Tubes? What your pick

[mike176]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

I read on yahoo awhile back the company making the kite tube had to recall them and stop making them because tomany people where getting hurt. Last summer there was a guy on the lake pullin one off his wakeboard tower and it had to be atleast 20ft in the air i would hate to see what would have happend to the rider if they caught a good gust of wind. I personally go for the walmart endof season $30 tube i have bought the nicer ones but they seem to last just as long. When i was a kid my grandfather would take a tractor inertube, run a pice of nylon rope trough a pice of gardenhose around the tube then connect the tow rope to it. i gotta say those things gave a really wild ride. I guess he should have patend it cuz back in the 70s we where the only ones out on the lake doin that.

 

[jarata]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

Those kite tubes are outlawed they dont make them anymore to dangerous thats why you can get them on e-bay.There were to many injuries.

 

[kwikrnu]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

We just got a warbird chariot from sportstuff. We can get some air if you hit the wake or waves. It really holds the kids in with the back seat and we usually go pretty slow with the kids anyway. It takes up 1/2 of the boat when I load it up and it is pretty expensive.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

Ours is a 4 man "Cruizer" $65 from Bass Pro Shops last year. Photos in the Doral section under family fun. I tend to take it out inflated and deflate with the pump in the 12 volt outlet I installed when finished. Later in the day if we want to use it again then we inflate it out there. Best thing i ever put in was the power outlet. Really helps with a boat the size of ours. I carry a mobile 12 volt power pack as well in case I need to boost start or I just use the powerpack outlet to pump and deflate fully.

 

[dgopetactical]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

I dislocated my shoulder on a regular tube falling off at 25mph cant amagine falling 10' on top of that.

 

[Zamboni]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

Picked up the cheap Airhead at Wal Mart-tube that inflates on floor also. Very tippy, squirrily ride at 20mph. That's actually great, old small tube we had I wasn't comfortable driving speeds necessary to flip kids or even give them a bit of scare/challenge. This tube skims on water, not even close to overinflated....kids can't stay on it very long.

 

[rndn]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

People don't realize what a tube can do to people. We were tubing ona friends boat and my friend detached his retina on a wave that really wasn't a big deal. It was on one of the smaller finger lakes in NY. His daughter broke her collerbone on the same tube. I know they can be a lot of fun, I just think people need to be aware of something that takes off 10 feet in the air and then drops the people down on the water.

 

[scrobo]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

i'm looking for one for my son. He's 60lbs soaking et and 11 rs old.

Want to pull it behind my 14' runabout with a 40 on it. wife wants to ride too. And want to keep it under 100$,

Note: Don;t want to break any bones.

 

[Zamboni]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

We were out a lot this weekend Scrobo....that cheap Airhead tube is a big hit with kids. I had less air in the floor section-still very unstable at slow speeds. Almost seems too high off the water-doubt your wife will like it but even at very slow speeds the kids find it a real thrill.

Called the Cyclone-if your sons anything like my 11 year old he'll love it.

 

[WanabeBoater]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

DBX 2 person...Can buy at Dicks Sporting Goods for about 100 bucks...very well made.

 

[scrobo]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

I'll look into both. Maybe buy the walmart one first... at least I can return it without hassel

Do they have ****'s Sporting Goods in Canada?

 

[Zamboni]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

People don't realize what a tube can do to people. We were tubing ona friends boat and my friend detached his retina on a wave that really wasn't a big deal. It was on one of the smaller finger lakes in NY. His daughter broke her collerbone on the same tube. I know they can be a lot of fun, I just think people need to be aware of something that takes off 10 feet in the air and then drops the people down on the water.

Good points rndn, we had a sad incident on a lake (Rice) nearby this weekend. Boat pulling a tube with 2 young children swerved close to a stationary boat-the tube smashed into the other boat. One child is dead-the other in critical condition.
Watching golf Sunday I heard Ernie Els tore his acl tubing-still not fully recovered.
I've had jet skis travelling towards us turn to jump our wake....then see were pulling a tube. Be careful with your precious cargo, don't underestimate the stupidity of other boaters.

I have been guilty myself of watching the kids on tube a little too much-I'll leave that to spotters from now on.

No ****'s Sporting Goods in Canada...great store for buying last years model skates on clear out....combine that and tube it may be worth trip over border Scrobo. Still enjoying that cheap Airhead-nice to bounce the kids all around at 20mph instead of 30.

 

[Zamboni]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer....?contentid=653591&catname=Local News&classif=

Another terrible tube accident in our area yesterday. The boat had a tripod ski pole-it collapsed pulling 3 kids on a towable and a peice of metal struck a 7 year old girl in the boat on her head-she has died.

 

[sweebs]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

I have a 72" Tiki Warrior tube that is fun, BUT 1st/only time used it, had two straps holding it down to the transom and it caught air at about 25 mph and flew off the boat, ripping a handle in the process (did same thing on back of truck on way home - now 2 broken handles) AND the thing is a monster to lug around.

The Best tube I have ever rode on is an actual rubber innertube - NO handles, NO "floor" and huge fun. The tow strap simply loops through the hole in the tube and you simply keep the long metal valve stem pointed down.

The rubber is grippy enough to hold onto (that and the loop in the tow rope) plus you can ride wheelies (of sorts) by pulling back hard on the tow rope and using your feet as rudders.

Cheap and fun.

 

[ramster]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

If you are looking for a safe smooth ride, stick with the flat pancake style tubes, I have an Obrien Super Screamer, it is flat and has good handles. I pull my 8 year old daughters at 20 mph going straight in the wake, and drop to 15 mph for turns and outside the wake in the bumpy stuff. I also have a cheap donut style tube from Wal-Mart, for the adults it's a more wild ride, much more bouncy, and unstable, you will fall off, it's only a matter of when, and how fast, which is fine for the strong athletic types, when I want a bucking bronco ride I bring out the donut, it's a fun challanging ride as long as you keep the speed reasonable, for me around 25 mph is fine, get outside the wake and you will catch some good air off the waves from other boats, the driver has to be smart doing whips though, it's easy to double your speed in a hard turn, and that's when everybody flies off. If your not in shape, or strong enough to take a 35 mph "ragdoll" across the water, don't go that fast. Any tube can be safe, or dangerous, it's all up the driver.

 

[mrfixitman40]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

we have a ski bob from west marine that the kids and adults both love just depends on the rider as how fast you can go with it my wife likes around 20 the 12 year old neice wants faster and faster but only go to about 25 and tell her thats all my 7 year old likes about 15 and i never get to try cause noone else will drive

 

[Joshua Nichols]

Re: Tubes? What your pick

We had a flat one that we got at walmart. It was about $80 bucks I guess.. Anyhow it was alot nicer that the donut type we had.. Easy to get on in the water and the kids loved it.. 2 of them could ride it at the same time.. If you don't run wide open throttle you won't knock em off very easy.. Wipe outs on a tube hurt.. I don't care who you are.. Some people pull them way too fast..