Tubing and sking??

[smokeyjoe 2]

I have never pulled a tube or someone on skis before!! I was just wondering how fast to go when doing this( min/MAX)? Thanks!!

 

[Richok]

Re: Tubing and sking??

Smokeyjoe2 that will depend a lot on who is skiing/riding tube. I pull my kids about 20 to 25 while pulling an adult I can go a little faster. Kind of personal preference. I would drive the boat and have an adult on skis/tube and give you an up / down signal. You can judge from there about where you would normally pull. WORD ON SAFEYY though, not ever pulling a skier watch the rope when you return. I had a driver come back an d tangle me in the rope pulled me into the prop. I had a cut from my hip to my knee. Good luck,have fun,be safe.

 

[KRS]

Re: Tubing and sking??

Also, check local laws, here there MUST be 3 people in order to ski: 1) driver 2) skier 3) spotter. The spotter must face rear and have an orange flag so when the skier falls, the flag goes up to warn other boaters that they have someone in the water.

 

[merc200]

Re: Tubing and sking??

20 to 25 for tubing...definitely 25 or 30 skiing. Be sure to put the hammer down when pulling a skier out of the water...makes it easier that way. Be sure to watch rope slack!

 

[kd6nem]

Re: Tubing and sking??

A fun change of pace for tubing is to slow down in a quiet area. Cross your own wake while just barely planing. Big wake, wild ride, even if not very fast. Just make sure you don't bury the tube/tuber. They don't tend to like trying to imitate submarines! My 15' runabout wouldn't do that if it had to- but a friend had a 21' that would occasionally. We learned not to pretty quick- I didn't like seeing the towable and kid through a wall of green water! Kids weren't fond of it either, and is hard on the towable. We could see when it was about to happen and ease up to prevent it.

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: Tubing and sking??

Look on the tube you are going to use. Speeds are listed for children and also for adults. My three person Seedoo tube is a hoot! 15 mph can be fast in wavy conditions. 20 mph is real fast over wakes in turns (in a turn the tube can go twice as fast as you are going in the boat). Straight away up to 30 mph can be ok if there are no waves. Start slow and build up your speed. It will be very evident when you over do it! Be carefull, the speeds listed as max are there for a reason. You don't need a fast boat for a smaller single tube. We use to tube with a 30 hp Johnson and if I wanted to throw an adult, it was very do-able.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Tubing and sking??

Take out all the slack at idle speed; when the skier shouts "hit it" then throttle to the firewall, but back off a little when they get up. with the tube you can accelerate more gradually if you like.<br /><br />Thumbs up = faster, thumbs down = slower, index finger across throat = stop.<br /><br />Make sure you got a responsible person to spot for you - some teenagers take it seriously, but some forget to pay attention. And put the spotter in front of you, facing back - sometimes people forget you can't hear 'em when they're behind you facing away talking into the motor.

 

[MrBill]

Re: Tubing and sking??

SmokeyJoe2:<br />You've gotten good advice all around from the others...here's a few things that haven't been mentioned. When towing a tube or other water toy, a 60 foot line seems to be optimal. For water skiing, especially slalom, use 75 feet of line total, which usually means 70 feet of line and 5 feet of handle.<br /><br />For skiing, invest in a good handle (about $35), they're larger, more comfortable, padded better for that snap-back that hits you in the head, and they will last far longer. Lines will wear, get tangled, etc. and need replacement and a good handle will outlast a line by 5-7 years. Lines that come in sections (2, 3 or more) will allow you to adjust to the right length...don't loop and knot a line to reduce length, once you pull a heavy skier or whip a tube, you'll damage the line trying to get the knot out. And...one more thing...use poly line, properly looped without any hardware, it floats, does not stretch, and helps avoid a lot of problems. Have fun...

 

[Baldguy]

Re: Tubing and sking??

Good advice from all. <br /><br />A couple of things I try to do is go back and get to a down skier asap. We boat in a very busy area and I try to get back to "protect" the skier quickly.<br /><br />Also, when going back to get a downed skier, bring the skier up on the driver's side of the boat. This way you always have the skier in the water in sight for safety.<br /><br />A good ski rope is a must. If the rope snaps back from letting go on a downed skier, it's time to replace the rope. A proper rope will have little snap to it when let go under load, but should not snap a long distance...it's dangerous to those in the boat.

 

[JamesCoste]

Re: Tubing and sking??

When the skier/tuber(s) is(are) tired, is it necessary to kill the motor when allowing them to climb back into the boat? My dive-ladder is right next to the motor and I'd hate to injure them with the prop.<br /><br />Is putting the motor in neutral "good enough"?

 

[jtexas]

Re: Tubing and sking??

That's a joke, right?

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Tubing and sking??

Smoky I usually pull kids 25MPH on two skiis and adults 28 MPH on two skiis. Salom skiiers are pulled at 32 MPH, and on the last leg of the salom run I pull my wife at 36-38 MPH. She likes to "rock and roll" at the end of the run.<br /><br />I once pulled a friend at 55 MPH, but we were all young and dumb in those days!!<br /><br />Tubes need to be pulled no more than 25MPH. Also little kids need to be pulled as slow as possible, since they tend to get air in tubes and may flip.

 

[JamesCoste]

Re: Tubing and sking??

jtexas,<br />I wish I could say that it is a joke; however, it wasn't. I've only skied a few times myself and just wanted to hear somebody say, "of course you kill the motor". I'd probably do it, but was just thinking through the process and since nobody mentioned it, I thought I'd ask.<br /><br />chris1956,<br />What do you mean, "since they tend to get air in tubes and may flip"? Do you mean air "under" the tube causing it to flip?

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: Tubing and sking??

I think he means air-born. Kids are very light and bounce very high at higher speeds.<br /><br /><br />...and sure, cut the motor. Sh+t happens!

 

[DJ]

Re: Tubing and sking??

I'll add my two cents.<br /><br />1. Don't "firewall" the throttle. You'll pull the rope right out of the skiers hands. Advance the throttle quickly but don't jam it forward.<br /><br />2. Two people in the boat with a RELIABLE person looking rearward, at all times.<br /><br />3. Let the person being pulled be the judge of proper speed. It will be somewhere above planing speed.<br /><br />4. Don't skimp on equipment. Get a good rope and good life vests.<br /><br />5. The engine must be OFF, REPEAT-OFF!!!!! whenever there is a person in the water or readying themselves to get in.<br /><br />6. It is the drivers responsibility to protect the skier/tuber in the water. They are exposed without the boat as protection.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Tubing and sking??

Great advice from all.<br /><br />Experience now after all the great advice will prevail. How much throtle to pull up skiers, how much with tubes, etc.<br /><br />One thing that hasnt been addresed, (I dont think its mentioned) Is the hook up on your boat. Most beginners tie on the transom with different devices, and you will probably start off this way, but you will soon descover that the rope will be in the water too much especially when towing tubes. You would be best off to invest in some type of a pole to get the rope above your engine, They work awesome, and are available from places like overtons or maybe right here on Iboats. I have one that fits into my rear seat mount, (Bass Boat) and then braces outward. You wont believe the difference in towing ability, and the skier wont pull the rear of your boat around as much either.

 

[CharlesW]

Re: Tubing and sking??

Originally posted by JamesCoste:<br /> jtexas,<br />I wish I could say that it is a joke; however, it wasn't. I've only skied a few times myself and just wanted to hear somebody say, "of course you kill the motor". I'd probably do it, but was just thinking through the process and since nobody mentioned it, I thought I'd ask.

Good question to bring up.<br /> First, YES, stop the engine! <br />Surprisingly enough, there are quite a few people that do think just being out of gear is OK. It isn't. <br />A friend of mine didn't want to shut his engine off when he was going to pull my kids behind his new boat. I simply told him they weren't getting in the water until he did shut it off. He still thinks I am the one that was wrong.<br /><br />Charles

 

[jtexas]

Re: Tubing and sking??

hey James, sorry that came out looking more flippant than I meant it to; no disrespect intended.<br /><br />I have no ladder, yet; I can hoist little people aboard over the side, but big folks like me have to climb in over the outboard. The anti-cav plate makes a barely-acceptable first step. I make it a practice to be sure the key is not even in the ignition during that operation.<br /><br />jtw

 

[Baldguy]

Re: Tubing and sking??

More people lately have been killed during boating due to carbon monoxide poisoning than ever before here in CA. Carbon monoxide is heavier than the outside air most of the time and hangs just above the water affixating a swimmer near the back of the boat.<br /><br />Shutting off the motor and removing the key to prevent a prop accident is reason enough, but carbon monoxide poisoning should be another reason as well.