Towing kids on inflatables - line configuration

Atalla

Atalla

Active Member
Sep 1, 2020
244
Seattle
Boat Info
2007 38 Sundancer
Engines
Twin Merc 8.1 S Horizon V-Drives
Hey folks - I'm in a 38DA, so two stern cleats only. I have a hook on my swim platform that secures the front of my tender (vertical Seawise davit). Bought one of those big inflatables that holds 4 kids to drag around this summer. Trying to decide what the right line configuration is for this. Was thinking I could use the two stern cleats with a Y-configuration. Is there anything else creative. Not really willing to trust the swim platform hook, although it is screwed & glued down, so it really should go anywhere. Is a single line off one stern cleat good enough?

How do others handle this? Thanks.
 
ABF79FE3-F810-4751-8261-A54F94DB1D0B.jpeg

We used a bridle attached to stern cleats for pulling water toys on our previous SRs and those worked fine. We also had a 26’ Express that had tie downs on the transom. That was even better. I would not trust anything attached to a swim platform on these boats.
 
You might want to look at the y-ropes that they make for pontoon boats. They clip on to the tie downs on the transom, although you could probably attach them to the cleats as well. One cleat won’t do it, you are off center and may even pull the cleat out if the tube submarines.

The quick connects on the y harnesses are helpful as well. If you use knots to attach your ski rope to the y harness they become very hard to unwind.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B087..._1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&pd_rd_i=B087TFZRFVp13NParams

https://www.amazon.com/Airhead-AHTH-3-Kwik-Tek-Tow-Harness/dp/B000FECD2Y
 
I used two of these (one at each end) to pull a dinghy behind our 280DA when we had it. Attached to the two stern cleats...your beam may be too wide for them to reach though.

upload_2021-4-25_13-7-55.png


Tubing behind a 38DA...that will make for an exciting wake! Get your credit card ready for a workout at the gas dock!!
 
bajturner said:
I used two of these (one at each end) to pull a dinghy behind our 280DA when we had it. Attached to the two stern cleats...your beam may be too wide for them to reach though.

View attachment 103819

Tubing behind a 38DA...that will make for an exciting wake! Get your credit card ready for a workout at the gas dock!!
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4 person tubs can have a lot of drag. too much for a regular rope. Overtons and Walmart carry this... https://www.overtons.com/gladiator-heavy-duty-tow-harness-for-pontoon-boats-16-358787.html
 
Atalla said:
Barring purchasing a second boat, I’m gonna have to work with what I’ve got.
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a jet ski seems like it would fit nicely on your boat problem solved. they are cheap from 6k that would solve all the the "this is boring" talk when the adults just want to sit at anchor.
 
nelson Gay said:
a jet ski seems like it would fit nicely on your boat problem solved. they are cheap from 6k that would solve all the the "this is boring" talk when the adults just want to sit at anchor.
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There's nothing particularly easy, nor cheap, about trying to get 400+lbs of anything on/off the swim platform :) You can easily spend $6k just on the davit...
 
bajturner said:
That's how I justified a 12.5' RIB!
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How much power is on your tender? I have an 10'6" tender with a 20hp outboard. Should I focus my energy on that vs. the big boat?
 
nelson Gay said:
a jet ski seems like it would fit nicely on your boat problem solved. they are cheap from 6k that would solve all the the "this is boring" talk when the adults just want to sit at anchor.
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My kids are a bit too young to send off to play alone, so the adults are going to have to participate in this either way.
 
Atalla said:
How much power is on your tender? I have an 10'6" tender with a 20hp outboard. Should I focus my energy on that vs. the big boat?
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It has a 40HP Yamaha 4-stroke. The RIB can take a 50HP, but we chose a 40 so our kids, who were 11 and 13 when I bought it, could legally drive (up to 40HP at 12 years old in Canada). They were trained starting at 8 years old on a 9' 6" dinghy with a 9.9.

It does about 32MPH with a 4-bladed towing prop. Pulls a tube with 3 kids no problem, or a wakeboarder, although we probably use the Sea-Doo more often for wakeboarding now. You might be a little light with your existing tender. The tube starts to outweigh / outpower you! Doesn't cost anything to try...
 
Atalla said:
My kids are a bit too young to send off to play alone, so the adults are going to have to participate in this either way.
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Yeah, I grew up on or around the water and have owned PWCs on and off for over 20 years. They aren't toys. You have to be 16 here to drive one, and they require good lessons and respect.

Playing with the kids is the whole point!!
 
bajturner said:
Yeah, I grew up on or around the water and have owned PWCs on and off for over 20 years. They aren't toys. You have to be 16 here to drive one, and they require good lessons and respect.

Playing with the kids is the whole point!!
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Yeah, in WA, you have to be 12 to operate anything that is licensed and since my tender has over 10+hp, it is a registered with the state. My son is almost 12 and will get his boater's license this year, which legally allows him to operate it alone, but I'm not about to let him take his little sister out alone. :)
 
bajturner said:
It has a 40HP Yamaha 4-stroke. The RIB can take a 50HP, but we chose a 40 so our kids, who were 11 and 13 when I bought it, could legally drive (up to 40HP at 12 years old in Canada). They were trained starting at 8 years old on a 9' 6" dinghy with a 9.9.

It does about 32MPH with a 4-bladed towing prop. Pulls a tube with 3 kids no problem, or a wakeboarder, although we probably use the Sea-Doo more often for wakeboarding now. You might be a little light with your existing tender. The tube starts to outweigh / outpower you! Doesn't cost anything to try...
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My AB can take 30hp. On smooth water, we get into the mid-20s pretty comfortably with the 20hp 4-stroke Tohatsu without a tube behind. I'll see what I can see this summer.
 
I think a bridle with the pulley / roller is the way to go. Often they are made for smaller boats (8.5' beam or less), so you might need to check how long / wide it is. I mean, who goes tubing on a boat with a 13-4 foot beam, right?

I have an Airhead bridle for my 9.5' RIB that I tried on my Back Cove 34 last year. It just barely fit on cleats mounted at the top of the transom. The roller type would have been better. Kids didn't like it though - they were afraid of the wake on the big boat (they were 13 and 10 at the time). Before that we were using 270 Amberjack which was good for tubing, and the aforementioned RIB. With its 15 HP motor the towing performance on the RIB isn't so good anymore as the kids get bigger and heavier. More like a slow tour. Just be prepared that with a 38 DA the wake might be pretty large for your kids.
 
Atalla said:
Yeah, in WA, you have to be 12 to operate anything that is licensed and since my tender has over 10+hp, it is a registered with the state. My son is almost 12 and will get his boater's license this year, which legally allows him to operate it alone, but I'm not about to let him take his little sister out alone. :)
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Atalla said:
Yeah, in WA, you have to be 12 to operate anything that is licensed and since my tender has over 10+hp, it is a registered with the state. My son is almost 12 and will get his boater's license this year, which legally allows him to operate it alone, but I'm not about to let him take his little sister out alone. :)
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NY licenses kids starting at 10. My son started driving our RIB about 7 or 8 with me, and got his license at 10. We would let him go out by himself at 10, then take his sister at 11. He's almost 15 and has always been very responsible for his age. My daughter is 11 and she hasn't gotten her boating license yet because she hasn't been ready.

One of the best things for our kids has been the ability for them to take off and go exploring on the dinghy. It lets them have a feeling of adventure and responsibility. We regularly anchor in an enclosed harbor so they can't get into to much trouble. They always take a DSC-enabled hand-held radio so I can both reach them and ping their location from the main boat.
 
b_arrington said:
NY licenses kids starting at 10. My son started driving our RIB about 7 or 8 with me, and got his license at 10. We would let him go out by himself at 10, then take his sister at 11. He's almost 15 and has always been very responsible for his age. My daughter is 11 and she hasn't gotten her boating license yet because she hasn't been ready.

One of the best things for our kids has been the ability for them to take off and go exploring on the dinghy. It lets them have a feeling of adventure and responsibility. We regularly anchor in an enclosed harbor so they can't get into to much trouble. They always take a DSC-enabled hand-held radio so I can both reach them and ping their location from the main boat.
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Yeah. My son is already pretty comfortable operating the tender. But he does not qualify as responsible for his little sister yet. He's got some more work to do to convince me on that.
 
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