tubing how fast is to fast?

[scott8058]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

I agree with everyone else, 25 max for tube or someone will get injured, if they want faster then swing them out. I have gone 50 straight line on good water and even tho the spray in my face felt like needles, i thought it would be fun to let go.....well i was wrong i flipped prob 4 or 5 times before i went under and that felt like hitting a wall!

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

Safe speed is a relative term, I prefer to use the term safe mouth, IE if you want me to be nice pulling you on my tube behind my boat it would be advisable to not make fun of the now visible portion of my head due to my disappearing hair.

This is most common with teenagers but can become common with Adults who have had a little too much liquid courage or have trouble controlling their ego.

Now that we have cleared that up, I prefer to keep tubers around 18-25 MPH but lets be honest, conditions on the water and skill of the rider play a big part on the speed in which you tow! Young children sometimes don't require the boat to be on plane, meanwhile a skilled teenage rider may require you to test your driving skill to get the most bang for your buck, but when you combine a skilled rider in rough water you really don't need to go 25 MPH to get them airborne! Now the caveat to this is when you and your boating friends get involved and ego gets in the way next thing you know your doing 50 MPH and whipping your long time boating buddie because he tossed you 50' behind his boat 30 minutes ago...


Its a never ending issue, BUT remember this, the harder you are on your wife and children towing them on a tube will only come back to haunt you ten fold at a later date and time! Better to pick your situations wisely! For instance, take your childrens friends with you, competitiveness between them will offer you the ability to blast them and then simply dish it off by saying "Your buddy told me to do it!"

DISCLAIMER....telling your wife "Your buddy told me to do it!" DOES NOT WORK!!


Look just be safe, learn what it takes for you to get the best results from your boat, and BE SAFE!!

 

[BoatDrinksQ5]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

When I was younger and tougher (or just dumber), I jumped a wake about 35 or faster on a kneeboard as the boat turned and I nosedived-endoed-somersalted into the water. I saw a bright flash when my head-neck hit the water and came close to breaking my neck. I was dazed, limp and weak when the boat came to pic me up and had to be helped aboard, I was dizzy for a half hour. I stopped ridin kneeboards that day and learned how a little more speed can mean alot more injury.

Gives me flash backs to the two times that happened to me wakeboarding at normal speeds - both times i threwup and blacked out. second time waking the next day in the hospital.... catscan/mri after i got worse a week later, then surgery... i count myself blessed

 

[Lyrikz]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

How fast is to fast for tubing adults? We have been running 35-40 mph and its fun. But is it safe?

I can chime in from my own personal experience this weekend. I have never been on a tube before. I have never towed a tuber either. Well, we were just pulling along straight and i was just relaxing. I told my driver to go a bit faster i wanted to catch some air. Well, she was doing about 30mph and she went in a figure 8. On the second time around i felt like i was doing 80mph and we hit the other wake. The left side of my giant floaty stuck in the water and i was on the left side of that with 3 adults, my two buddies fell straight off, and it launched me straight up and out.

I dont remember landing. I just remember floating making this god awful noise that i figured was breathing of some kind. My buddy was screaming at me and i couldnt answer or say anything. When i finally got on the boat i could breath. I broke 2 right ribs.

Be careful.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

After reading all of these I can add another element to the situation, air pressure of the tube, airing up a tube so that you can bounce coins or play a tune on it can be fun but provide a harsh ride in rough conditions, we have found that in rough conditions we like a tube that is right between too soft and too hard, right in the middle, and it makes the tube bounce so much more, you can go slower but makes it a fun ride with but tougher for the rider, you can get him/her in the air but at a slower rate of speed which means less opportunity to hurt them.

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

I'll tell you what...reading these posts only reinforces my lack of desire to go tubing

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

Since we can't agree on a number, how about just fast enough to pull a bikini bottom off

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

Exactly what I was thinking Home Cookin'. Or maybe, fast enough to slant your eyes and flap your cheeks

 

[bekosh]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

Since we can't agree on a number, how about just fast enough to pull a bikini bottom off

I like the cut of your jib and wish to subscribe to your newsletter!

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

I'll tell you what...reading these posts only reinforces my lack of desire to go tubing

BAAAWK bawk bawk BAAAAWK bawk bawk BAAAAWK


Best written imitation of a Chicken I could come up with....

 

[jumpjets]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

I used to rage on my tube as well. We'd go 30-35mph, and all we'd do is cut wide fast turns to try to swing the tube way outside of the boat's turn circle. I wiped out all the time and I'd just skip across the water surface a couple times before I'd sink in. A friend and I both really messed up our backs one day with bad wipeouts. I wasn't permanently injured, but I had to see a doc a few times, and I walked like Lurch for a couple weeks.

I'm a little more conservative now. Between race cars, speed boats, and fighter planes, I need to manage my risk. I'm a recipe for disaster.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

You know what kills me? Back in the day...the eighties for me we used to get tubes from the local tire store, tractor tubes, put a strap on it and viola, a tube, capable of hours of enjoyment on the LAST day of the trip since nobody wanted to get damaged on the first day, where did those days go?

I need to run by the tire store and see if I can get one, teach these kids a lesson!!

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?


this picture still makes me laugh.
when we were young & dumb we would jump straight out out the back of a 50mph boat with a ski vest in a "cannonball" position just to see who would fly up the air the highest. Skied at high speeds and skipped across alot of water--a few bumps & bruises but we were having fun.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

I agree that above 25mph is way too fast. I usually pull the kids just above 20. friends at about 25.

my ex brother-in-law thought it was funny to pull me once at 35mph in rough water on the tube. first major wave I rose up, and landed on the berries and twigs. fell off the tube by the second wave and hit the water hard enough to cause a bloody nose and bruises to the face.

he was expecting payback during his tube ride, however that came later when I made him swim back to shore

 

[havoc_squad]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

25 mph is about as fast as I'd pull anyone, the specifics depends on water conditions, the person, and the stomach they have for rough waters and heavy wakes.

BAAAWK bawk bawk BAAAAWK bawk bawk BAAAAWK


Best written imitation of a Chicken I could come up with....

Everyone worth their salt knows the inner tube is the boater's favorite and perfect instrument of diabolical evil and water based torture.

If you ask for "more more more" when on the tube, my sole goal as the driver on the boat is to dump you into the drink as soon as possible without getting you injured.


*Inserts pitifully cheezy evil character photo*




His latest scheme of global economic domination is to quickly and secretly monopolize the inner tube manufacturing business in forcing addicted watersports boaters to buy the same crappy inner tube model that falls apart every year.

Then he'll stop all worldwide production of them and force consumers to pay a 1 Trillion US dollar ransom for production to begin.


Imagine a "Modern Crusades" of US boaters turning their boats into attack craft and transports to get back their water toys.

 

[mommicked]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

The same summer I was injured, We delighted in kneeboarding hard turns at full speed in my friends inboardboat that would turn on a dime. When the water was glassy we would go so fast ( i'm guessing 50+ ) on the outside that you could not hold on anymore and usually skip ahundred yards or more after the rope was yanked from your hands, if you did'nt crash. A few days after I was injured the boat owner was hit in the head by the kneeboard on a wipeout and needed stiches. He sold the kneeboard promptly. I think tubes are fun at slow or moderate speeds especially on big wakes and churned up waters.

 

[SDSeville]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

I can chime in from my own personal experience this weekend. I have never been on a tube before. I have never towed a tuber either. Well, we were just pulling along straight and i was just relaxing. I told my driver to go a bit faster i wanted to catch some air. Well, she was doing about 30mph and she went in a figure 8. On the second time around i felt like i was doing 80mph and we hit the other wake. The left side of my giant floaty stuck in the water and i was on the left side of that with 3 adults, my two buddies fell straight off, and it launched me straight up and out.

I dont remember landing. I just remember floating making this god awful noise that i figured was breathing of some kind. My buddy was screaming at me and i couldnt answer or say anything. When i finally got on the boat i could breath. I broke 2 right ribs.

Be careful.

Figure 8s and the "circle of death" are great!! You catch air off your own wake. However 20 mph is about the max for those before it gets ugly.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

You know what kills me? Back in the day...the eighties for me we used to get tubes from the local tire store, tractor tubes, put a strap on it and viola, a tube, capable of hours of enjoyment on the LAST day of the trip since nobody wanted to get damaged on the first day, where did those days go?

I need to run by the tire store and see if I can get one, teach these kids a lesson!!

Yeah, that valve stem down the back always felt good......:facepalm:

 

[bnicov]

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

20-25mph MAX!!! Much faster than that and you are asking for trouble.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: tubing how fast is to fast?

You know what kills me? Back in the day...the eighties for me we used to get tubes from the local tire store, tractor tubes, put a strap on it and viola, a tube, capable of hours of enjoyment on the LAST day of the trip since nobody wanted to get damaged on the first day, where did those days go?

I need to run by the tire store and see if I can get one, teach these kids a lesson!!

in the 70's we started the move from ski's to inflatables by "blobbing" when one of the guys got a big rubber inflatable bumper that was used at the shipping terminals for something. Like dragging a mechanical bull behind a motorboat. At high tide you'd whip the rider over the marsh and he damn well better hang on! Then we got truck tires, vlave stem down, made a harness of sorts to try to keep some shape. We rode them in wetsuits b/c the vibrating rubber would take your skin off. They, too, rode well over a marsh, with the periwinkles adding some pepper to the experience!

Now they've gone all fancy, and pink at that.