Tubing help

[Jeep Man]

Not being familiar with tubing, I bow to the experts. I want to buy a tube this season and have no idea what will be suitable. Primarily, it will be for the kids and grand kids, age 6 to adult. I will be towing it with the pontoon boat with a 60hp Bigfoot so high speed is not in the cards. I think a seat style will be more preferable. I don't know if a 3 seater is towable with this boat or should I go with a 2 seater. Then there's quality to consider. What should I look for and what should I stay away from?

 

[scoutabout]

Re: Tubing help

When our son started tubing at age 4 we used the kind of tube you put your butt into and sit feet forward. He was small enough that he just stood in the bottom and leaned forward to grab the handles. Obviously we didn't go very fast and I like the fact he was contained within the thing and it would be an effort for him to fall out or off.

As he got older he would just sit or kneel in the bottom...

This past summer he was 7 and we were at a friend's place and tried the flat disk kind with no hole at all where three kids could fit side-by-side on their stomachs facing forward. He found that much more fun and has declared he doesn't want to return to our old traditional tube. Timing is good in that we've pretty much worn out ours from hard use and uv exposure anyway.

What I did like about the old style pictured above was that if a parent wanted to go with a very young kid they could sit in it with the kid on their lap. The downside of the sit-in tube was if the water was rough sometimes people complained their butts were getting a beating through the thin nylon cover that makes up the "floor" of the tube. We'd stuff a pfd or camping foam in the bottom to provide a little more comfort.

Personally, I think they were just flabby-butted crybabies. Easy for me to say, though...I'm always driving the boat..

 

[labguy]

Re: Tubing help

I recommend the flat disk kind where the kids lay on their stomach's. Walmart carries the Air Head version that you can put 2 kids on for $60.00. I bought two that I tow behind my boat 3 years ago and they are still in good shape (use almost every weekend during summer). Whatever tube you buy, be sure to deflate it after every use and keep it out of the sun when not used.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Tubing help

Have used the single donut type tube for better than 5 years now and its still going strong after some hard useage. Make is Airhead and it has been bullet proof.

For younger inexperienced riders, I would strongly recommend the donut type for stability/security. As they become comfortable, they WILL find more daring ways to ride it and you, the driver can control the ride to match the experience of the rider. The disk type offers a more thrilling ride for the older daredevils but really is not suitable for young inexperienced riders.

I'm not a big fan of the multiple rider tubes. Have seen many injuries (typically head) from these things when two riders bounce over a wave and smack heads with each other.

Be sure to use the proper tow rope for whatever tube you decide to buy and never use a ski pylon to tow a tube.

 

[4JawChuck]

Re: Tubing help

I recommend you go straight to the three man tubes, more kids fit and you can easily tow with what you have.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=377888

 

[dodger11]

Re: Tubing help

Big Mables and Connelly's are all nice durable tubes. Kinda pricey thou!

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Tubing help

I have a Connelly Cruizer (2-man delta-shaped flat top) and like it a lot. It has neoprene across the top to keep your elbows and knees from getting rubbed raw and can be driven aggressively if the rider is capable. The sit-down feet first types are fun, and you can get wild with them as well, but when things go bad, they go bad fast and usually end up with people on top of each other.

As both a rider and a boat operater, I wouldn't want more than a 2-man tube just because it isn't as much fun and you normally don't find 3 people who have the same tubing ability so you have to pander to the weakest link which makes it less fun for the other two.

 

[Jane Warren]

Re: Tubing help

It really comes down to what your personal preferences are, and your budget.

We have two 2-3 rider tubes; that allows us to have smaller kids on with an adult, if needed. We can bump each other, and swing across the wake; then we will actually slow down and jump from one to the other - or it's really more of a "roll" across to the other.

You can check out some of the reviews here - the best sellers are listed alphabetically. We have several brands - Airhead, Aquaglide, etc... all have been good - we take good care of them too. Hope this helps.

http://www.towabletubesdirect.com/category/best-sellers/

Jane

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Tubing help

Thanks everybody. This gives me a good start. Good points to consider. Jane, great link! Lots of really good info.