Pulling tubes vs pulling water skiers - which is harder on the boat/engine?

[bassmantweed]

Ok - so I normally pull skiers (friends) using the ski mount centered in the back of my boat rated at 300 lbs.

This weekend my kids wanted to try tubing. They are young so mommy had to ride with them..... I was worried about using ski mount so I bought one of these to hook to my tie down loops:

I felt like my boat was tied to the dock....... granted the rope to the tube was 100% under water but i cant imagine it added that much resistance......

So my overall question is which is harder to pull a skier weighing 200 lbs or a tuber weighing 200 lbs?

 

[guy74]

Re: Pulling tubes vs pulling water skiers - which is harder on the boat/engine?

A tube pulls easier with a given load, but can put alot of stress on things if it catches on the water, like they do sometimes. The main thing is, alot of big multi person tubes out there plus a very heavy rope like most use for tubing, can be very hard on tow fittings. We tube the kids(up to 100lbs) from the pylon, it keeps the rope up out of the water, but we pull adults from the stern eyes with a Y harness. I used one like you have pictured, but didn't like it since the "pulley action" cut down on how good I can swing the tube side to side. The one you have pictured should suit your needs well though, since I doubt your tubing is going to turn into a "see if you can hold on" type ride.

 

[blifsey]

Re: Pulling tubes vs pulling water skiers - which is harder on the boat/engine?

I've found pulling tubes seems to take much more power. Have only pulled tubes with new boat but with previous boat, I pulled tubes and skiers/boarders alot and they were much easier to pop up on plane and maintain. I could also see an increase in fuel usage pulling tubes.

 

[rallyart]

Re: Pulling tubes vs pulling water skiers - which is harder on the boat/engine?

More ropes get broken pulling tubes than skiers and your fuel use is usually much higher pulling a tube. Tubes have to be harder on the engine.

 

[45Auto]

Re: Pulling tubes vs pulling water skiers - which is harder on the boat/engine?

There's a reason that NO ski tripod manufacturer recommends pulling tubes from a tripod and heavy duty ropes are sold for pulling tubes .....

Feel free to draw your own conclusions as to which puts the most load on a boat.

 

[lkbum]

Re: Pulling tubes vs pulling water skiers - which is harder on the boat/engine?

Depends on the tube. I have found the hardest to pull are the large "flat" tubes. The easiest are the triangular shaped ones.

 

[2ndtry]

Re: Pulling tubes vs pulling water skiers - which is harder on the boat/engine?

I felt like my boat was tied to the dock.... granted the rope to the tube was 100% under water but i cant imagine it added that much resistance....

If the tube was underwater it would feel like you are tied the dock! Just like skiing, it takes a little muscle to get the riders "on plane", and sometimes if the the riders are unexperienced and heavy the tube will plow or submarine. This gives tremendous drag and is the reason ski pylons are not rated for tubes (a skier would just let go if you started dragging them underwater, the tube can't). Make sure your riders stay back on the tube until it gets up on plane, then it should not be that huge a drag.

As to which is "harder" on the boat/engine, I imagine its about the same if the done properly. Once your kids get older they will start to want wild rides at higher speeds and more slinging around which can put some stress on the boat, but my 16 y/o can put equal stress on a slalom ski when he cuts hard enough

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Pulling tubes vs pulling water skiers - which is harder on the boat/engine?

Are you pulling from a tripod or a tow pylon? Ski pylons are usually far stronger, I've slid 26 foot pontoons off sandbars using my tow pylon. A tripod is only as strong as its mounting points. If they are in fairly thick fiberglass with plenty of backing behind them, you can tow alot.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Pulling tubes vs pulling water skiers - which is harder on the boat/engine?

A tube pulls easier with a given load

I've found pulling tubes seems to take much more power

More ropes get broken pulling tubes than skiers

Depends on the tube

I imagine its about the same if the done properly

Now...aren't you glad you asked??? :facepalm:

According to Watertoys.com and the Waterskiing School website, a tube is going to require more power with the same weight aboard simply due to the increased area of contact with the water (surface friction area). A set of water skis measuring 8" x 54" (x2) has 862 sq inches of total contact area, or area of drag. A tube measuring 6' across with one rider of the same weight has a surface friction area of 4,071 sq inches (πr2), or almost 4.7x the surface area.

So, all things being equal (water conditions, boat/power combo, and rider weight), the tube is going to require almost 5 times the amount of tension force to pull a tube than it would a water skier. This is at speed. The initial drag of getting a skier up has a different ration, but that only lasts a few seconds on the boat.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Pulling tubes vs pulling water skiers - which is harder on the boat/engine?

Tubes are hands-down. They require more throttle to get them going and have contant high-drag. Even the best slalom skier will only load up the line on a hard turn, they don't have a consistent high-drag like a tube does. Also, when tubing you are working the throttle a lot more in order control the tube path in and out of the wake. As far as being "hard" on the boat/engine, I don't think it makes a huge difference either way.