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Do you tow tubes from your tower or lower tow hook?

Do you tow tubes from your tower or lower tow point?

  • 1-Yes - I tow all tubes from the tower regardless of size

    Votes: 56 29.6%
  • 2-Yes - I tow tubes from the tower - but only smaller ones

    Votes: 20 10.6%
  • 3-No - I don't tow tubes from the tower- I use the lower tow point for tubes.

    Votes: 113 59.8%

  • Total voters
    189

Mainah

Jetboaters Admiral
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Location
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Yamaha
Year
2016
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Limited S
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24
image.jpeg Great thread. I use to tow anything from my old 1997 seadoo 1800 challenger. I mounted the four point standard tower myself and made custom aluminum backing plates for the inside of the hull to distrubte the load better than the large washers that came with the tower and also used compression lock nuts instead of the plastic ring kind that came with it. Towed a three person winged deck tube from it regularly and aggressively with no adverse effects. Now that I have a 2016 242ls I am hesitant about towing from the foward arched tower for hull stress reasons as well as the side tipping given the backwards set mounting point. I look foward to further thoughts and experience regarding the 2015 and 2016 24' Yamaha foward arched towers.
 

Freezer41

Jet Boat Junkie
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Location
Junction City, OR
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Yamaha
Year
2015
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Limited S
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24
I have not, but subbed a 3,5,and 7 yo going like 5mph and they freaked out. I also need an extension for my tube rope
 

tocelli

Jet Boat Junkie
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Location
North Dallas, Texas
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Yamaha
Year
2014
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Limited S
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24
If I remember correctly the manufacturer recommends only towing skiers from the tower. All tubes are recommended to be towed from the tow point because of structural integrity of the tower and the pressure towing tubes from the tower put on the connection points to the boat.
 

DBamaC

Jetboaters Captain
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Location
Hoover, Al
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Yamaha
Year
2014
Boat Model
AR192
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19
I'd love to see a photo of this setup if you think about it next time you're at the lake. I just can't quite envision how you have this set up from the description.

My kids hate being pulled from the ski ring because of the spray caused when the rope goes across the jet-what-ever-you call-it. I usually pull off the tower for this reason, so anything to potentially reduce stress would be nice.
 

jawsf16

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I use an airhead bungee tube tow rope along with an extra 20' or so of ski rope line. It's a smooth comfortable splash free tow. No more big stress on the tower.
 

buckbuck

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2008
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@Scuba_ref , you beat me to it. Although I think Yamaha is probably regretting those pictures.
 

kthrash

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Year
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AR
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Go talk to your local Fiberglass Repair shop... They will tell you the truth.. My guy showed me 4 boats in his shop a few years ago that the towers ripped out of from towing tubes.. (usually with 2-3 riders on them. )
 

tdonoughue

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Location
The Woodlands, TX 77381
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Yamaha
Year
2012
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AR
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24
I mostly tow from the transome, but have towed from the tower on occasion. Usually with 1 rider. I have noted that riders get more air when towing from the tower. So, if I have smaller kids, I always tow from the transome. Frankly had never thought that the tower would not be able to handle the weight of the kids on the tube... May have to rethink that as they get bigger...
 

subysti

Jetboaters Captain
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Location
east Longmeadow Mass
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Yamaha
Year
2015
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AR
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24
The other issue is geometry. If your towing a 3-4 person tube with adults and really whipping them side to side boats have actually been pulled over sideways from the tower. That high a tow point with that much weight gives it a lot more leverage. Why chance it? It has happened before and will happen again.
 

Ducrotchy1098

Jet Boat Addict
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Location
Salt Lake City, Utah
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Yamaha
Year
2020
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X
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21
The tower cannot handle that much side load. I know there is a specific load rating for it somewhere, but if you use a longer rope 65+ft the spray wont affect the riders much if at all.
 

biffdotorg

Jetboaters Admiral
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Pelican Rapids, MN
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Year
2011
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OMG, someone had to resurrect this dead horse. Please let this topic die. Way too much false information, do what "YOU" are comfortable with. Pretty soon someone will mention that it will flip the boat..... sigh.
 

Babin Farms

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2009
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23
OMG, someone had to resurrect this dead horse. Please let this topic die. Way too much false information, do what "YOU" are comfortable with. Pretty soon someone will mention that it will flip the boat..... sigh.
Wait, What??? I can flip my boat??? I might have to try this 🤣
 

biffdotorg

Jetboaters Admiral
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Location
Pelican Rapids, MN
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Year
2011
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Limited S
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24
The manual for my 2020 model says no tubes from tower. Only skis and wakeboards.
That's ironic, as it's a total CYA warning then on Yamaha's part, as their marketing material in that past showed photos of an AR towing tubes. So again, opinions are like buttholes, everyone has one. but do what "you" are comfortable with.
 

jim1

Jet Boat Junkie
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Location
Texas
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2020
Boat Model
242 Limited S E-Series
Boat Length
24
For those using the transom tow hook, how are you connecting your tube rope to it since you can't loop it around like a traditional eye?
 

Redneck_4Play

Jet Boat Addict
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Location
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Yamaha
Year
2014
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X
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21
Anyone else have any issues with spider cracks around the transom hook that tows tubes from there? I've got several on my 2014 212x. They developed a year plus ago. Haven't wanted to tow tubes from there since the cracking.
 
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