Tubing on a 280

T

tonytav

Member
Jun 4, 2010
50
GREAT SOUTH BAY
Boat Info
2005 280 sundancer
Engines
Twin 4.3 alpha1 gen2
Hi guys, kids were wondering if we can go tubing, it's an 06 280 with twin 4.3s . I know it's not a speed boat not looking to go crazy. Boat has a tow hook in the rear but I just don't trust it. I guess i could also use the two tie down hooks on the port and starboard sides.Has anybody done this and how did it work out, will be towing one at a time and either one weighs no more than 75 pounds wet. Thanks
 
I towed with my 240 fine
the only hesitation I ever had was the turning speed/radius when someone fell off
big boats take a wide swing going back to protect the people in the water when they get off
left them floating a little too long to suit me on a busy lake.
 
Just out of curiosity, why don't you trust the tow ring? It's the same thing that is used on the smaller boats.

But, sure - go ahead and have fun. No worries about the weight - it'll be just fine. The only precaution would be what Jim mentioned in regards to taking longer to get back around to pick up dumped riders.
 
Hi guys , thanks for the input. I'm confident in the boat just seems like such a small backing plate installed on it ,but I guess it's good, but I will take it easy on the turns thanks,
 
tonytav said:
Hi guys , thanks for the input. I'm confident in the boat just seems like such a small backing plate installed on it ,but I guess it's good, but I will take it easy on the turns thanks,
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Not so much taking it easy on turns..
a runabout you can throw it up on the gunnel and turn tight and get back to your tubers if they dump
big boats take a good amout of time to get back to them...not that they won't float but they are floating defenseless ...low in the water.. in traffic until you get there to be a highly visible blocker
 
moparlvr4406 said:
Not so much taking it easy on turns..
a runabout you can throw it up on the gunnel and turn tight and get back to your tubers if they dump
big boats take a good amout of time to get back to them...not that they won't float but they are floating defenseless ...low in the water.. in traffic until you get there to be a highly visible blocker
Click to expand...

Right on.

And... I would encourage you to actually TAKE some tight turns to see what your 280 is capable of. You can crank that sucker over pretty hard. It just "feels" funny if you haven't done it much. But really, you can spin it pretty hard - it's just that you're higher up in the boat than a little one so it feels like you're heeling over more - and YOU are - but the boat really isn't. You're just higher off the water so you, yourself, travel further left to right. You may even feel the boat "set hard" during the turn - don't worry, it's not going to flip. The boat can take more than most people can. You still won't get back as quick - a longer boat takes a wider turn, speed sluffs off quicker and doesn't speed back up as quick - but don't be afraid to turn it tight and fast... just make sure your passengers are holding on!
 
Having tried hard turns in my 280 before to test it out for possibley towing the one thing I noticed was it kills your speed a lot more than a smaller boay so at the sort of low speeds you would be doing for tubing / skinng would be on the egde of planning speed anyway so probably would want to add power as you go into the turn and pull it back as you straighten up. I was also wondering about putting the tabs down to try to get up out the water quicker which may also help with the speed drop when cornering.

I havent tried towing with the 280 yet but having done it with smaller boats I know it can really up your fuel consumption so doing it on a 280 I am expecting it to really drink the fuel. I think its all the full throttling to get going then stopping agin.

Please let us know how you get on

Anthony
 
We have towed many times with our 280. THe only downside is that you use a good amount of fuel if you tow and turn. Produces a great wake. My daughter loves being towed behind it. We also have a Sea Doo that we tow with but the wakes and bumps they get being pulled behind do not compare.
 
I have a 260DA so can't say for sure if this comment applies here or not, but the one thing I notice about towing with my boat is you have to get up to a higher speed than you would with say a 240SD (I owned a 240SD before I bought my 260DA) to get on plane and stay on plane. Hence your tubers are always going pretty fast.
 
Yes to the tabs - plan on keeping them deployed (or almost) fully most of time. Helps a lot.
 
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