How to Safely Pull a Tube Behind a Boat 

Safest way is to not let your childless Uncle drive the boat.

Engine shut off when kids getting back into the boat is great advice. When I was younger we thought the boat was in neutral and it was not! My legs got sucked up into the prop and have some nice scars to prove it!

This was our first summer with a tube for our two boys (pulled behind our Stingray 185), and they loved it. All these tips are a fantastic addition to our own “family safety list”. Thanks again. 🇨🇦👍🏼

Always pull from the tower never had an issue boat is 16 years old and kids love it when they take flight. But we’re ultimate water sport family.

Excellent reminder video for a returning tuber and driver. Thanks!

Everyone’s talking about the towbar that our pontoon doesn’t have one but eyeless at the end of the pontoon information on that would be nice. Still need to go buy a harness.

Thank you for pointing out that you want to shut the engine off when passengers enter the boat from the back. That is something I always do

Great information. We are very close to buying a boat and this helps out tremendously!! Thank you!

Thanks for the tips! I've owned a boat for 6 years but just got into tubing.

So glad I found your channel! It's exactly what I was looking for

I’m a new boater and was thinking about this, so this is a great video, thank you sir! 😁

love your boat. buying next year similar to yours. for now, we have bayliner... thank you for the video.

Very good video. I’m glad I’m doing something right. Friends always think I’m being a bit of a tool because I always give a safety speech before hand - but rather that than someone being hurt. I especially appreciated the tower / tubing point. I’ve just got my first tower. So that’s good to know. I also note people say you shouldn’t give from the ski pole. But rather from the boat tie down point that are left and right of the motor??? What’s your opinion? I also have a ball to keep the tow line up and out the water….

Great tips! Thank you!

Excellent video, as always.

Great info. Thanks

Great video! Thank you👍

Good video, believe that is what I should to know in that stage

Great vid! Thanks

abslutley AMAZING great educational vid. ALL my AMAZON choice I am happy with

This was great! Tysm

Very well done sir. TY

I was looking for the right video to watch, the first words were “are you a terrorizing Tonya, or a timid Tony” yep, think I found the video I want lol.

great video!

Great topic

Ken - these are great videos. A few questions: 1. What lake are you on and 2. Is that your primary boat or do you have another for different purposes on the lake ? I ask because I see so many lake houses with two boat house garages and I wanted to see your preference. And, if that is your primary boat - it looks awesome - and what kind of boat is it? Make/Model? Thanks so much for your awesome videos!!

All the boat manufactures I know say DO NOT attach a tube to a ski hook, that is for water skiing. A tube is much heavier and creates a lot more resistance in the water. Using the ski hook with a tube can pull it right out of the boat. There are tubing rigs that use both of the u-bolts on the back, which are used to pick up the boat. I have also used a rear cleat.

I started your video and heard my name right away I was like what did I do?🤣 great info we will be tubing in the ocean here in Florida

Most ski towers, especially on pontoons, will break if you tow tubes with them. Depends on rating and design. Can use a Y harness on the tie down hooks at the back of the pontoons.

I fell off one it and I rolled around the surface of the lake it was like I was hitting a hard concrete floor so please be careful stay safe guys

Great video as all of them are of very useful knowledge. There was mention not to tow tubes ( basically all floaty toys ) from the tower and this is great to know but in previous videos of buying a used boat there has not been how to see or what to feel for signs of a tower that has been damaged , either from floaty or ?? any idea if this maybe coming soon or ?? Thank you for all you do Sean :)

Great info EXCEPT the suggested length of the rope for tubing was not included. Nitpicky I know but....

the signs me and my family use for tubing is thumbs up or down for faster or slower and spin hand for a donut to stop jump off or hold hand up

How should u hook up two ropes and tubes

Hey Len can I help you produce these videos? Would love to assist in any video production needs you have. Great video!

Anything about second rider in boat to watch tubers? Probably most important note that boaters don't do.

great. What lake is that?

How can I keep the rope from spraying water in a tubers face? I have a mid point rope ball and that doesn't help? Can I get a portable tube pole?

Why do you show the rope attached to the ski tower which I'm sure has a sticker that is visible stating "do not pull from this point"?

I would usually pull tubes at up to 35mph if they were good tubers and had a big enough lake with low enough traffic on the water

What kind of watch is this sir?

It's my understanding from the manufacturer of my pontoon boat that it is not recommended to use the ski tow bar for pulling tubes.

When I tube. I go into the high 30’s and it really doesn’t hurt to bad. But I would say if you’re going fast, the head tap should ABSOLUTELY NOT be the signs for stop because if you want to stop. It’s probably because the driver is going to fast or too crazy for the people on the tubes so if you take a hand off of a handle to tap your head, you could be much more injured then if you just shake your head no or a different signs

As smart as it is to be safe on the water, my favorite memory as a child is being whipped around behind my uncles boat🤣 we’d usually fly off and tumble on top of the water for a few feet then be fine, but one time I remember somehow flying off on a corner and instead of tumbling, my body acted almost as a surfboard and I must’ve been sliding on my stomach/life vest for a solid 30-45 feet💀

What lake is that?

Chhagan😮

i totally thought this was gonna be about bongloads

Hello Sean, what is the watch you are wearing ?

What boat are you using in this video?

What is the trick to get the tubes to swing from side to side?

I just ordered a Sea Doo switch pontoon and added the ski pylon to the package. It measures 23 5/8”s. Can I safely pull a tube with that? I can’t find any specifications for weight/force on it.

When I was nine, the rope got sucked into the prop and it was a pain in the butt to get out

Tower towing is bad. When the tubers fall off, the tube sometimes submerges and creates a very heavy load, if you turn the boat, the pressure of the tube may pull the boat over, this happens more than people know.

Not new to boating but we are going get a sit in type tube for 2. I was waiting for the proper length of ski rope to get. Did I miss that part? I am looking at a 65 foot rope, too long, short or just right?

Whats the best pontoon boat I can buy for the money?

We had a dad tow his kids on a tube into our stationary boat. He was totally clueless. Kids were helpless. Slammed into the side of our boat. Things went South real fast. We were floating stationary getting a skier ready when this happened.

you didnt mention the tow line length ??

Thanks for the safety tips. Sometimes the tube starts sinking at the pulling point, causing tubers to submerge. Any idea why and how to avoid this?

Why is our tube nose diving? It was fine with one kiddo then we added our other child and when we took off the front of the tube just took water and went under

I tubed without a lifevest and nearly drowned (another boater saved my life literally! I would have died) because the people on the boat didnt have a plan for what to do with the rope after and couldnt turn the engine on to come save me because rope was near the propeller. Always wear a life vest and have a plan.

Thanks for sharing. How May I contact you, do you have an email? I have a project to talk to you

What length rope? You didn't cover that.

My dad will not slow when I say slow down he will not and will say oh your fine I know how to pull a tube and we were going 33 and I got red marks all over me when I wiped and I'm 12

The driver always needs to maintain eye contact with the person in the water they are picking up. If you can see them, you can't run them over. Anyway Sean, what about a video about ethanol. The UK is moving to E10 as the default fuel from 1st September! :(

AHHHH! YOU'RE PULLING FROM THE SKI BAR!! Seriously though, I'm wanting to add the exact kind of ski bar your using in this video, but they ALL say 'don't pull inflatables'. Is this fear overstated? Is it just a way for the manufacturer to avoid all responsibility? Because the tower you're using is the exact same as multiple other manufacturers i'm searching right now. Its so annoying that everyone tries so hard to not take responsibility for their product. I have to imagine 99% of pontoon buyers pull tubes with that bar and have no idea they 'shouldn't'.

This is like saying how to have a trampoline in the back yard and not have any kids break their arms. The only way to do that is to leave it in the box.

We all know that unless you become scared for your safety on the tube, you arent having fun.

Good video but the microphone is literally on your throat , sounds like you swallowed it

Corny but thank you

Safe and tubing is oxymoron

Wierd, every safety standard says not to run multiple tubes.

After many years of boating I have realized that tubing is not only a waste of time for the driver, passengers and riders but a big safety risk for all that is just not worth it. The riders learn nothing and just treat it like a fairground ride. The Passengers and driver are often bored out of their minds and the boat is driven around at speed and in dangerous turns and is fraught with risk for all. That does not even take into account the injuries that the riders can sustain from tube flips or when the tube goes aerial and comes down hard. And don't even consider tubing with an outboard or I/O vessel, the risk of the prop cutting up the riders is just far too great - too many accidents on the water every year with tubing. If I see another driver running the engine while people are getting on and offboard the boat I am going to go crazy. Apparently safety is just a boomer thing. Instead, consider sending the kids to Six Flags for the day and then later teach them how to water ski, wakeboard or wakesurf - they get exercise and they learn that they are in control of their own destiny behind the boat. Its a great life lesson right there. You are in control, not me. I know its harsh, but I feel tubing should really be banned for the danger and havoc it causes for the riders, the driver and other lake users. Wakeboarders and water ski boats at least go in predictable straight lines, tuber drivers drive like they just broke out of an insane asylum and often cause boat crashes and bring other dangers to the waterways and their riders.