# Anyone else pull tubes/skiers with your tins?



## sturdi87 (Jul 19, 2010)

I'm just a little curious as to how many of yall pull tubes or skiers behind your tin boats? One day my lady was out with me on the boat fishing and after it had started to get real hot she asks me (with her zebco 33 in hand) "can your boat pull a tube?." Well the next day she calls me and says "I bought you a tube." Recently we have been fishing in the morning, fishing in the evening, and tubing in the afternoon. I am pulling the tube behind a 14' aluminum semi-v with a 40 mariner and it does very well actually. I was just curious if anyone else here pulls tubes/skiers behind their tin boats?


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## bassboy1 (Jul 19, 2010)

Yep. I pulled tubes behind my Yazoo with '75 40 all the time. Skied behind it a couple times, just for the heck of it. Being a fairly heavy boat, it did extremely well. I don't yet know how my Alumacraft is going to act with them, as it is a lot less boat, with the same outboard, so I wonder how much the tube is going to pull the boat around.


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## sturdi87 (Jul 19, 2010)

ok good i'm not the only one pulling a tube behind a flat green boat! I would say my starcraft is pretty light and it does great. I bought a Y harness to connect the tow rope to. Not only is it fun but an added benefit is that the girl(s) on the boat with me are wearing bikinis while casting the zebco 33's I bought for them in the morning and evening before and after tubing! One thing I might like better than fishing is watching a good looking lady cast a zebco 33 wearing a bikini, well maybe not more than fishing, but it certainly adds to the experience!


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## BaitCaster (Jul 20, 2010)

sturdi87 said:


> ok good i'm not the only one pulling a tube behind a flat green boat! I would say my starcraft is pretty light and it does great. I bought a Y harness to connect the tow rope to. Not only is it fun but an added benefit is that the girl(s) on the boat with me are wearing bikinis while casting the zebco 33's I bought for them in the morning and evening before and after tubing! One thing I might like better than fishing is watching a good looking lady cast a zebco 33 wearing a bikini, well maybe not more than fishing, but it certainly adds to the experience!



Not sure my 18hp could get my boat up on plane pulling a tube (definitely not a skier), but the kids would love it if I could!


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## bassboy1 (Jul 20, 2010)

BaitCaster said:


> sturdi87 said:
> 
> 
> > ok good i'm not the only one pulling a tube behind a flat green boat! I would say my starcraft is pretty light and it does great. I bought a Y harness to connect the tow rope to. Not only is it fun but an added benefit is that the girl(s) on the boat with me are wearing bikinis while casting the zebco 33's I bought for them in the morning and evening before and after tubing! One thing I might like better than fishing is watching a good looking lady cast a zebco 33 wearing a bikini, well maybe not more than fishing, but it certainly adds to the experience!
> ...


A skier would likely be easier than a tube. Obviously, you aren't going to teach a beginner to ski behind that, as you really need to let the boat do the work with beginners, but someone with moderate experience should do it fine. They'll be pushing water for a second, and probably will have to help pop themselves out of the hole, but as soon as they are up on top, you should be able to get up on plane yourself, and move near as well as you do without a load behind you. 

I have some friends that are die hard water skiers. So much so that one of the sons places in the top 5 nationally, mostly in jump. However, the father actually grew up skiing behind an 18 horse. He said he thought they were living in high cotton when his dad bought a 25. :lol: 

Tubes just flat out take a lot of power to pull. Once you get them on plane, they don't pull _that_ hard, but getting them there is no easy feat.


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## devilmutt (Jul 20, 2010)

Do you need to reinforce the transom to pull a tube? How are you connecting the line to the boat? My oldest girl would love to do this. Thanks.


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## nyjay75 (Jul 20, 2010)

I've had my 16ft flat bottom with a 35 up to 23mph with my kids on a tube. It takes a minute to get up to speed, but holds it very well. The only thing negative is, when I turn too sharp, the boat wants to drift at a scarey angle. I am going to change my prop to a holeshot pitch and see if it helps coming out of turn when the waters choppy.


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## Troutman3000 (Jul 20, 2010)

devilmutt said:


> Do you need to reinforce the transom to pull a tube? How are you connecting the line to the boat? My oldest girl would love to do this. Thanks.




Probably come off the corners and not need to reenforce the transom. Im gonna try it soon.


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## bassboy1 (Jul 21, 2010)

devilmutt said:


> Do you need to reinforce the transom to pull a tube? How are you connecting the line to the boat? My oldest girl would love to do this. Thanks.



Just use a tow bridle, and go to each transom eye. You can purchase one of those goofy cables with the roller, but what I use is merely a 1/2 or 5/8 dockline (probably about 15 feet), for my bridle, then attach the tube line to it, via a climbing rated carabiner. I used to just run the bridle through the loop of the tube line, and let them slide against each other, and while that didn't affect the high quality braided dockline, the polysomethingorother tube line didn't fare as well. The carabiner eliminates that issue, and actually allows the tow line to shift side to side easier, without binding up (side to side movement is desired, else on a turn, only one side would be tight, and the boat just won't turn).


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## Troutman3000 (Jul 21, 2010)

bassboy1 said:


> devilmutt said:
> 
> 
> > Do you need to reinforce the transom to pull a tube? How are you connecting the line to the boat? My oldest girl would love to do this. Thanks.
> ...




Can you link this for me?


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## devilmutt (Jul 22, 2010)

Thanks bassboy1. I guess I need to purchase and install some transom eyes now.


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## Troutman3000 (Jul 22, 2010)

devilmutt said:


> Thanks bassboy1. I guess I need to purchase and install some transom eyes now.




I already have them from my tie down straps. I cant wait to see how a tube does!


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## fender66 (Jul 22, 2010)

Believe it or not, that is why I have a 225 Merc/Jet powering my tin. Justified it with family fun in mind.


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## sturdi87 (Jul 22, 2010)

devilmutt said:


> Do you need to reinforce the transom to pull a tube? How are you connecting the line to the boat? My oldest girl would love to do this. Thanks.



To answer this question I would say use good judgement. If your transom is solid, the biggest worry at least in my mind is in the immediate area of the transom that receives the most stress from the tube. This would of course be your tow points first off, then consider where points your transom connects to your boat, but if where the transom connected to the hull was an issue I would want to replace the transom and do it better pulling a tube or not. My boat had two metal handles installed on either side of the transom when i acquired it. just for good measure I replaced the four bolts holding each handle on with stainless as i wasn't sure what the previous owner used and I also put the largest washers I could fit (using smaller and smaller washers to step down to the bolt size) against the inside of the transom to better distribute any stress. I bought a tow harness which is a Y, one side connects to each handle and then the single side connects to the tow rope. I found two types of these harnesses, somewhat contrary to what I would expect those made out of rope where rated for more weight than those made out of cable and equipped with a pulley. I purchased a rope harness to connect the 60" o'brien screamer my girlfriend bought for me. The rope harness as well as the tow rope has a float on the end so keeping it out of the prop is no issue. I have pulled it several times now, even with two approx 175lbs males and two 110lbs females. With both males in the 14' tin and both girls on the tube the 40 had no issue. Prop plays a role in this, I may be underpropped as by myself I GPS at 29mph and without the GPS I would say it less than a five miles an hour less pulling two girls on a tube with two guys in the boat. Thats plenty to get a couple 22yr old ladies screaming when you whip them around the turns. 

We thought it was going to be a thing to keep the girls entertained, but we have found ourselves taking breaks from fishing especially in this heat we are having to pull each other around. :lol: 

Make sure to check your local regs. In my state you have to have a spotter on board or a mirror, so I had to get a mirror for me and my fishing buddy to pull each other.


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## island fever (Jul 23, 2010)

I would love to see those girls screaming on youtube! Hook us up.


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