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Large tube on Transom Ring


RanchDweller

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I know, tubbing is not cool. However, I need to keep the rest of the family happy. Anyway, will the rear transom ring pull a very large 3 person tube? Is it anchored enough to pull heavy loads without causing cracks? I have the ski pylon in front of the motor, tubing from there would make if very hard for anyone to sit in the rear seats. Thanks. 2002 Sportster.

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i'm in the same 'boat', having to please the (grown) kids when we head to a cottage for a week this summer.

i had intended to tow from the rear grab rail.

i was poking at the shower set-up and had pulled the rear panel.

noticed that there isn't much holding that grab rail in place.

i will NOT be towing a tube from it. i think i will rig the tube to the rear D rings.

Edited by tvano
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TVANO-

When you say rear grab rail what are you talking about? I have a circular ski tow ring. Does your boat have a grab rail in the middle of the transom or a ring? Sounds like you have a different set up than I do.

i'm in the same 'boat', having to please the (grown) kids when we head to a cottage for a week this summer.

i had intended to tow from the rear grab rail.

i was poking at the shower set-up and had pulled the rear panel.

noticed that there isn't much holding that grab rail in place.

i will NOT be towing a tube from it. i think i will rig the tube to the rear D rings.

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Copied from the manual:

"Malibu Boats’ “Pivoting-Head” ski pylon is designed for normal water skiing activities: slalom, jumping,

kneeboarding, tricks, and barefooting. Any other uses such as parasailing, kite flying, towing pyramids of

skiers, etc., may over-stress the pylon and possibly cause personal injury and/or equipment damage."

On page 3-14 it has a diagram of how to tow another boat, which is definitely from the stern rings.

No mention either way of using the transom ring.

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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Run your rope through your transom ring up to your pylon, and you can still use your back seat.

Thumbup.gifGENIUS! Maybe not genius but I never connected those dots before. Now I finally know what that transom ring is for!Blush.gif

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My friends have one of those giant three person tubes. I think it is hideous, but have to admit everyone has a blast on it. I have a rear grab rail and that is what I have tired it to. I'm thinking of getting one of those bungee tow ropes to reduce the stress on my grab rail.

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I've towed a 4 person tube from my rear ski eye. No problem on this 20 yr old boat. I've also used a harness to attach it to the rear D rings.

That one pic looks like the ski tow is integrated into the handle, since the handle had bolts in the middle.

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TVANO-

When you say rear grab rail what are you talking about? I have a circular ski tow ring. Does your boat have a grab rail in the middle of the transom or a ring? Sounds like you have a different set up than I do.

on my '04 response the rear grab rail (centered on transom) was an option. it is shown in Ndawg12 pix.

certainly glad i picked up the option; great for hauling my wide load out of the water.

i'm not sure how thick the 'glass is where that grab rail is mounted.

it is mounted above the really stout stuff that supports the wedge.

there is not a backing plate(s) to spread the load.

without taking the grab bar off to examine fiberglass thickness i would not tow anything substantial from it.

i've seen hulls lifted using the d-rings. i know that they will carry load.

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I know, tubbing is not cool. However, I need to keep the rest of the family happy. Anyway, will the rear transom ring pull a very large 3 person tube? Is it anchored enough to pull heavy loads without causing cracks? I have the ski pylon in front of the motor, tubing from there would make if very hard for anyone to sit in the rear seats. Thanks. 2002 Sportster.

Nothing brings more smiles, laughs and screams than pulling a mess of kids on tubes. I always tow these from the rear handle/ski ring. Not only one huge tube, but two huge tubes at times:

5210_1200247083500_1148239844_587001_3517676_n.jpg

Have done this for years on my 97 echelon with no issues. No stress cracks, no loosening of the handle, etc. Works great and durable.

I must admit that I will, from time to time, hook a tube to the center pylon for the older kids who brag "you can't throw us off". Righhhhhhhhhhhhhht....this ain't your father's deckboat, Sport. :rofl:

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EchelonMike-

That looks like a whole mess of fun. The family looks like they are having a blast. Seeing those gigantic tubes makes me feel much better about the transom ski ring. Thanks for the post!

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Just something to think about: Last year when I wetsanded my Echelon transom I had to remove the rear handle. The nuts holding it on were just barely more than hand-tightened. So you may want to double check yours, never know who may have had it on or off in years past. My stern eyes were good & tight, but for some reason the handle was not.

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I must admit that I will, from time to time, hook a tube to the center pylon for the older kids who brag "you can't throw us off". Righhhhhhhhhhhhhht....this ain't your father's deckboat, Sport. ROFL.gif

Yeah, that's the wrong thing to say, I don't care who you are. I provide a nice tube ride that pushes the riders limit a little, lets them have some fun and get close to falling off but I keep it in check. But when that first skinny 14 year old says stuff like that...I find a good chop, nice tight rope, start that back and forth goin' and steadily ramp it up. It doesn't even take a doughnut. I especially like it when after the first wipeout they say "Is that all you got?!?" And then hearing/seeing the wincing in the boat as their friends see them cartwheeling across the water.

Hi, my name is John, and I pull tubes. I've been pulling tubes for 20 years now. And I like it.

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I must admit that I will, from time to time, hook a tube to the center pylon for the older kids who brag "you can't throw us off". Righhhhhhhhhhhhhht....this ain't your father's deckboat, Sport. :rofl:

LOL, such a true statement. I have not even hooked the tube up to the center pylon.

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My friends have one of those giant three person tubes. I think it is hideous, but have to admit everyone has a blast on it. I have a rear grab rail and that is what I have tired it to. I'm thinking of getting one of those bungee tow ropes to reduce the stress on my grab rail.

I have seen those bungee ropes used before, DO NOT USE THEM. They are very dangerous. The concept is a great idea, but when the boat pulls hard on the tube the rope gives like it is suppose to but like a bungee it recoils the tube too far forward. I have seen the riders fall off the front of the tube after the recoil and the slack in the rope runs too big of a risk for the rider to get tangled up in the rope and as the boat takes off if the rider's neck is stuck in the tangled rope, that could be it for their life.

I know this sounds far fetched but the recoil in those ropes is too far. The boat doesn't need to slow down much during the recoil for the rider to fall over the front and from what I say the boat is already accelerating again before the recoil is finished and the rider falls over the front, so by the time the rider is half in the water and tangled in the rope the boat is tighening the rope again.

I can't stress enough how dangerous this is. Riders kept falling over the front of the tube, but only noticed the true danger when someone did it right on top of the rope while the boat had started accelerating again. Tubing immediatley stopped for the day and I personally cut the bungee out of each rope and disposed of them.

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MalibuNation

Thanks for the info on the bungees ... thought about getting one from Air Head.

At the Malibu factory ... do they lift the boat by the transom rings ... or a sling?

Edit: Michigan Boarder I was pulling a couple of 17 year old girls on Austin Lake going over 40 in a straight line and they wanted me to go faster and whip them ... cool to see daring kids ... but I didn't want to go any faster or whip them at that speed.

I was with another crew memeber a couple of years ago and there was a guy being pulled by a Baja insanely fast.

post-371-127316372432_thumb.jpg

Edited by MalibuNation
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At the Malibu factory ... do they lift the boat by the transom rings ... or a sling?

i don't know how the factory handles the boats.

i've seen the dealership suspend boats via a sling from the bow d-ring and another sling at the transom d-rings.

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So to summarize, hook the tube tow rope up to the rear ring and not the center ski pylon at the back of the sun pad? Is that correct? What about the rope dragging in the water? Tried the ring today with the wife and daughter and the rope dragging in the water created a lot of spray in their face (not pleasant for a 4 year old learning to enjoy the water) and when it was just the wife at higher speeds, the drag created a lot changes in stress on the rope (slack to taught repeatedly). That made for a jerky ride.

So is it really that bad to tow from the pylon? And if so, any suggestions to deal with the other issues not doing so presents?

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MalibuNation

A little water spray from the rope should be the LEAST of their worries ... if I was driving :biggrin:

Make sure the tube is fully inflated.

Shorter rope.

Little faster.

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A little water spray from the rope should be the LEAST of their worries ... if I was driving :biggrin:

Make sure the tube is fully inflated.

Shorter rope.

Little faster.

When I get up to 25+, it's less of a problem most definitely. And for most of my friends, water is just that, water, and it doesn't bother them. More of my concern is for my little one. She was miserable at 15mph when pulled from the ring. However, from the pylon, she had a blast. I want to make sure every experience on the water is as positive as can be until she is super comfortable with it.

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When I get up to 25+, it's less of a problem most definitely. And for most of my friends, water is just that, water, and it doesn't bother them. More of my concern is for my little one. She was miserable at 15mph when pulled from the ring. However, from the pylon, she had a blast. I want to make sure every experience on the water is as positive as can be until she is super comfortable with it.

Don't worry about it. We had the same issue with the spray. My 2 kids weighed 55lbs each and we went off the tower. (Shocking!!) I installed the tower myself with custom backing plates. No problem. No cracks etc. When we pull our guests in the big tube we go off the center pylon. Everyone is much happier. I think most people who want to tube are trying to have a fun/safe experience on the water and don't want the spray in their face. My skiers/riders/footers don't really want to tube. Have fun with your boat.

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