How to Safely Pull a Tube Behind a Boat

[@davidwilk1789]

Engine shut off when kids getting back into the boat is great advice. When I was younger we thought the boat was in neutral and it was not! My legs got sucked up into the prop and have some nice scars to prove it!

[@boatinglessons]

OMG David! That is very scary! Glad it was just scars…could have been way worse 😳

[@FleetTech97]

Agreed my father in law told me to always turn engine off as soon as you get close

[@Huntersprojects]

We have a repowered boat with a Yamaha 50hp got to make sure it’s in neutral or off we always check the prop etc

[@rebelrrp]

I don't know know about other states but in Utah it is against the law to swap people in and out of the water while the boat is running. I have a jet drive so no problems chopping up people but I still shut the motor off

[@jimmymac4559]

Safest way is to not let your childless Uncle drive the boat.

[@jasoncarter411]

😂😂😂

[@theonetruemorty3357]

Hey, that’s me!

[@jimmymac4559]

@@theonetruemorty3357 that’s me also 😆

[@littledooyoon]

ROFL!!

[@runbmc35]

Thank you for pointing out that you want to shut the engine off when passengers enter the boat from the back. That is something I always do

[@jonathanneethling]

Very good video. I’m glad I’m doing something right. Friends always think I’m being a bit of a tool because I always give a safety speech before hand - but rather that than someone being hurt. I especially appreciated the tower / tubing point. I’ve just got my first tower. So that’s good to know. I also note people say you shouldn’t give from the ski pole. But rather from the boat tie down point that are left and right of the motor??? What’s your opinion? I also have a ball to keep the tow line up and out the water….

[@adamfischer6768]

Thanks for the tips! I've owned a boat for 6 years but just got into tubing.

[@mksland3884]

Everyone’s talking about the towbar that our pontoon doesn’t have one but eyeless at the end of the pontoon information on that would be nice. Still need to go buy a harness.

[@rboddington]

All the boat manufactures I know say DO NOT attach a tube to a ski hook, that is for water skiing. A tube is much heavier and creates a lot more resistance in the water. Using the ski hook with a tube can pull it right out of the boat. There are tubing rigs that use both of the u-bolts on the back, which are used to pick up the boat. I have also used a rear cleat.

[@saltysteel3996]

Most ski towers, especially on pontoons, will break if you tow tubes with them. Depends on rating and design. Can use a Y harness on the tie down hooks at the back of the pontoons.

[@robertpoindexter8616]

Happened on my brothers boat..wasn’t even a rider on it ..got suctioned to the water and snapped his ski pole..bridle is definitely the way to go

[@MalishaArmy]

Always pull from the tower never had an issue boat is 16 years old and kids love it when they take flight. But we’re ultimate water sport family.

[@rm4po4]

I recently bought a boat with a ski pole and was told not to use the pole for tubes, only a y cable. I know this is different from the wake tower, but just adding this in case someone else reads this. The ski pole is not made for the stress of the tube.

[@rebelrrp]

I always pull from the tower also. The guy that built my tower said it would pull tubes no problem. I been doing it for almost 20 years

[@rm4po4]

@@rebelrrp exactly, that's why I mentioned a tower is different than a pole.

[@chuckkelley5894]

Excellent reminder video for a returning tuber and driver. Thanks!

[@mikencrew8885]

Great information. We are very close to buying a boat and this helps out tremendously!! Thank you!

[@cadenhanna7957]

When I tube. I go into the high 30’s and it really doesn’t hurt to bad. But I would say if you’re going fast, the head tap should ABSOLUTELY NOT be the signs for stop because if you want to stop. It’s probably because the driver is going to fast or too crazy for the people on the tubes so if you take a hand off of a handle to tap your head, you could be much more injured then if you just shake your head no or a different signs

[@tmomo7265]

I started your video and heard my name right away I was like what did I do?🤣 great info we will be tubing in the ocean here in Florida

[@boatinglessons]

Florida sounds fantastic! Boating all year round 🤩

[@tmomo7265]

@@boatinglessons yes its so awesome to be able to boat year round.

[@reamergamer8800]

I fell off one it and I rolled around the surface of the lake it was like I was hitting a hard concrete floor so please be careful stay safe guys

[@debbiep99]

So glad I found your channel! It's exactly what I was looking for

[@hanluke7160]

Good video, believe that is what I should to know in that stage

[@redzoom7857]

I’m a new boater and was thinking about this, so this is a great video, thank you sir! 😁

[@seanoregan998]

This was great! Tysm

[@ozelot250]

Great topic

[@boatinglessons]

Thank you :)

[@beesechurgr0]

the signs me and my family use for tubing is thumbs up or down for faster or slower and spin hand for a donut to stop jump off or hold hand up

[@MsCliffmaddox]

Very well done sir. TY

[@barrybebenek8691]

This was our first summer with a tube for our two boys (pulled behind our Stingray 185), and they loved it. All these tips are a fantastic addition to our own “family safety list”. Thanks again. 🇨🇦👍🏼

[@boatinglessons]

Our pleasure Barry - hold onto summer as long as you can :)

[@floridagirl386]

You mean to tell me you didn't get on that thing yourself? LOL

[@1islam1]

@@boatinglessons ⚠️ God has said in the Quran: 🔵 { O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous - ( 2:21 ) 🔴 [He] who made for you the earth a bed [spread out] and the sky a ceiling and sent down from the sky, rain and brought forth thereby fruits as provision for you. So do not attribute to Allah equals while you know [that there is nothing similar to Him]. ( 2:22 ) 🔵 And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant [Muhammad], then produce a surah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be truthful. ( 2:23 ) 🔴 But if you do not - and you will never be able to - then fear the Fire, whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.( 2:24 ) 🔵 And give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with a provision of fruit therefrom, they will say, "This is what we were provided with before." And it is given to them in likeness. And they will have therein purified spouses, and they will abide therein eternally. ( 2:25 ) ⚠️ Quran

[@abnerrodriguez6006]

abslutley AMAZING great educational vid. ALL my AMAZON choice I am happy with

[@raitisstalazs3721]

Great tips! Thank you!

[@josephtaylor3857]

Excellent video, as always.

[@LouisCarterChange]

Ken - these are great videos. A few questions: 1. What lake are you on and 2. Is that your primary boat or do you have another for different purposes on the lake ? I ask because I see so many lake houses with two boat house garages and I wanted to see your preference. And, if that is your primary boat - it looks awesome - and what kind of boat is it? Make/Model? Thanks so much for your awesome videos!!

[@scottwilliamson7276]

Anything about second rider in boat to watch tubers? Probably most important note that boaters don't do.

[@squintsthegamblerbarnett1693]

How should u hook up two ropes and tubes

[@runbmc35]

I would usually pull tubes at up to 35mph if they were good tubers and had a big enough lake with low enough traffic on the water

[@sandidee7993]

Great video! Thank you👍

[@tomrunning357]

It's my understanding from the manufacturer of my pontoon boat that it is not recommended to use the ski tow bar for pulling tubes.

[@jstep100]

Great info. Thanks

[@growgang_lc1978]

As smart as it is to be safe on the water, my favorite memory as a child is being whipped around behind my uncles boat🤣 we’d usually fly off and tumble on top of the water for a few feet then be fine, but one time I remember somehow flying off on a corner and instead of tumbling, my body acted almost as a surfboard and I must’ve been sliding on my stomach/life vest for a solid 30-45 feet💀

[@blakethetank8211]

My dad will not slow when I say slow down he will not and will say oh your fine I know how to pull a tube and we were going 33 and I got red marks all over me when I wiped and I'm 12

[@seayavietnam7690]

Great vid! Thanks

[@waynowat53]

How can I keep the rope from spraying water in a tubers face? I have a mid point rope ball and that doesn't help? Can I get a portable tube pole?

[@rebelrrp]

Two things, if your wake tower can handle the tube getting it up works best. Also, it depends where the water comes from. My jet drive sprays a lot so aonger rope from the tower works best. My buddy has an actual wake boat that we can't hook a tube to the tower on, nothing seemed to work so we ended up just buying a bunch of cheap floating sunglasses off ebay, that made it so you could take the spray without any problems on his boat

[@jonestr57]

you didnt mention the tow line length ??

[@bryandonnaud6197]

For a boat between 55-65 ft long. 60 is the sweet spot. 2 short a rope and your passengers will be breathing in exhaust from boat without knowing it which is very dangerous. Kids have died because body shuts down. Affixation.

[@TheWholesalingPodcast]

great video!

[@hoosierLowe]

Why do you show the rope attached to the ski tower which I'm sure has a sticker that is visible stating "do not pull from this point"?

[@Papapickles69]

I was looking for the right video to watch, the first words were “are you a terrorizing Tonya, or a timid Tony” yep, think I found the video I want lol.

[@snarevox]

i totally thought this was gonna be about bongloads

[@Zapples11]

What kind of watch is this sir?

[@rawcircoking]

What boat are you using in this video?

[@twlyons1]

Great video as all of them are of very useful knowledge. There was mention not to tow tubes ( basically all floaty toys ) from the tower and this is great to know but in previous videos of buying a used boat there has not been how to see or what to feel for signs of a tower that has been damaged , either from floaty or ?? any idea if this maybe coming soon or ?? Thank you for all you do Sean :)

[@boatinglessons]

My pleasure! That’s a good point and I didn’t think to mention that. Perhaps we could do one on all fiberglass stresses

[@khufu8699]

great. What lake is that?

[@kellycreech7794]

Hey Len can I help you produce these videos? Would love to assist in any video production needs you have. Great video!

[@Louishuck123]

When I was nine, the rope got sucked into the prop and it was a pain in the butt to get out

[@JohnG-gp3uz]

What lake is that?

[@virginiatrailcameravideos]

What is the trick to get the tubes to swing from side to side?

[@connorpotratz1459]

The people on the tube have to lean way back and in the direction that they want to go. The person driving the boat has to turn sharply one direction and then straighten back out again for a few seconds. That’s what works for me.

[@clarityofthought]

Whats the best pontoon boat I can buy for the money?

[@boatinglessons]

That is hard to answer without showing our bias. What I can tell you is that we have been selling boats for 66 years and I would not trade Barletta pontoons for any other brand to sell

[@alexbucg]

I tubed without a lifevest and nearly drowned (another boater saved my life literally! I would have died) because the people on the boat didnt have a plan for what to do with the rope after and couldnt turn the engine on to come save me because rope was near the propeller. Always wear a life vest and have a plan.

[@stevebasanyi4374]

Qellsi e!

[@CP0089]

Why is our tube nose diving? It was fine with one kiddo then we added our other child and when we took off the front of the tube just took water and went under

[@El3gantElephant]

If there is handles on the front, try lifting the handles up while the boat and tube start to move so the tube stays above water, then it should be fine the rest of the time.

[@Louishuck123]

You want to lean back until you get on plane

[@joesph9748]

Tower towing is bad. When the tubers fall off, the tube sometimes submerges and creates a very heavy load, if you turn the boat, the pressure of the tube may pull the boat over, this happens more than people know.

[@rebelrrp]

I have tower towed for almost 20 years and have never had this happen. I honestly don't know how you could submerge a tube with no riders on it. It seems like if a tube can submerge without and riders on it, it would be more prone to doing it with riders on it pushing down. I'm not sure what happened in your case but that seems more like a problem with the tube than with where you attached it to the boat

[@kimokahikolekalihi]

If it's an open top tube and it's upside down, it can easily grab the water and yank on the boat pretty hard ​@@rebelrrp

[@Jonjonchevy]

Hello Sean, what is the watch you are wearing ?

[@boatinglessons]

Nothing too fancy, I like simple. :). It is a Fossil.

[@jyotsnapatel5729]

Chhagan😮

[@rustydoggmike]

What length rope? You didn't cover that.

[@slickrick1210]

Usually 50 - 60' is pretty standard.

[@gjkMN]

AHHHH! YOU'RE PULLING FROM THE SKI BAR!! Seriously though, I'm wanting to add the exact kind of ski bar your using in this video, but they ALL say 'don't pull inflatables'. Is this fear overstated? Is it just a way for the manufacturer to avoid all responsibility? Because the tower you're using is the exact same as multiple other manufacturers i'm searching right now. Its so annoying that everyone tries so hard to not take responsibility for their product. I have to imagine 99% of pontoon buyers pull tubes with that bar and have no idea they 'shouldn't'.

[@at1970]

This is like saying how to have a trampoline in the back yard and not have any kids break their arms. The only way to do that is to leave it in the box.

[@natraj22]

Thanks for the safety tips. Sometimes the tube starts sinking at the pulling point, causing tubers to submerge. Any idea why and how to avoid this?

[@hammerdown3876]

yes. buy a booster ball. it will keep rope out of water to avoid your tubers getting painful rope spray in the eyes as well as prevent the tube from submarining (sinking like you described) especially if your tow point is low on the transom. I had to buy a booster ball because im towing with a jet ski and the tow point on back is low and my riders were getting bad rope spray.

[@steezyboiiii808]

Just make them lean back and then once there in plane they can go back to normal

[@techsped4116]

Need to put most of their weight on the back of the tube to get on the plane then they will be fine.

[@CP0089]

Did you ever find the right solution? This happened to my kids today

[@steezyboiiii808]

@@CP0089 make em lean back on the tube itll place weight in the back and when you get going they can go back to normal placing :)

[@Nick_G7IZR]

The driver always needs to maintain eye contact with the person in the water they are picking up. If you can see them, you can't run them over. Anyway Sean, what about a video about ethanol. The UK is moving to E10 as the default fuel from 1st September! :(

[@boatinglessons]

Very valid point Nick! And you’ll be happy to know my ethanol video has been filmed and is in editing 🤩

[@BrawndoQC]

You want a spotter. Guy at the helm can't keep looking at the back. When I go with my step bro he will quickly tap me on the back or communicate if something happens with the kids.

[@toddgaak422]

@@BrawndoQC He said when you're picking up, not while they are on the tube.

[@threadfin_7717]

We all know that unless you become scared for your safety on the tube, you arent having fun.

[@LahomaWinds]

Thanks for sharing. How May I contact you, do you have an email? I have a project to talk to you

[@chriscarr1408]

Corny but thank you

[@motomfthug8551]

Safe and tubing is oxymoron

[@EduardoSeabra13]

Good video but the microphone is literally on your throat , sounds like you swallowed it

[@xaronzero2946]

Wierd, every safety standard says not to run multiple tubes.

[@noelskate]

After many years of boating I have realized that tubing is not only a waste of time for the driver, passengers and riders but a big safety risk for all that is just not worth it. The riders learn nothing and just treat it like a fairground ride. The Passengers and driver are often bored out of their minds and the boat is driven around at speed and in dangerous turns and is fraught with risk for all. That does not even take into account the injuries that the riders can sustain from tube flips or when the tube goes aerial and comes down hard. And don't even consider tubing with an outboard or I/O vessel, the risk of the prop cutting up the riders is just far too great - too many accidents on the water every year with tubing. If I see another driver running the engine while people are getting on and offboard the boat I am going to go crazy. Apparently safety is just a boomer thing. Instead, consider sending the kids to Six Flags for the day and then later teach them how to water ski, wakeboard or wakesurf - they get exercise and they learn that they are in control of their own destiny behind the boat. Its a great life lesson right there. You are in control, not me. I know its harsh, but I feel tubing should really be banned for the danger and havoc it causes for the riders, the driver and other lake users. Wakeboarders and water ski boats at least go in predictable straight lines, tuber drivers drive like they just broke out of an insane asylum and often cause boat crashes and bring other dangers to the waterways and their riders.

[@cheesecurdinator4010]

No thanks

[@vorceful9590]

That's some pussy type shit, tubing is one of the most fun sports to do on water

[@orders3174]

You are absolutely correct and have great points. Tubing is completely dangerous to the riders and other boaters. But heck, why go to 6 Flags when you can bring it with you to the lake and tube. Welcome to the insane asylum! Hold on!

[@rebelrrp]

I always say tubing is just a long roller coaster ride. But I love doing it and people love to ride. I'm sorry you have had bad experiences I feel like that it is unfortunate that you aren't able to enjoy an amazing part of the boating experience. I swap between tubes and boards because it enhances the day. People get bored swapping out one person at a time to wake board. Adding the tube let's multiple people ride at the same time. I have a three seat couch that I pull and what I have noticed is that people enjoy the tubes because they get the opportunity to share the experience with a couple of other people. Bashing people pulling tubes is like bashing people on jet skis, you only notice the annoying ones. There is a lot about water that is very personal to each person, some like sailing, some like fishing, some are wake riders, and some cruise. It's different for everyone and I think you should do what you enjoy.

[@tinyUbay81]

love your boat. buying next year similar to yours. for now, we have bayliner... thank you for the video.

[@realasadoughnut]

Great info EXCEPT the suggested length of the rope for tubing was not included. Nitpicky I know but....

[@rebelrrp]

A lot depends on the boat, I have to run a really long rope because my jet drive pushes so much spray it makes it unbearable for riders with a shorter rope. Most tube ropes come in one length

[@passthetunaporfavor]

We had a dad tow his kids on a tube into our stationary boat. He was totally clueless. Kids were helpless. Slammed into the side of our boat. Things went South real fast. We were floating stationary getting a skier ready when this happened.

[@S14AA]

Yea that's a good point I don't think was mentioned that the tube won't follow the boat on a turn and will go much wider. Most would notice that guy obviously not, keep a safe distance 😉

[@rebelrrp]

Most states have laws to prevent this. I live in Utah and within 200 feet of another boat you have to be wake less and a boat that is adrift always has the right of way over a boat under power. Most states have similar laws so in order to do this he broke multiple laws. Unfortunately most people think boating is just the wild west and there are no rules and that why things like this happen to people like you. We all have to share the water so the laws kind of force politeness when people follow them.

[@bd7159]

I just ordered a Sea Doo switch pontoon and added the ski pylon to the package. It measures 23 5/8”s. Can I safely pull a tube with that? I can’t find any specifications for weight/force on it.

[@boatinglessons]

The manufacturer will likely say “no” although 99% of people would

[@tech3nc]

Not new to boating but we are going get a sit in type tube for 2. I was waiting for the proper length of ski rope to get. Did I miss that part? I am looking at a 65 foot rope, too long, short or just right?

[@chrisvh1177]

Mine is 50 feet. Most on the lake are that length I noticed. The rope came with our tube.