opinions on age limit

[jebby]

Camping plans got covid cancelled this weekend so we are going boating. Wife says kids 4M and 6F are too younge to tube (with an adult).

opinions? clearly at minimum planing speed, double tube, inside the wake yada yada yada

 

[ahicks]

My experience has been it's way more about how comfortable they are in the water than how old they are. WAY more! Little kids that age that live on a lake or have access to a pool are often like little fish by time they are 4. Regarding the required flotation, are they (you?) comfortable jumping off the boat into water over their head when wearing their PFD (personal flotation device)? If so, I'd say they're candidates for a first tube ride for sure.

Myself, I like to see them do a running canon ball off the end of the dock (wearing a suitably sized PFD), then come running back and beg to do it again. That kid is comfortable in the water and a good tubing 101 candidate....

 

[GA_Boater]

The kids will grow up and leave the house. The Admiral may be ragging on you forever. Pick your poison.

 

[briangcc]

I have a 3 person tube sit-in style for my family. Admiral and my two oldest went on it last year...just above idle...all wearing life jackets. Enough for them to get a feel for it, not enough to dump someone inadvertently or scare the bejeezus out of em to keep em from doing it again.

**My boys were 7 and 5 at the time.


The year before that, so 2018, my oldest who would have been 6 at the time, went for a ride on my cousin's tube. Tube submarined and I was shocked he wanted to go on a tube the following year. His older female cousin who he was riding with, wanted no part of tubing. All depends on the kiddo.

 

[Scott Danforth]

we used to tow my bud's niece 6 and nephew 5 on their own in a tube once they had a taste of it with an adult, they didnt want the adult along......

about 8-10mph, them kneeling in the tube. all you saw was two hands holding the handles, the top of the head, and a grin that could eat a banana sideways

however golden rule....... if mama isnt happy....... no-ones happy..........

 

[gm280]

If you think they are old enough, have the wife accompany them for their first ride. Then she can see first hand if they really like it or not...

 

[JASinIL2006]

We used to pull our kids at that age behind a 14' aluminum boat with a 10 hp motor. In reality, it was slow as heck and you couldn't even swing them outside the wake, but they loved it. I had to drive them around on that thing for hours! It's what eventually led us to get a 'real' boat.

If they are wearing vests and are comfortable in the water, it can be as mild and as safe as you make it. Put mom on the tube with each of them so she can see how they're doing. Personally, I would not get up to planing speed until the kids are a bit older or until they have had a few slow-speed wipeouts (actually, at slow speed, I'm not sure you can consider it a wipeout...). When they are read, straight-line tubing at planing speeds will seem pretty exhilarating, and when they're even older, you can start swinging them outside the wake. Our kids were pretty good at telling us when they were ready for more excitement.

What is your wife's concern? Injury? That the kids will get scared?

 

[Captain Caveman]

I tried around 4 with our daughter and wife on the tube. Even pulling without giving throttle made her cry - daughter not wife. Tried again at 5yrs and she was ready. At 6yrs she was lobbying for swinging over the wake and circles of death. She's been on the water a lot and at 8yrs just got up on water skis. Her 8yr old cousin couldn't even sit in the water with skis on. Each kid is different. Start real slow with wife on tube and see how it works.

 

[jebby]

Fyi we have a pool. Both csn swim with floatation. 6 year old with out. 4 year old almost without

 

[ahicks]

You really need to feel them out. Can't assume a thing. Give them some time in LAKE water. Once assured they're comfortable (that the key piece here), and safe (for adult's piece of mind), just take it slow.

 

[MRS]

This was top speed for the day.

 

[jebby]

Thanks everybody. Think we will bring the tube, use it for floating in the bay, maybe idle around a bit. i need to get one of those large chariat style tubes, look great for little ones. maybe we will make them ride in the cuddy when the Admiral pulls me. I suspect she wants my life insurance haha

 

[JASinIL2006]

Our first tube was an Airhead Riptide (see pic). It was perfect for little ones: when they were really small, an adult could ride with them, and when they were alone, they had those big handles to hang on to, they could sit, kneel or lie down, and the big tube nearly surrounding them, which gave them a feeling of security. It was a nice, versatile tube.

 

[SDSeville]

When my kids were very young, we bought one of those couch style tubes from costco called "Big Momma". Mom rode with the kids at first, then we cruised around barely planing. Fast forward a few years (early teens) and that same "Big Momma" was getting pretty wild with figure 8s and and serious whips (with 3 people riding at a time). They loved it and preferred the tube over wake boarding for a while.

Costco no longer sells the Big Momma but they have great deals on family sized towables.

 

[MRS]

Alyssa was scared to death of the tube but I tied it up and let it float couple feet of the shore and let her play on it. She got use to it and was good to go with mom and dad on board. That was the photo I posted.

 

[Lowlysubaruguy]

Short rope Depending on your boat wake low speed Mine were on one early on I’d hold the rope by hand wear gloves so you can kind of absorb shock if needed you’ll know if they are learning or terrorized. Its funny my kids didn’t want to water ski until they were almost 20 Of course two people were injured badly water skiiing When they were young not them but one all of them were in the boat when my neighbor crashed and dislocated his shoulder. Point here is a bad event can traumatize young kids for quite a while just go easy keep them interested don’t push them to hard.

 

[sphelps]

The kids will grow up and leave the house. .

So when is this supposed to happen ?:lol:

 

[CincyGus]

My experience has been it's way more about how comfortable they are in the water than how old they are. WAY more! Little kids that age that live on a lake or have access to a pool are often like little fish by time they are 4. Regarding the required flotation, are they (you?) comfortable jumping off the boat into water over their head when wearing their PFD (personal flotation device)? If so, I'd say they're candidates for a first tube ride for sure.

Myself, I like to see them do a running canon ball off the end of the dock (wearing a suitably sized PFD), then come running back and beg to do it again. That kid is comfortable in the water and a good tubing 101 candidate....

Best answer here. Their comfort level and your willingness to take baby steps to not cause a fearful experience will determine the success of this early test. Some kids are daredevils and nothing scares them. Some it takes only one slightly negative experience to make them avoid an activity for a long time. Make sure they understand they control the speed and work out signals with them. Circling their arm around like their a cowboy and getting ready to throw a rope means go outside the wake. Thumbs up means faster, thumbs down means slower. Both giving the same signal before anything changes or the daredevil of the two will be in control and scare the more passive one.

This is the method that my friends dad used with me and my friend and the rest of his friends that had the pleasure of tubing as small kids on their boat. It made us all enjoy it and some of the kids that were a little leary at first realized they were in control which put them at ease and let their confidence build.

Good Luck and make sure Everyone has safe fun and it will work out great.

 

[jebby]

Had a great day didnt end up trying since the beach was near empty we spent most of the time swimming and hiking the island.

 

[jebby]

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