Pulling tubes with the dinghy

[Stee6043]

I finally pulled the trigger on gear to tow toys from my Walker Bay. My kids have been asking since I mentioned the possibility last year.

Last Saturday was our first time out with the setup and I couldn't be more pleased. I was able to run one to three three kids on the tube with my dainty 25hp Suzuki with the wife up front on the dink. It was no speed demon but I was able to plane both the tube and the dink. Not quite enough HP's to whip the tube out of the wake but I expected as much.

If anyone is interested I highly recommend the gear below. I bought the smallest "name brand" tube I could find hoping it would help with drag/towability. It worked famously.

Good times!

Harness:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FE9C2I?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Rope:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FE5PCY?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Tube:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N57FFRU?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details


And a pic for proof though I don't typically post my kids faces online

 

[Steve S]

I finally pulled the trigger on gear to tow toys from my Walker Bay. My kids have been asking since I mentioned the possibility last year.

Last Saturday was our first time out with the setup and I couldn't be more pleased. I was able to run one to three three kids on the tube with my dainty 25hp Suzuki with the wife up front on the dink. It was no speed demon but I was able to plane both the tube and the dink. Not quite enough HP's to whip the tube out of the wake but I expected as much.

If anyone is interested I highly recommend the gear below. I bought the smallest "name brand" tube I could find hoping it would help with drag/towability. It worked famously.

Good times!

Harness:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FE9C2I?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Rope:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FE5PCY?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Tube:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N57FFRU?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details


And a pic for proof though I don't typically post my kids faces online

Are the blue spots "Monkeypox"???
;-)

 

[Carpediem44DB]

I used to pull kids with my Honda PWC on the lake rather than behind the Rinker 350. I got stopped by the sheriff one time when I was pulling three kids on a large tube platform. I was told that the total number of people out numbered the capacity of the tow vehicle. Everyone had PFDs but the reasoning is that if the towed toy fails everyone needs a seat on the certified watercraft so mind your vessel capacity placard! Have fun though. it is way more fun that hauling them behind the mothership!

 

[Carpediem44DB]

I finally pulled the trigger on gear to tow toys from my Walker Bay. My kids have been asking since I mentioned the possibility last year.

Last Saturday was our first time out with the setup and I couldn't be more pleased. I was able to run one to three three kids on the tube with my dainty 25hp Suzuki with the wife up front on the dink. It was no speed demon but I was able to plane both the tube and the dink. Not quite enough HP's to whip the tube out of the wake but I expected as much.

If anyone is interested I highly recommend the gear below. I bought the smallest "name brand" tube I could find hoping it would help with drag/towability. It worked famously.

Good times!

Harness:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FE9C2I?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Rope:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FE5PCY?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Tube:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N57FFRU?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details


And a pic for proof though I don't typically post my kids faces online

Doesn't look like much fun for the kids, you making them wear their covid masks over their entire faces

 

[Gofirstclass]

I used to pull kids with my Honda PWC on the lake rather than behind the Rinker 350. I got stopped by the sheriff one time when I was pulling three kids on a large tube platform. I was told that the total number of people out numbered the capacity of the tow vehicle. Everyone had PFDs but the reasoning is that if the towed toy fails everyone needs a seat on the certified watercraft so mind your vessel capacity placard! Have fun though. it is way more fun that hauling them behind the mothership!

Check Amazon for a new vessel capacity placard. You can get them in any capacity you want and they lay very neatly over the old one.

 

[MonacoMike]

Check Amazon for a new vessel capacity placard. You can get them in any capacity you want and they lay very neatly over the old one.

That will work great until the neighbor boy’s parents sue when he is in an accident then the placard will come off and liability rises as it was not ignorance, it was willfull…

 

[Stee6043]

Well that escalated quickly

Rest assured my Walker Bay is properly rated. I wouldn't have bought it otherwise...

 

[b_arrington]

Nice!

I used to pull the kids around a lot on my 9.5' RIB with 15 HP engine. It was much more exciting when they were littler, both because they were lighter and had a lower threshold for excitement. It's a lot harder with them being teenagers now. I used to do it with just a rider and me driving for weight purposes, until the harbormaster yelled at me for not having a spotter. It seemed a little dumb because I was going so slow, but it's the rule.

I have very similar gear. The hooks on my harness rusted out though. My tube is very similar - a model called the Shark. I found that it will often submarine which is a tad problematic. Our other one is a Viper tube - the riders sit upright in it. Great for littler kids and very stable, doesn't submarine.

A couple weeks ago they asked to go tubing behind the 37. I wasn't prepped for it, but the turning radius would be pretty big. No way I could do that in the usual tubing spot. When I pulled them with the 34 they only lasted about 45 seconds before getting freaked about by the wake, so I can't imagine they would be too happy riding behind the 37. The diesel pulls hard and pops up on plain quickly at about 14 mph, so I bet it would work.

 

[Strecker25]

This is timely, my son asked for a tube yesterday. He’s only 4 so I want to do one of those ones you sit in and can also flip around when they’re bigger. We only have a 20hp but I’m sure it’ll be fine for now, he weighs 45lbs

 

[b_arrington]

This is timely, my son asked for a tube yesterday. He’s only 4 so I want to do one of those ones you sit in and can also flip around when they’re bigger. We only have a 20hp but I’m sure it’ll be fine for now, he weighs 45lbs

I've had an Airhead Viper tube for 10+ years. It's great for kids because they sit IN the tube and are much less likely to fall out. I would slowly pull them around with the dinghy and the kids loved it. My wife also used to hold my daughter in her lap when she was too little to go on her own.

The tube also works for higher speeds so it's not just for the little ones. They make a 2 person and 3 person model too. My dinghy wouldn't handle those well though.