Idiots tubing in busy channel

[biglar155]

So we managed to get the boat out yesterday afternoon for some swimming. On the way to our "spot," I found myself following behind a pontoon boat towing two kids on a tube. This was not mid-lake, but in a VERY busy and winding marked channel.

I kept a good distance back and was considering whether or not there was a safe way around them when the nut behind the wheel cut hard left across the wake of a boat that had just passed us going the opposite direction. Naturally this resulted in the kids flying off the tube and landing in the water.

I knew there were several boats behind us, so I immediately waved my hand in the air at those behind me, stopped my boat, and went broadside to the traffic in order to "cover" the downed riders. As the pontoon was picking them up, I didn't say a word but when I caught the eye of one of the passengers, I just shook my head at him.

Other than it being super busy and hot (we had 90 degrees at launch-time) we had a great day. We planned on eating on the boat but clouds stared filling in from the west and they didn't look friendly so we high tailed it back to the ramp and ate our sandwiches in the truck on the way home.

The ramp was busy because everyone had the same idea we did, but things went pretty smooth. The worst part was having to wait for folks to go get their trailers. Most of us were parked a LONG way from the ramp and it appears I'm not the only guy who doesn't have an assistant to either drive the boat or back the rig.

 

[ToddW850]

I don't get why anyone would tube in a channel or an area heavily traveled by boaters. Disaster waiting to happen. They are very fortunate you were behind them and not someone that wasn't paying attention.

 

[itsdgm]

It's natural selection.

 

[msavold]

Wow. And I thought idiots fishing in the middle of a narrow, busy channel were bad...

 

[Noko]

My lake is small, 2,400 acres, and I didn't think we would have people boating with no awareness on it, but we do. We have the, "weekenders", people who come up from lower Wisconsin, unlike me, who lives in Alaska but goes south to Wisconsin. . But I've seen some interesting stuff in just my 2 yrs of boating on the lake. Its mostly people just hauling butt and not paying attention. I've had someone just cut in front of me and not looking. I've learned that pulling my kids on the tube is a pain because I am constantly looking for other boats and also where the tube is going to be when I cut a corner. Driving has lost some of its fun. I'm always looking for anyone in the water. We had someone the other day swimming way off shore that had no life jacket on. Our lake can get busy and as most of us know, a person's head barely above water without a life jacket is almost impossible to see. Good for you @biglar155 at keeping your eyes open.

 

[Jim Robeson]

Nice job of handling that situation @biglar155 . At least you were paying attention and even covered the downed tubers. You get a BIG ATTA BOY from me!!

 

[njmr2fan]

Our lake is large 77K acres, plenty of coves where you can tube, ski, surf, away from though traffic in the channels and yet we have people every trip who have to do this right in the channel... We don't get it and have come to accept that we need to be very focused when traversing this first main channel from our entry ramps.

 

[Venkman]

It may just be me but it seems like a boat pulling a tube is the most dangerous thing on the water. I had a lady (I have nothing against women boat drivers just happened to be a woman) sling a tube right in front of me last year within 15 feet of a strike and I have noticed ever since that the typical boat pulling a tube is more worried about what's going on behind them instead of the direction of their boat and whose path they are entering.

 

[Wayloncle]

I was pulling my friends 2 boys this weekend, I had a boat get behind the tube and follow us for a little ways, they were way too close for my comfort zone. I wasn't swinging them around or anything especially while clownshoe was following, but if they happened to bounce off I doubt the boat would have stopped/turned quick enough to avoid being really close to them, the guy finally turned away after me and my friend made several arm/hand gestures for them to back off. We weren't in a channel or anyplace that they needed to follow us, they had 1/2 mile wide of open lake to the side of us.

The older boy on the tube, 11 yo, got aggravated with me because I wasn't giving him an exciting enough ride, there were just too many jetskis I had to watch out for this weekend to swing them around like I did the last time we went out.

 

[Glassman]

I was pulling my friends 2 boys this weekend, I had a boat get behind the tube and follow us for a little ways, they were way too close for my comfort zone. I wasn't swinging them around or anything especially while clownshoe was following, but if they happened to bounce off I doubt the boat would have stopped/turned quick enough to avoid being really close to them, the guy finally turned away after me and my friend made several arm/hand gestures for them to back off. We weren't in a channel or anyplace that they needed to follow us, they had 1/2 mile wide of open lake to the side of us.

The older boy on the tube, 11 yo, got aggravated with me because I wasn't giving him an exciting enough ride, there were just too many jetskis I had to watch out for this weekend to swing them around like I did the last time we went out.

There are a couple of options....one of which might ultimately involve law enforcement, so I'll skip that one. The other is pull to the side and slow down so they have no choice but to pass. You are permitted to speak French to them as they go by.

 

[Wayloncle]

There are a couple of options....one of which might ultimately involve law enforcement, so I'll skip that one. The other is pull to the side and slow down so they have no choice but to pass. You are permitted to speak French to them as they go by.

I had already moved over closer to shore than I already was and slowed down, when they stayed behind me after doing that is when I started getting upset

 

[Julian]

I did exactly that on Monday....has some idiot come up behind us while towing a tube (on the wide open part of Falls Lake)..... so I just slowed to a stop and let him go on his merry way. I am always driving like osmosis when towing.....move away from any other boats at all time. There are some s who seem to do the opposite and are attracted to other boats either when they are towing, or the other boat is....

 

[Glassman]

I had already moved over closer to shore than I already was and slowed down, when they stayed behind me after doing that is when I started getting upset

Oh, I see.....well then, maybe it's time to install that water canon you've always wanted

 

[rkluck]

Last weekend we saw some of that as well. I know there are a lot of people on the lake but why pull a tube, wakeboarding or skiing through a small channel and on my lake usually turn as well. Add in the extra people and it is even more dangerous. I just don't think they realize the risk (I know they should).