questions about a tube

[larky]

this may sound a little redneck, but hey, at least I'm proud of it. anyway, I want to use a truck tire inner-tube for a towable. I'm sure people used to do it before they mass produced the ones you see today. my question is are there any tips you folks could provide that would help me out? or maybe you could tell me about some other type of fun towable you have created. just looking for something fun that I can make myself. I am a stay-at-home dad, so I have more time than money. thanks for any input.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: questions about a tube

First of all...its going to need some sort of floor or bottom surface. Or you are going to need about 800hp-1000hp to get it up on top of the water with somebody on it. The drag on an 'open' inner tube while someone is in it is immense.
Maybe consider some 1/4" plywood or something cut out to match the tube size and then you are going to have to attach it with nylon rope threaded/wound thru clearance holes in the circular floor/wood/bottom thingy....ooooh boy, never mind, I can see this de-railing already.
Do you have some band-aids and such for slivers?
Keep an eye out on craigslist for a good used towable...or try out a rental for a few days.
I remember the home made ones but they are definitely not as 'safe' as the new commercial ones.
The choice is yours...good luck and let us know what you build, or ultimately buy.
BP

 

[bhammer]

Re: questions about a tube

I just wish I would have marketed it before all the others.... Here is what me and a buddy did when beer was more important than toys...

We took a tractor tube and used an old army duffle bag. The holes at the front made great attach points. I think you can pick one of at a surplus store for a coupe $$. We started by just stuffing a tube inside that and inflating it. It worked but not that great. Then, I took the bag and cut it open and used cordage and a grommet kit to place it on the bottom and use the rope to wrap through the grommets.

I am sure without alcohol involved, it wouldn't have been as much fun. Now, I've grown up and bought tubes for the kids (me too ) and keep it sober.

Our first attempt was just a tube with rope. Needless to say, the tube dove into the water, popped, and then floated to the top. Boy, we got a huge laugh out of that one when the bubbles came to the top.

No, for those that will slap me for talking about beer and boating... I have grown up and we spent most of our drunken time on a private lake with us as the only ones on it. Stupid still, yes!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: questions about a tube

when i was a kid, we had a Tractor tube, just with a rope tied to it. it was the most fun, far more fun than todays overpriced toys. no bottom, we could get 4 kids on it, and see how long they could stay on. we had a 60hp Gale outboard, so they are not that hard to tow. i do suggest duct taping some foam, around the air filler, they can do some serious scratches. we also had a 40" round piece of plywood (disc). you got up on it like a surf board, laying on it holding the rope in both hands, then as it started to plane, you could get to your knees and then stand, once your got good at it, you could spin around. but if the let the front get under the water, you took and good spill, then you have to watch out for the disc coming up, because it will come back in the same direction it went under. who needs $400 toys. i still have the disc.

 

[External Combustion]

Re: questions about a tube

I just went out to the barn to check the size of our truck tube that we tow. Ten years old and still perfectly serviceable.

It is a 10.00-20. We used it when our son was younger towing him his friends and my 200 lb bulk. There is no bottom on it. The stem is on the underside when we ride it. You have to have your chest behind the front part of the tube, but it pops out of the water quickly. The kids used to brag to their friends saying it is a "manly man's way of original tubing". We only have an 85 HP Evinrude.

I talked to my son a couple of days ago about going skiing next week. He said skiing was fine, but be sure to bring the tube.

Don't worry about what others think. We have pulled anlongside those with much more expensive rigs and frequently they wanted to try the simple innertube, asking where they could get one. If you have fun, why worry?

Watch the towed person/s carefully and teach them to hold their hand up when they fall off. There are many clueless boat operators out there and they don't wtch for skiers or tubers.

Have fun larkey!

 

[larky]

Re: questions about a tube

what do you guys think of using this?
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8283941


if I make it so that the rope comes from under the front, I don't see why it wouldn't work

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: questions about a tube

It will just rip that thing to shreds. That's why they wrap vinyl or PVC tubes in a nylon "skin" because they aren't strong enough otherwise.

 

[Bamboo]

Re: questions about a tube

One of the funnest (is that a word?) things I've used is a surfboard. If you have a boat with some displacement which creates a wake far enough aft of the boat where it is safe and still have a face to the wake you can let go of the rope and surf the wake without being towed. I've done this on both long boards and fun boards and it is a kick. Might be kind of tough on a short board unless you are a light weight or maybe using a 32' Luhrs or something like that to plow a big wake. In my neck of the woods (home of Kelly Slater) even used surfboards are kind of pricey. However, in non-beach towns you might be able to find a decent one in a pawn shop for 20-40 bucks,or maybe less at a garage sale.

BTW - as a kid my Dad brought home a truck innertube and my brother and I squeezed it together a bit with some rope, and then made a bridle and ran it to the front with a loop for the tow rope. We had truckloads of fun with that behind my Pa's Thompson wood boat with a 40 hp Johnson. I remember it going faster than I wanted to hang on!

 

[Coors]

Re: questions about a tube

when i was a kid, we had a Tractor tube, just with a rope tied to it. it was the most fun, far more fun than todays overpriced toys. no bottom, we could get 4 kids on it, and see how long they could stay on. we had a 60hp Gale outboard, so they are not that hard to tow. i do suggest duct taping some foam, around the air filler, they can do some serious scratches. we also had a 40" round piece of plywood (disc). you got up on it like a surf board, laying on it holding the rope in both hands, then as it started to plane, you could get to your knees and then stand, once your got good at it, you could spin around. but if the let the front get under the water, you took and good spill, then you have to watch out for the disc coming up, because it will come back in the same direction it went under. who needs $400 toys. i still have the disc.

We are the same age, lol

 

[larky]

Re: questions about a tube

my boat and motor set-up is a 15ft aluminum closed bow boat (1969 mirro-craft) with a 71' 50hp evinrude. not sure if it has enough nut to rip that apart. but if it does, I'm only out ten bucks. I think I'm going to buy it, but its going to be a while before I can tell ya how it went. the water temp up here in new york is still in the upper 40's. nothing less than 75 degrees for me.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: questions about a tube

larky, I don't know if you have a BassPro near you but if you do, every year they usually have at least one simple towable model that is much cheaper than all the others that they must buy in large quanities and usually have displayed in a pile near the boats. If the others are all $80+ then this one is like $40-50

 

[slia67]

Re: questions about a tube

larky, I don't know if you have a BassPro near you but if you do, every year they usually have at least one simple towable model that is much cheaper than all the others that they must buy in large quanities and usually have displayed in a pile near the boats. If the others are all $80+ then this one is like $40-50

I think I just got an ad from WM with a tube for $30 or so. You may want to keep your eyes open.

Doug

 

[bhammer]

Re: questions about a tube

IT isn't the redneck thang to do, but www.academy.com has several for under $30. The O'RAGEOUS OUTBURST TOWABLE is $20, O'RAGEOUS SKI ROCKET TOWABLE is $26 and the O'RAGEOUS FRENZY TOWABLE is $30. we have the last one (and other's) and works for all of us. I am 6' and 220 lbs. Check out iBoats as they may have them too.

 

[rndn]

Re: questions about a tube

Larky, don't waste your money on the raft. The boat will pull the handle right off of it. Go to the BassPro in Auburn or look on Craigslist for a towable. I see them all of the time for sale in the greater Rochester area on Craigslist.

 

[rndn]

Re: questions about a tube

Here's 3 on the Rochester Craigslist that were listed recently. Hope this helps.
http://rochester.craigslist.org/boa/677304242.html
http://rochester.craigslist.org/boa/677158381.html
http://rochester.craigslist.org/boa/677037108.html

 

[larky]

Re: questions about a tube

hey guys, thanks for all the replies. I posted this question before I really looked at any prices. I seen some in an overtons catalog and had a price of $60-$80 in my head as being the lowest price. I just got back from walmart and bought a "ske pal" for $30. I felt that was a decent price. I still might try the plywood trick, sounds interesting

thanks again
Matt