This past weekend I took a large charter for a complete boating experience. We had the yacht, jet boat, and skis. The jet boat was part of our flotilla so that we could provide the charter a tubing experience. Therefore, I thought I would talk about tubing safety and general operation as well as physics for readers that may be new to boating; and some day would want to include a tubing as part of their boating skills.
As far as equipment, you don’t need much by way of speed; torque is your friend here. Top speed for tubing should be around 20 mph; your guests will swear you’re going 60! You also want to make sure your equipment is in good working order. Pulling someone behind your boat is not the best thing to do when you have been putting off that boat fix or maintenance issue.
Also, you need to inspect all the equipment. This includes your boat’s tie down points, the tow line, the tow device tie down points, the tube or tow device itself. Look for obvious wear and tear and any metal or material fatigue. Don’t forget your PFD’s! You should have Type 5 PFD’s designed specifically for the water activity (or special purpose). Just like Type 1’s, 2’s and 3’s, your type 5’s should have a good snug fit for all your passengers ages, shapes and sizes; and should be void of any serious fatigue that would compromise the PFD’s performance. One side note about your PFD’s… It is always good idea to rinse your PFD’s with fresh water after exposure to sea water. Additionally, you want to make sure the PFD is completely dry prior to storage and avoid leaving them in direct sunlight when not in use. Nothing will ruin a Type 5 PFD faster than leaving them out in the sun. The same care should be performed with your tow equipment; e.g. the tube.
Now let me get this out there… For those of you that think the flying tube is a great idea…Maybe it is, but not when you are chartering. The number one goal for the tubing experience is for all your passengers to come back in the same condition as when they got on the boat. This article will not get into what the best tube is (although I have my opinion on what style works the best); just know you are ultimately putting your passengers at a far greater risk for injury; therefore, don’t go cheap on a tow device. Additionally, tubes that have some sort of natural resistance to changes in G-force e.g. walls, backs, pads, rims, handles or a combination of all work best and offer your passengers a more enjoyable experience.
Special note: One thing that most new tubers don’t consider is eye protection. Have a pair of cheap or used swim goggles available for each of your passengers. Trust me, having goggles available will provide them much more enjoyable experience.
You should also be familiar with your boat’s tow tie off points; AND, understand how to safely and securely tie off a tow rope. Most pleasure boats come with a transom-eye, hook, or other tie point mechanism. Since there are so many types, I won’t cover how to tie off in this article; but instead refer you to your boat’s manufacture recommendations for tying off a tow rope. I do not recommend tying off on a single stern cleat. However, I have used a bridle. A bridle is a Y-shaped rope harness where you secure each end of the “Y” to port and starboard cleats then the tow rope to the end of the bridal.
I have tied off a tow device from my boat’s roof support bars. I did because of wanting a tubing experience and didn’t have easy access to a boat that was designed for recreational towing; and, my towing in this manner was extremely limited. My boat was not equipped with transom-based tow points; and the physical location of the cleats were too far apart due to boat’s wide beam. Additionally, I bought special harnesses that supported the bridle port and starboard connection. And last, I would not recommend this configuration unless your roof support bars are more than 2 inches in diameter, and you have plenty of passenger space forward; as no one can be aft do to the swing of the bridle and tow rope. The other consideration I made with my personal boat was I purchased 2 ski tow ropes to extend the distance of the tow device and passengers so that my massive wake wouldn’t compromise the experience of the towed passengers. A silly configuration; yes, I know. Would I do it again, nope. My point is, it could be done if you had no other operations with your boat.
You want to make sure that your tubing destination has ample space. While the high G-force turns adds the “X” factor to your tubing experience, sometimes you may have a passenger that wants to go straight with a limited number of turns; or passengers that need a break. You want to make sure you are a minimum of 500 feet from any fixed structure e.g. land, docks, pilings, buoys, sea walls, trees, bushes, reefs, oyster beds, anchored boats, houseboats, etc. and at least 250 from any other boats or watercraft. And for Pete’s Sake, NEVER tube to recreational tow in a channel! And that goes Quadruple when you think its just easier to tow your tube back to your home port. DON’T be “That Captain.”
You think ample space consideration would be a no "brainer;" but even smart people make terrible lapses in judgement. Several years ago a buddy of mine (who happens to be a pediatric ER physician) had two boys; ages 12 and 16 present at the ER with bodies ripped and mangled due to their dad, a doctor; and also an inexperienced boater, wanting to give his boys a great day on the water. The location he chose was in a large basin with limited maneuverability. Unfortunately, during one of his “sling-shot” maneuvers, the doctor “sling-shotted” the tube directly into a dock. Sadly, the 16-year-old didn’t make out of the ER. My point; you can be educated, smart and a professional… and reckless when it comes to boating. Don’t tube unless you have lots of room. And don’t perform risky maneuverers unless you know the capabilities of the maneuver itself and the physical space required to complete.
Additional to ample space, water conditions are equally as important. You want to find a location that offers smooth to calm waters. Pulling a tube or any tow device on choppy water is a recipe for injury.
Before you tow, don’t be “that person” and attempt to tube without a proper lookout. Sure, you can buy a mirror; but your visibility and your attention to both driving and looking are severely compromised. Always have someone on the boat that does nothing but keep a constant lookout aft. Your attention should be 100% focused on where you’re going and what is around you. Come to think of it, the doctor didn’t have a lookout either.
Before you tow; know the signals and provide a safety briefing for all the passengers. Make sure each passenger can demonstrate each signal; and make sure they demonstrate what to do and what to signal (or not signal) when they end up in the water at least 3 times. The lookout should also know the signals and be able to properly demonstrate the signals to those that are in the water; to the point that often a passenger after falling off is still in their moment of joy (or disbelief) and will forget to signal; but is always looking at the boat.
When someone falls off, immediately cut your engine(s). Depending on the location, make your turn in the direction of the tuber(s). Never steer directly towards someone in the water. Give about a boat length either port or starboard and pass the passengers at idle speed. As soon as you pass the passengers, turn full rudder, in the same direction as you passed. Meaning, if you past the tuber on your port-side turn rudder hard to port. At about 90 degrees into your turn, straighten your rudder. The tow rope and tube will eventually draw closer so the passenger so they can grab the rope and either pull themselves to the boat or tube. If the tube has flipped over, instruct the tuber(s) to pull themselves to the boat. Most tubes are impossible to flip in open water. You will need to pull the tube in and flip it over at the boat.
As with all things boating, experience is the key to be a great tube captain. Learning the G-forces turns; when to execute those turns and knowing your passengers and equipment’s limits is paramount. While this article is not meant to be a how-to on tube maneuvers, for those that don’t know how to execute a G-force turn, here are some recommendations:
A G-force turn is using the physics of centrifugal force or “force moves in a curved path away from the center of rotation.” For the G-rated version of this move, you can start your practicing by positioning the tube on your port or starboard side. Move forward with a slight turn toward the side with your tubers are on until about 1/4 of the tow rope’s slack remains. At this point, continue the turn full rudder and increase engine speed. The faster you accelerate; the more energy will transfer to the tuber’s swing outward. To continue the sling-shot experience you can keep the rudder full in the direction of your turn and make a full circle; BUT BE WARNED, depending on your boat’s wake, the size and depth of the wake make flip, launch, or swamp the tube; all in good-ole-fashion fun once you get the hang of it.
I always recommend a tube captain to experience tubing so they get an idea of what the passengers are going through; so they can better judge how much energy is transferred to the tube and the difference between pleasurable and X-Games.
Good Luck with your future tubing experiences, and feel free to provide your experiences in the comment section.
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