Bought a boat with a wakeboard tower- can I tow a tube?

[Augoose]

I can't find a manufacturing stamp on my tower but it appears to be solid and professionally installed. I was planning on wakeboarding this summer and would have likely hooked the rope right up to it to pull the kids on the tube as well until I just happened to read an advertisement for a different tower which advertises its the "only tower stong enough for pulling tubes".

I had no clue that, generally speaking, any old wakeboard tower couldn't handle towing a tube- is that right?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Bought a boat with a wakeboard tower- can I tow a tube?

you will want to pull tubes from the transom. wake board towers are for wake boards

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Bought a boat with a wakeboard tower- can I tow a tube?

in previous discussion on the topic, lots of people doubt a tower isn't strong enough. A tube on a plane has little pull (but let one nose-dive!) However, they pull differently and may affect the boat's stability.

Keep in mind that many safety warnings save lives from dangers we wouldn't know about. Others are so overly cautious as to make us into a nation of weenies. Like wearing safety glasses to operate a screwdriver.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Bought a boat with a wakeboard tower- can I tow a tube?

Wakeboards tend to have less drag than a tube, especially a muti-rider tube.
Wakeboarders like to play in the wake, so they tend to stay behind the boat.

Take a good turn with the boat and Crack the Whip with the tube;
Now you have the boat leaning in the turn with the tube pulling the boat over with an 8 foot lever.
The possibility of a capsize is higher.
With a boarder, he at least has the option of letting go of the tow rope to save your butt!
If the tube digs in, it will get ugly real fast.

 

[evolution1985]

Re: Bought a boat with a wakeboard tower- can I tow a tube?

you will want to pull tubes from the transom. wake board towers are for wake boards

The biggest problem with towing tubes or other inflatables with a wakeboard tower is the multi directional forces that are applied to a towers pivot point that just aren't as strong with a wakeboarder. Its not a question of will the boat capsize or will it rip the tower off of a boat, If the tower is installed correctly and the proper backing is applied you won't have a problem with that. A skicraft boat built here has factory reinforcement done at tower mount points during time of construction, if you add the backing before you install your tower it will have the same strengthening affect. THE NO.1 REASON why tower manufacturers stipulate not to tow an inflatable with the tower is due to the tower itself not being strong enough to cope with the increased forces on it. sure it might not break the first or the tenth time you do it but it will break. The towers are engineered for the forces that come from a wakeboarder not for a tube. You can buy a tower that is built to cope with it but I don't see the need to.
Oh and also most towers aren't made with stainless steel or even steel, most are just aluminium , so your loosing out on strength right there, But I still don't see the need for an over engineered tower just to tow a tube, if you have anywhere else on the back of the boat to pull from you will find that YOU as the driver have allot more control on how the tube reacts anyway.


I have seen two types of towers break from pulling A: a tube and B: an inflatable wing.
The first one that broke was a factory malibu tower and It tore the pivot point from the welds, it was not covered as they clearly state do not pull a tube.
the other was a universal one "similar to a monster tower" on a regal. The one on the regal actually tore the alloy out right next to the welds and caused injury to two of the people on the boat.

The malibu was actually my mates boat and he gave me the run down on what the malibu rep told him, which is exactly what I just told you.

The regal was where we ski and it snapped just after it went past us on the bank.

Towing an inflatable by a tower is really not required, im sure you have a rear point to tow it from?

I hope I have helped and what I have just said is what I have been told. so its about worth what you paid for it. $00.00


best of luck mate

 

[Augoose]

Re: Bought a boat with a wakeboard tower- can I tow a tube?

Thanks guys for all the information. Had I not seen the ad about the wakeboard tower I probably would have been out there towing someone around unknowingly.
I'll use the ski eye for skiing and tubing and the wakeboard tower for just that......
Thanks!

 

[evolution1985]

Re: Bought a boat with a wakeboard tower- can I tow a tube?

Thanks guys for all the information. Had I not seen the ad about the wakeboard tower I probably would have been out there towing someone around unknowingly.
I'll use the ski eye for skiing and tubing and the wakeboard tower for just that......
Thanks!

all good, allot of people aren't aware. Im looking at buying a wakeboat company, and I was just reading through allot of the literature that I have to go through beforehand and It states pretty much exactly what I just said in the manual for the towers that they use.

all the best for your season of water fun mate, ours just finished so unless I can get over there to look into marketing I probably won't have anymore "fun in the sun" days

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Bought a boat with a wakeboard tower- can I tow a tube?

Wakeboards tend to have less drag than a tube, especially a muti-rider tube.
Wakeboarders like to play in the wake, so they tend to stay behind the boat.

Haven't towed wakeboarders much? :redface:


I probably spend .05 seconds behind the wake per jump, and there is very little tension. A good wakeboarder leaning out hard outside the wake can put A LOT of tension on the line, possibly as much as a tube. The difference is that when a wakeboarder falls, no more tension. When a tuber dumps off, the tube might end up-side-down. That makes for a very effective water anchor, and will easily snap a pretty serious rope.