Anyone have a booster ball for tubing? worth it?

[DavidF]

kids love to tube. Had to get a new bandwagon 4 person today and wondering if the booster ball really enhances the experience

[lakejimmyjon]

My neighbor uses one pulling tubes behind a pontoon and says it helps.

[orbeamlb]

We use one with our ProStar and find it really helps with the low towing point. Gets the rope out of the water and reduces drag. Minimizes spray for the riders too.

[DavidF]

Thanks gang!

[dpb185]

I have the Sportsstuff ball. It works great, keeps the rope out of the water and reduces spray. Make sure you get a tow harness and attach to your stern lifting hooks and not the ski pylon or tower.

[DavidF]

I have the Sportsstuff ball. It works great, keeps the rope out of the water and reduces spray. Make sure you get a tow harness and attach to your stern lifting hooks and not the ski pylon or tower.

Thanks. Dumb question, what is a tow harness? And agreed, I never attach to the tower any longer, used to. I only attach ropes to the tower now for wakeboarding and surfing.

[dpb185]

Thanks. Dumb question, what is a tow harness? And agreed, I never attach to the tower any longer, used to. I only attach ropes to the tower now for wakeboarding and surfing.

This is what we use:

https://www.amazon.com/Airhead-AHTH-2-Kwik-Tek-Tow-Harness/dp/B000FE9C2I

It distributes the load of the tube between the 2 transom hooks. Not sure if it's absolutely necessary but it seemed like a good idea. It has a quick connect to the tube rope on the single end so it's easy to tie it all together.

[DavidF]

ah, thanks!

[LBJAL]

Is the short rear pylon on newer boats okay for towables?

[dpb185]

Is the short rear pylon on newer boats okay for towables?

I wouldn't ever hook a tube up to a ski pylon personally. Tubes can submarine and rip out or bend the pylon. I do skiers, knee boarders, hover craft but tubes go on the transom hooks.

Just my opinion. I'm sure there are plenty of boat owners that hook tubes to the pylon and have never had a problem with it.

[XT21LakeAnna]

Easy solution is to not tube but if you have to using the ski pylon is fine.

[DavidF]

Kids are the ones tubing, not me I use the ski pylon with no issues.

[3event]

I bought the Sportsstuff booster ball just so I could use the back seat when tubing. The transom hook is a pretty low tow point on a 197 and the ball does the trick. Never any issues or concerns pulling from the pylon either, but not very convenient for us.

[dfski]

Make sure you get a tow harness and attach to your stern lifting hooks and not the ski pylon or tower.

I though the lifting hooks were just for that, lifting and not towing. A vertical load is very different than a horizontal load. On my 205 there is a transom tow hook in the center that is for towing and specifically says not for lifting. I know a tube is a heavy load, but so are jumpers and double deepwater barefoot starts and the pylon works for all of that. My 205 is a DD and the pylon in a V drive may be different. I agree, don’t use the tower.

[dpb185]

I though the lifting hooks were just for that, lifting and not towing. A vertical load is very different than a horizontal load. On my 205 there is a transom tow hook in the center that is for towing and specifically says not for lifting. I know a tube is a heavy load, but so are jumpers and double deepwater barefoot starts and the pylon works for all of that. My 205 is a DD and the pylon in a V drive may be different. I agree, don’t use the tower.

The issue isn't the weight of what you're pulling it's the size of the cross section of a submerged or partially submerged tube you have to worry about. If the tube goes under you're then pulling all the weight of the water that's between the tube and the surface.