can i pull 2 tubes with a tower

jacoviii · Newbie Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 21

hi i have a 98 yamaha exciter
looking a a diy tower
my? is can i / or do pull tubes with your tower
i have 2 tubes the ones they call 60" for one person
the tower will probley look like this i think
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/jacoviii@sbcglobal.net/album/576460762390419821/photo/294928804240333095/0

Wakebrad · Ladies Man Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 12257 City: Dallas

All tower mfgs say you shouldn't even pull 1 tube with a tower. With the weight and resistance of a tube it puts too much force on a tower.

pet575 · Posted: Mar 19, 2007 12:03 pm Post subject:

That is surprising to me. You would think that someone edging out away from the boat on a board would put a lot more weight/resistance on a tower than a tube would. Learn something every day, I guess. Hopefully tomorrow I will learn how to make hot women's pants fall off when they come within 3 feet of me.

ridininmd · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 1231

nope, your boat will actualy burst into flames if you pull even one tube behind it.

oshensurfer · Posted: Mar 19, 2007 1:49 pm Post subject:

You cannot pull pubes with a tower. Confused

Are you crazy?

pet575 · Posted: Mar 19, 2007 1:56 pm Post subject:

I didn't know anyone suggested pulling their pubes with a tower. Sounds painful.

RufioSwashbuckle · Posted: Mar 19, 2007 9:48 pm Post subject:

Theres a difference between a rider putting gradual and mellow stress on the tower and a tube bouncing up and down and having a massive surface area putting rough jerking stress on the tower... Tubes have way more drag than riders do, and when you combine the tube, plus people, plus the chop you make for the tube to ride over, you've got yourself a huge future $ investment in fiberglass repairs, and possibly funeral payment...

HHI Dave · Posted: Mar 19, 2007 10:06 pm Post subject:

colefooter · Posted: Mar 20, 2007 3:03 am Post subject:

One boat on my lake will pull tubes on their tower, and now their tower can't fold down correctly. So please don't so it or ill be sad.

jacoviii · Newbie Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 21

when you look at the sports stuff web page of there tubes they pull all oe there tubes with the tower on there boat
i know they got the $$$ to fix there boat if there is a prob

the problem i have is we 50%board 50% tube and the tow point on my boat is so low that when tuben it hold the rope only a little above the water line
i did pull 1 tube wiht my diy pylon

my tower will more then likely be fixed ad not fold down

Wakebrad · Ladies Man Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 12257 City: Dallas

pet575, think about it like this. A wakeboarder can only put as much force on the tower as he can hold onto the handle. A tube which is tied at both ends can put as much force as the tensile strength of the line. The issue is not folding down vs fixed. It's that if you put that much force on your tower it is going to bend and weaken your tower. It's just not worth the risk.

pet575 · Posted: Mar 20, 2007 10:30 am Post subject:

I'm not doubting what you guys are saying at all. I'm no physics expert, it just didn't seem common sense-wise that this would be something to avoid. What you guys are saying makes sense. Glad I read this post before this season, because I would have had no problems hooking up someone on a tube to my tower on my new boat. I'll use my ski ring now, so thanks to all for telling me that.

I'm assuming that it would be OK to pull slalom and regular skiers with the tower, though, since THAT would be similar to boarding. Anyone disagree with that?

colefooter · Posted: Mar 20, 2007 1:35 pm Post subject:

Seth818 · Criminal Joined: 15 Mar 2007 Posts: 69 City: Enid

ok IMO i would think u would want the rope to be lower so u can get a better swing w/o the tube wanting to barrel roll near as much... cuz if ur doin some kick A@@ tubin then it should be hard enough... lol someone correct me if im wrong

smwilliam2 · Soul Rider Joined: 16 Apr 2006 Posts: 252

yeah i would agree with Seth818, i would rather have my rope lower anyway

jhilly8982 · Addict Joined: 04 Oct 2006 Posts: 782 City: Northville

i pull tubers on my tower... not sure if i agree with the drag argument ( i don't pull 5 kids draggins their feet on every turn) my tower seems to undergo more pull when i am towing a boarder.

Punkpenguin · Outlaw Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 224

we tow on a ski pole, our tube doenst put much more stress then i do when i ride, i'd bet..

We went tubing behind a wakeboat on a tower, and it was amazing, we had some jumps up to like 10-15 feet, just HUGE, we had a proff wakeboard driver tho, so it was awesome

kdip · Posted: Apr 03, 2007 6:26 pm Post subject:

Yeh, I wouldn't suggest pulling tubers with a tower. Even from the back of our boat the rope snapped. Rolling Eyes

jacoviii · Newbie Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 21

joe navy · Criminal Joined: 18 Apr 2005 Posts: 90 City: Camden, N.C.

We pulled many a tuber behind our tower. Definitely fun if you like to have a little hang time while tubing but also will flex your tower. Tower manufacturers say don't do it. We were running a monster tower at the time and it held up like a champ, even with a little flexing. Basically, don't try it unless you can afford to fix or repair something that breaks. Good luck either way!

wakeboarder07 · Posted: May 24, 2007 7:03 pm Post subject:

Well I'm glad I decided to read this.
I have a monster tower, and a ski ring on the back of the boat. The ski ring is really low, so it's not fun having water in your face all the time.
using the tower is definitely more fun than on the ski ring. But I don't want to be paying more repairs.
Thanks

Justin 25 · Addict Joined: 29 Aug 2006 Posts: 797

HHI Dave · Posted: May 31, 2007 10:26 am Post subject:

I saw a guy on Monday pulling two kids on a tube. He had some sort of nice looking I/O with a Monster tower installed. I told him that I didn't want to tell him how to run his boat, but he was running the risk of damaging his boat by pulling a tube with the tower. Not sure if he heeded my advice or not. Oh well. Smile

jacoviii · Newbie Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 21

bad advice
i have polled other forums
and at every other forum the majority of people pull tubes with there tower

if you have not had a prob or have not pulled a tube with your tower you can not say i hear its bad to do

to many people do it with out any probs

Wakebrad · Ladies Man Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 12257 City: Dallas

jacoviii, so the tower manufacturers are giving bad advice about their own products? I'm sure you know better than they do. Rolling Eyes

HHI Dave · Posted: May 31, 2007 11:52 am Post subject:

jacoviii · Newbie Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 21

look how old this post is i posted
i posted it on other forums too to see what people did

i have talked to manufacturers and got them to tell me that it would not hurt the tower
but if the boat was not set up in the right way to hold the tower towing tubes you could have a prob

it is a liability issue

GuitsBoy · Posted: Jun 01, 2007 5:37 am Post subject:

Ever see a tube submarine under water? There's some serious stress, it stops the boat dead in its tracks. You could pull the tower feet right out through the fiberglass.

jacoviii · Newbie Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 21

i have had a tube to go under
but onece i read how much to fill it up
i found that it was under inflated

Wakebrad · Ladies Man Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 12257 City: Dallas

Mobius67 · Newbie Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 2

ya, Most lakes I've been to have an actual law against that, the pigs will pull you over, and give you a ticket.

blown87notch · Newbie Joined: 28 Jun 2007 Posts: 1

I honestly pull a tube more than a boarder, and there isn't any more force pulling a tube over a wakeboarder UNTIL.....

the tube submerges, in which case it would rip most towers right off. It almost stops my boat dead in it's tracks.

So the only bad thing I seen is a what if....and most tubes won't go under like mine.

ontrider · Ladies Man Joined: 30 Jul 2003 Posts: 16491 City: Russia

My question is... if you have a ski pole and a tower... and manufacturers say NOT to pull a tube with the tower, why don't you just hook it up to the ski pole or eye?

jacoviii · Newbie Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 21

Wakebrad bite me
the reason i ask what others have used to build the tower is so i did not go through a bunch of work to see what worked best

i had some 6063 2" 1/4" wall and had it bent at a shop it broke
but that is what every one uses some bend it at a muffler shop and have no prob some use a power conduit
bender and it work the best
but i could not find one to use

my diy pylon pulled a tube just fine but it got in the way of a seat

i submerged a Mable and had no prob with the pylon

my tow ring is to low and it drag the rope in the water when tubing

o ya Wakebrad i know how to bend metal i asked to see how others did it
i could also weld better the you with my eyes closed
i have worked with metal a long time but I'm no longer in that line of work so do not have a bender on hand

so if you are scared to pull tubes with your dads boat don't

i Owen mine so i will

and any way got a great deal on a tower so suck it

ontrider · Ladies Man Joined: 30 Jul 2003 Posts: 16491 City: Russia

You should wear facial protection when you weld. That way your eyes won't be so f'd up and you can actually proof-read your posts first.