Towing Tube-Eye Hook Below Waterline

[CatawbaRinker]

I've read several posts on this but not one that really answers my questions. I have a 1995 Rinker Fiesta Vee 265 with a Bravo III outdrive. We are looking to tube on this and I was just going to use a Y harness and tie to the eyehooks on the transom. These are right on the waterline and when I'm in motion they are likely below the waterline.

Would it just make more sense to mount something else to attach the harness to closer to the swim platform level? I really don't even want to think of attaching to the mooring cleats on the back, even though it would be perfect height.

 

[Scott Danforth]

As your boat comes on plane, it raises up. Yhe tow hooks come up out of the water.

The tow hooks are what you tow tubes from

 

[Patfandango]

What's the advantage of towing from the lower tow hooks rather than from a center "ski tow" hook? I assume by lower tow hooks you are referring to the 2 hooks that are used to tie the boat to the trailer? Is there more risk of getting the rope caught in the outdrive or prop that way?

 

[wahlejim]

The tow hooks are the transom tie downs. They are engineered to take a tremendous amount of force while towing the boat. Anything that you install will not be nearly as strong as using these 2 hooks in conjunction with each other.

Tubes put a tremendous amount of force on whatever they are attached to, especially if they submarine and plow water. distributing the weight with something like this is the best bet.

 

[wahlejim]

The harness attached above has more than enough slack and a floating attachment point to keep the ropes safely away from the prop. I used that growing up behind an outboard without issue for 20 years and I use it on my current boat with an i/o. I have never seen a tube rope get caught in the prop with one of these unless the driver kicks the boat in reverse right into the rope.

 

[Scott Danforth]

What's the advantage of towing from the lower tow hooks rather than from a center "ski tow" hook? I assume by lower tow hooks you are referring to the 2 hooks that are used to tie the boat to the trailer? Is there more risk of getting the rope caught in the outdrive or prop that way?

the transom tow hooks are rated in excess of 5000# each they are designed to be able to lift the boat. they are bolted into the strongest spot on the boat.

the round ski hook is rated at 400#, as that is the maximum force that a skier or wake boarder can put on the rope. any more pull than that and the rope comes out of your hand. if your towing a tube and the tube submarines, what do you think will break first, the tow rope rated at 3000# or the ski hook or the non-reinforced fiberglass that the hook is bolted into. normally the ski hook gets ripped from the boat along with about a 2' chunk of the boat.

the fact that the tube can submarine is also why its not smart to pull tubes from a wake board tower.