How do you tow your towable?

[brian2001ss]

Kinda funny, but we just got a 3 person 7ft wide tube, and I am trying to figure out the best way to secure it to the back of the boat when its not in use. What do you guys do?

 

[Morpheus]

I have these bungie straps with suction cups

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/61029/377%20710/0/tube%20strap/Secondary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/0/0?N=377%20710&Ne=0&Ntt=tube%20strap&Ntk=Secondary%20Search&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&Nao=0&Ns=0&keyword=tube%20strap&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=23&subdeptNum=390&classNum=11060

 

[chuck1]

Bungee straps work great when it's blowup. Have you thought about installing an inverter and getting a pump that can inflate/deflate it quickly? Comes in real handy for all those blowup that seem to appear on the boat from time to time.

 

[everthing's irie]

Bungee straps work great when it's blowup. Have you thought about installing an inverter and getting a pump that can inflate/deflate it quickly? Comes in real handy for all those blowup that seem to appear on the boat from time to time.

I agree. When we bring the tubes we inflate them when we are ready to use them and deflate them when we're done. I tried the suction cups with bungees but even off the stern it was cumbersome and blocked rear vision.

 

[mfreez]

Brian,

I have two kids 8 and 6 so my towable is always in use. In the water 5 times per day, sometimes for minutes sometimes for an hour. So pumping it up and deflating it is not an option. I have a loop in the tow rope approximately 1 foot from the swim platform of the boat. It sits in the wake at any speed. This afternoon, we towed the kids, then had an eight mile run back to the marinia. The water was flat calm and we did 45 mph dragging the towable on a short leash all of the way back. It works great, and the hassle of inflating and deflating is gone:smt038

Mike

 

[First Born]

I have these bungie straps with suction cups

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...rue&storeNum=23&subdeptNum=390&classNum=11060

+1 :thumbsup:

 

[jmlloyd526]

I use the bungees also when running a short distance, but with the 12 volt adaptor on my boat and an electric pump, it inly takes about 90 seconds to inflate or deflate. Then it fits right inside the engine compartment. Perfect!

 

[Fishnut]

We put our three seater on the front deck and tie it down. Which one do you have?

 

[SeaRay]

Our 3 person tube is rounded at one end and flat at the other. We slide the flat end under the pedestal seats and the rounded corners go to the rear bench. There is still room for someone to sit in each corner of the bench because of the rounded corners.

We have also laid it on the rear deck and over the swim platform. Then tied it down using the cleats so it can't go up and another rope going back into the boat so it can't go back.

I haven't had much luck with the suction cups.

We also have a DC pump that we will use if we have to but it is usually more of a hassle to deflate and inflate then just deal with the tube being in the way a little bit. Just depends how rough the water is whether we are wake boarding or tubing. We have had as many as three inflated tubes in the boat.

 

[bobdivot]

Suction cup deal broke first time out. Brother-in-law gave it to me, he's a cheap bastard, probably got it at a toy store

We just use a rachet strap off the transom eyes. Works great with the big ass swim step on the 220

 

[Fishnut]

I have even tied down the big tube on the back with straps to the cleats. It works fine and you just need to work around it a little. For the fun you have with them it isn't much of a problem.

 

[unlvrebel]

I use a pump. Works great for storage. Sure you can tow it inflated, but its just one more large piece of equipment to move around. Pump it up when in use and deflate when done. Leave inflated in between uses.

 

[VTSeaRay]

Be Careful with bungees. They're great, and handy and have many applications. A friend of mine almost lost his eye when one let loose(He was strapping down his and sons bikes in the back of his truck), and came back and whacked him in the eye, detaching his retina from the back wall of the eye socket. Many painful laser eye surgerys later(they zapped the back of the eyeball to the back of the socket), he was back in somewhat almost normal shape.

The surgeon said he wasn't the first he'd seen this happen to, he warned us all to make sure our faces were out of the line of fire, if one of these let loose. He said better yet, don't use them, he suggested using the rachetting type straps for items, or just tie things down with rope/lines.

I use one of my lines, and tie my tube down across the stern cleats when transporting it while under way, if no one's using it, or I tie it in between the captains chairs if I'm towing the boat somewhere. It's only like this for short periods of time, and once we are at our destination we untie it, and either put it in the water on a short leash, or on shore.

 

[brian2001ss]

Thanks guys for all of the tips.

The tube we have is..

 

[Fishnut]

That's a good one. We have had ours for three years and it has held up nicely.

 

[SeaRay]

That tube is very similar to the one we have, ours is just flat in the back. It should slide nicely between the back of the pedestal seats (on the floor) and the bench seat.

 

[195sport]

I inflate/deflate with a pump made for the recepticle in the boat...takes as mentioned above about 90 seconds for each.....tried tying down and such but am sticking to the inflate deflate for noe....not enough room with the tube secured anywhere on my 195.

 

[mfreez]

I inflate/deflate with a pump made for the recepticle in the boat...takes as mentioned above about 90 seconds for each.....tried tying down and such but am sticking to the inflate deflate for noe....not enough room with the tube secured anywhere on my 195.

What type of pump do you guys have that will inflate a 3 person tube in 90 seconds. Post a link, I will buy it tomorrow.

Mike

 

[brian2001ss]

I picked up the tube yesterday and it looks to be much bigger than I thought. This thing is huge. I now understand why my client couldn't pull it behind his pontoon. Do any of you have one this big?

 

[billandamy]

Inflate it when there will be tubing abound (rare, just the kids really tube, everyone else we know wakeboards or skis) and deflate when done with it.

We bought the 12v O'Brien pump, and it literally takes 90 seconds to inflate or deflate, then it goes into one of the gull wing storage lockers.

I dont like it dragging behind while underway.

We do leave it inflated if we are going to raft up, however.