Tubing <from the tower?>

[Scott Gore]

The owners manual for my Yamaha 242x e-series says you can’t tow tubes from the tower. Seems odd. I had a SeaDoo boat for 10 years and towed tubes from the tower all the time.

Anybody have experience with this?

 

[ZippyBoater]

The owners manual for my Yamaha 242x e-series says you can’t tow tubes from the tower. Seems odd. I had a SeaDoo boat for 10 years and towed tubes from the tower all the time.

Anybody have experience with this?

All the owner's manuals say this. It is so you don't launch the tube riders into the air. I have an after-market tower on my SX210 and the manual for that warns about towing tubes from the tower. Go to YouTube and look for videos of tubes being towed from towers and you will see why they put the warning in the manual.

 

[sysinu]

Towing a 6 person tube from the tower runs the risk of capsizing. It shifts too much weight to the top of the boat. Imagine whipping a 6 person tube with 6 adults on it (over 1000 lbs) multiplied by the force created from their velocity to the highest point possible...

So, don't be crazy with it, and it's fine.

But use a longer tow rope, especially with a fwd swept tower to avoid jet wash hitting the tube (which will slow you down a lot and won't be pleasant for the tube riders).

 

[Jameson Clark]

Once upon a time,

It is fine to pull from the tower.

The end.

 

[Scott Gore]

So it has nothing to do with the lack of strength of the tower?

 

[2kwik4u]

So it has nothing to do with the lack of strength of the tower?

No it has to do with that too. Here's a short list of reasons why you should NOT tow a tube from the tower:

• Risk of inadequate tower strength
• Risk of capsizing the boat
• Risk of airborne tubes
• Risk of rope breakage and "sling back" into the cockpit
• Risk of damage to tower mounted bimini top
• Risk of damage to hull at tower mounts

It's generally a bad idea to tow a tube from the tower. Most of us (myself included) do it anyway. Doesn't make it right, but does make it common. Do with that information what you will.

 

[Jameson Clark]

I love when tower strength gets brought up. Clearly no one has looked at the way a tower mounts to your boat vs the ski eye/handle.

I also PERSONALLY do not believe there is any chance the 3 person tube I tow can capsize my boat, that is getting pretty far fetched.

 

[2kwik4u]

I love when tower strength gets brought up. Clearly no one has looked at the way a tower mounts to your boat vs the ski eye/handle.

I also PERSONALLY do not believe there is any chance the 3 person tube I tow can capsize my boat, that is getting pretty far fetched.

Centripital force is T=mass x velocity squared divided by radius. Get a big tube with 3 adults on there and you can easily get several thousand pounds of pull force. Significantly more than just a wakeboarder or surfer can hold onto with their hands.

Mounting of the tower is more robust than the ski eye. Backer plates are larger, bolts are larger, fiberglass is thicker. The forces at play are equally larger, so a relative comparison should be considered.

Dunno what it would take to tip over a boat at speed. I'll have to look into that and get back. Interesting question on if it's really possible, or if it's just an old tale. Anyone ever seen it happen?

SOme quick googling brought up another interesting point......what happens when a tube rider falls off and the tube is now upside down and being drug at speed? What about an accidental submersion of the tube and those additional forces?!?

Interesting thoughts.

 

[Julian]

Many of us tow smaller tubes from the tower. I get the risks....just unlikely.

Sure if you have a monster tube (especially one of those sit inside ones), it could fill with water easily, then it would weigh a @#$%ton and could cause issues....I have a 2 person one that riders have subbed before, and I'll stop and go very slow while it empties the water out the vents on the back.

 

[sysinu]

I have a blue MOLECULE tube and even though it's "for 3 riders" it can fit 7 or 8 people and be completely fine.

The great thing about the molecule is that it rides with almost no drag... the terrible thing about it, is that it rides with almost no drag! I figured with it being that big that I would have to give it a lot of gas... first time I had it out, I had 5 adults on it and looked down at my speedo and I was doing 30MPH and had just started a turn to whip them.

After I freaked out that we were going so fast, I cut power but they were already whipping. No one fell off but the force from that tube at that speed and with low resistance spun my boat around.

Had that been from my tower, for certain I would have sunk the boat from taking on water. I guess that capsize is the wrong word to use.

I could see whipping a tube through a double up and cutting power through the wake capsizing a boat from tower towing. Maybe not capsizing, but for sure taking on a ton of water.

 

[Scottie]

@Administrative why is this in the Jet Boat Pilot vendor section?

 

[Murf'n'surf]

@Administrative why is this in the Jet Boat Pilot vendor section?

Good question! Moving......

 

[Shookie]

I only tow tubes from the tower.....

1. I only use a 2 or 3 person tube and it only has kids in it.
2. I wouldn't want 3 large adults in the 3 person tube
3. If the tower is made to pull adults up out of the water, that stress can't be anymore than a few kids in a tube.
4. Keeps the rope out of the water
5. The tow hook on the stern of my boat sucks, and doesn't allow you to securely loop a rope around it

 

[2kwik4u]

5. The tow hook on the stern of my boat sucks, and doesn't allow you to securely loop a rope around it

This is the reason I will sometimes tow from the tower. Haven't lost the hook while at speed, but have at idle a few times. If it gets annoying I move it to the tower.

 

[fireflymedic]

It's only a problem if the tube submarines and added problem if it submarines while off to the side pulling on boat sideways.

 

[Tobes]

Ripped my tower apart on an ar190 towing a 2 person tube with about 250lbs onboard.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Ripped my tower apart on an ar190 towing a 2 person tube with about 250lbs onboard.

Wow! Got any pics of what happened?

 

[swatski]

Yamaha does it in their advertising commercials:


--

 

[swatski]

I know someone who tows tubes from the tower!

I do however inflate tubes hard and them finish off with a SUP hand pump to high turgidity (IDK, 5psi?)! I know, sounds a bit odd, but it prevents a tube from going submarine (submerging its edge - can put a lot of pressure on any tow attachment.

--

 

[Osric]

I also PERSONALLY do not believe there is any chance the 3 person tube I tow can capsize my boat, that is getting pretty far fetched.

Obviously you should believe what makes sense to you, but I have to ask: have you ever experienced the force on your boat from that tube submarining? I find if a tube is slightly underinflated it is very easy to submarine by accident, and I've no doubt the force of that could pull my 242X right over if it was pulling from the tower at an angle from the boat.

No wakeboarder or surfer could ever produce as much drag as a submarined 3-person tube like ours (a super mable). We also have no difficulty flipping this tube 180 degrees and dumping everyone in the lake even at "kiddie speed" (30kph / 18mph), or getting enough air that you can only see the bottom of the tube from the boat, all while attached to the transom.