tubing <how long of a rope to use>

[JimTMich]

How long a rope do you use to keep tubers out of the spray in a 19' yamaha? I'm ready to change from a 17' seterndrive to a SX195, and just want to make sure we can still do everything we enjoy. Lots of videos show allot of spray and tubers getting a shower. Some of my tubers would not like that. I typically use the standard 60' tubing rope and pull 2 - 2 person tubes.
Any tips or insights would be appreciated. I hate to drop 40k on a new boat hoping to open up wake surfing to the kids and close off tubing.
Thanks
Jim

 

[Maccam26]

I have a 60 and probably going to find a 70-75 next year, we get a bit of splash at 60

 

[Sean R]

I have a 15 ft extension I add to my 60 ft rope. Really helps with spray but you lose some of the fun factor, harder to wipe the tube with 75 dt if rope. So the little ones 75 the teenagers 60ft.

 

[gallobg]

Another option is the aftermarket Thrust Vector Wake to knock down the jet spray. We have it on the AR195 and use a 60’ rope from the tower, kids stay pretty dry. That said, these 19’ boats can bounce around in choppy water so sometimes there’s no avoiding the occasional jet wash from the nozzle.

 

[jgourlie]

65 foot rope works good or 70. But shorter is better

 

[grywlfbg]

We added 2 x 5' bungee extensions (Airhead brand) to a standard 60' tube rope. That solved the spray problem for us. It is hard to whip the tube but my kids are small so not a big deal yet. Plus they are on a Super Mable which is hard to whip even with a short rope. My thinking is that as they get older I will get a tube with a smooth bottom.

 

[Sean R]

We went from the Super Mable, air head g force to comfort shell. The kids really like the the C.S. they don't have road rash on knee and elbow any more. It dont skip across the water as well as the g force but I can still throw them is I want.?

 

[Sean R]

Amazon.com : Airhead COMFORT SHELL DECK 75, blue, 3 Rider : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Airhead COMFORT SHELL DECK 75, blue, 3 Rider : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

 

[jamesk]

We are 80' and use a wakebooster ball. It's still not great and if I make a lot of turns to get the tube going side to side the rope ends up in the water and causing splash. You have to watch what people say about this....some boats have a higher tow point depending on the model. Also some people tow from the tower. The big problem on our boat is when the rope is in the wake, that seems to cause the most water in the tubers faces. We came from a 19 i/o and that was totally dry tubing at only 60'. This is one of my biggest "cons" with our new boat.

 

[Sean R]

I agree i also had a 18 i/o with little to no spary. I just try to keep the kids out of the spay as best I can. It is a con on these boats.

 

[JimTMich]

We added 2 x 5' bungee extensions (Airhead brand) to a standard 60' tube rope. That solved the spray problem for us. It is hard to whip the tube but my kids are small so not a big deal yet. Plus they are on a Super Mable which is hard to whip even with a short rope. My thinking is that as they get older I will get a tube with a smooth bottom.

As the kids gain weight, it's easier to throw them around as they have more inertia.

 

[Jetboatdave]

We are 80' and use a wakebooster ball. It's still not great and if I make a lot of turns to get the tube going side to side the rope ends up in the water and causing splash. You have to watch what people say about this....some boats have a higher tow point depending on the model. Also some people tow from the tower. The big problem on our boat is when the rope is in the wake, that seems to cause the most water in the tubers faces. We came from a 19 i/o and that was totally dry tubing at only 60'. This is one of my biggest "cons" with our new boat.

Do you have either the cobra or thrust vectors on your boat. I have heard that cuts down on the spray a lot

 

[Sean R]

No I don't, i am a cobra thrusting vector virgin.?

 

[Calphor]

I added the ThrustVector Wake to my boat and it knocked down the spray substantially when staying below about 25. On a 60’ rope, there is minimal spray in the face while laying flat on a tube.

I put in an L13 cone and the loss of power (cavitating) on the turns becomes a much less frequent thing.

 

[Chris D]

2017 AR195. I had the cobra and recently installed the TVX. I had and still have a ton of spray on both setups above 25mph. The change did nothing for it. Trying to figure out how to correct it. Any ideas out there?

Do you have either the cobra or thrust vectors on your boat. I have heard that cuts down on the spray a lot

 

[Sugarcharged]

This is an interesting discussion folks. Thanks for sharing all the information and ideas.

 

[2kwik4u]

Best option is to keep the tube outside the wake. That eliminates the problem completely without ANY change to equipment. You don't have to "whip the snot out of them", just a gentle slide outside the wake, then a slow gentle return to center will often keep the tube riding the outside of the wake.

Secondarily, keep the tube WELL inflated. More pressure within the tube will make it "slide" easier. This help keep it out of the wake, and the spray out of the face.

A "booster ball", longer rope, or bungee ropes help, but they make it harder to get the tube outside the wake, which honestly is the whole problem. We solved the issue almost completely with technique, no additional equipment needed. We also came from a 19ft I/O that was high and dry ALL the time on the tube.

Secondarily @JimTMich .......I don't think an SX195 is going to be great at surfing. You're going to need a LOT of ballast and aftermarket gear to surf the wake of a 19fter......Unless you're surfing on a foil, and that's a whole different setup. Look around here and see some of the setups people are running on the 19ft to be able to surf. Ballast bag on the swim platform, ballast in the ski locker, then a wedge or other wake shaping device to get the wake to an acceptable state. Even then, my understanding is that the pocket is small and doesn't have a ton of push.

 

[Jetboatdave]

2017 AR195. I had the cobra and recently installed the TVX. I had and still have a ton of spray on both setups above 25mph. The change did nothing for it. Trying to figure out how to correct it. Any ideas out there?

How long do you have to go out before the tuber or skier is not impacted by the spray with the TVX or Cobra? Some have said past 60' with TVX or Cobra is good, thoughts?

 

[Chris D]

I believe I have the standard 60 foot. I would think another 20 feet would be better. I did try the ball but like stated in the previous post it keeps the tube in the wake, made the problem worse. Maybe adding ballast to the front will reduce the wash??

How long do you have to go out before the tuber or skier is not impacted by the spray with the TVX or Cobra? Some have said past 60' with TVX or Cobra is good, thoughts?

 

[biffdotorg]

How long do you have to go out before the tuber or skier is not impacted by the spray with the TVX or Cobra? Some have said past 60' with TVX or Cobra is good, thoughts?

TV-X and Cobra will not change the amount of spray, and they are not advertised for that purpose. The TV-W does cut down on spray. We have two seasons on TV-W, and the kids (self proclaimed tubing pros) will confirm, it's a better experience. I will grab some screen shots I took a week ago while testing some other surf products, as I specifically shot tubing and wake boarding speeds to share the wake/spray knock down.