them across the wake and back. Having read the warnings on everything I've bought related to tubing, and having done a short test run to see how the pylon responded, I didn't want to take the risk of going against all the wisdom.
I have not heard of a boat that doesn't have the stern tie down / tow hooks, unless its a really old boat. These are use to attach stern straps when trailering, and also to tow with a harness.
I really like using the ball. I've seen a few posts from people that tried it and didn't like it, but most of the reviews have been good. Its not perfect, but it solved most of our tube problems on our last boat, and we kept using it with the one we have now. Check around and you can find them for a lot less than list price... and remember that it includes the tow rope in the price. I just added a harness.