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Tube for young kids


Mello67

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We have used the Radar Liftoff with our 5 year old with no problems all last summer when she was 4 and just getting used to the lake. We always had an adult with her to start but now she rides solo just fine. Biggest issue is teaching them to hold on tight at the start. With their light weight, most tubes have a tendency to submarine at the start unless you start quickly to get it on plane or have some weight to lift up the nose a bit.

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i don't ride 'em but my kids do. They complain about that style with the holes for your rear end because there is less padding there and thus your rear takes on all the imperfections of the water. They prefer the style where there is a consistant 8 or 9 inches of tube under their butts.

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Here's a suggestion...Forget the tube and teach your kids to ski.

Went tubeless when that &*(^% thing finnally popped a couple of years ago, never have looked back. My kids are 16,14.12 & 9 though. teach them to ski and tell them that the tube cant go until they have skied first. worked for mine, didn't hear a word about a tube all last season.

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We had the Ho ION tube for two summers each of them popped, although the dealer was great in getting replacement parts and once a whole new tube I will never buy this one again. It is a great tube if you can keep it inflated but the poor construction makes it the absolute worst. I'm thinkin this year I go tubless.

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The only thing about tubing that scares me sometimes is the rope. I’m always looking out when they go outside the wake to make sure it doesn’t whip around and catch someone around the neck.

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Hey guys,

Just looking for a kid safe tube, my kids are 5 and 6 years old. I was looking for a two person tube with deep seating and very stable. I found this one by aquaglide : http://www.aquaglide.net/products/supercross2%20le.cfm

Anyone used this tube before?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks

I do not know if you are interested or not, but, I have a Sea Doo type inflatable that My grand kids used when they were young. They have now learned to wake board, so the tube is not used. It holds 0ne adult and one kid or even 3 kids if they are small. You sit on it and tow it behind the boat. It is very stable. It is in great shape with no leaks guaranteed. You can have it for $50.00 plus shipping. I store it in a wake board bag for protection which you can also have. I live in So. Calif, where are you located? [email protected]

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The only thing about tubing that scares me sometimes is the rope. I’m always looking out when they go outside the wake to make sure it doesn’t whip around and catch someone around the neck.

I had a friend who nearly lost a sister when she got caught in the rope as the tube blew out of the boat, the rope cutting clear through her thigh.

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Someone else said this on here "The ropes are the most dangerous thing on the boat"

I had an incident where I almost lost my hand due to a similar situation.

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All the tube / rope horror stories I have heard involve the tube being kind of tied to the boat with no one in it. It catches some wind, flips around and the rope wraps around someone and then ends up cutting them. I have seen many people tie the rope to the slalom post on a V-drive with the tube right behind the transom. This leaves about 3-4 feet of rope between the tube and the post. If the tube catches some air it is easy for the rope to wrap around someone sitting in the rear seat. There is a lot of force from the wind on the tube and it can really injure someone. You should never do this. If I attach the tube to the transom I tie it directly to the grab handle on the transom with only a couple inches of loose rope.

I haven't seen anyone injured from the rope while actually tubing but that could all depend on the drive and how they deal with slack in the line. My kids have always loved tubing, I have always hated towing it. The only injuries they have had is bumping into each other because they never want to ride alone. They are fun for kids though.

Kris

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Went tubeless when that &*(^% thing finnally popped a couple of years ago, never have looked back. My kids are 16,14.12 & 9 though. teach them to ski and tell them that the tube cant go until they have skied first. worked for mine, didn't hear a word about a tube all last season.

Great advice!

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Thanks Guys,

I plan to teach both kids to ski and wakeboard. My 6 year old son plays hockey in the winter, and has pretty good balance, so I think skiing will be a easy transition. I plan to enforce a rule that you have to at least try to ski before the tube comes out. As some of you know with kids, you have to keep them entertained. So tubing will hopefully do that. As long as the family has a good day on the water they will want to do it all again another day!!

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i agree with eyepeeler ... forget the tubes .. i got two boys i started out at 6 and 7 on a kneeboard and this summer their sister willl start at 5 on kneeboard. know the middle boy now 7 is wakeboarding and wanting to compete this summer.. the boys dont even ride a tube much when friends bring them out... so tubes might be fun but its a easy and a way to have an escape from trying to learn how to ski..

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The way I look at it, you have to have a full arsenal of toys. So what if your kid is 6 and can ice skate, yeah he should be ready to start wakeboarding, but if they want to tube, kneeboard, etc. then we should let them. I'm learning, with 2 boys ages 2 1/2 and 9mo, that it's all about the love of v8's and water. You're grooming your most dependable 3rd some day.

As far as the tube, what ever you get, keep it inflated. Ours will be going on its 16th season, has only been deflated a couple times for a few days, and we've been less than kind on it :biggrin:

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We used to have a Chariot double, that was nice for the kids when they were 2 and 3 years old, they were less likely to fall out/off. So if you can get something they sit inside of that is wide and flat that would be best. It is also good for grandma and grandpa, we pulled them around a lot too, whereas otherwise they never would have been behind the boat on anything. They laughed their butts off, it was worth it for that alone. And we always keep ours inflated too.

That tube wore out after a few years, (left in the sun too much) and I tried the boys on the ski skimmer, but they didn't like it. Then skis and wakeboards, they couldn't get up. They were in soccer and flag football ages 5 and 6, so good athletic kids, but just couldn't get up, they'd get frustrated with themselves. Back to the skimmer. They felt stupid on that. So we'd tube a lot...A LOT. 'Till they couldn't hold on anymore. We use a flat HO tube, that fits 2 people. Then they both popped up on my wakeboard on their first try one summer when they were 7 and 8, and that's what they do now. The tube no longer has much appeal, as they've done it so much. The wakeboard is appealing because they have all kinds of skills to learn, and can see themselves improve with practice like in their other sports. So my point is, it's OK to tube a lot, I wore my kids out on it. It's still fun to do when the water is a choppy mess, I get on it too. And the boys will be footing off the boom this summer at 10 and 12.

Can't stress the rope issue enough either, always keep tension on it. If they whip out too fast and you cut the other way and get slack, it's a death trap or dismemberment waiting to happen. I'm more afraid of ropes than props by far.

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for young kids that are nervous i like the tubes that have the back and arm rests so they sit in nice and snug. My daughter is slowly getting comfortable in the tube and i'm hoping to get her to try the kneeboard out this summer. Her cousin who is the same age tried it last year and liked it so i'm hoping a little friendly competition will nudge here along. I don't want to rush her along to much and scare her though... most important to me is that she is happy in the water and boat! I really don't understand the hatred that so many people have for tubing (other than chopping up smooth water ) isn't the main thing to be having fun and not sitting on the couch playing video games all the time?

Geoff

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Do NOT get one of those round tubes with a hole in the middle (like a donut). I had a teenage girl in one once and her butt went through the hole. Her legs and head were out the other end with her knees against her face. She was stuck and could not pull herself out and then the tube flipped over. Fortunately it happened beside the boat so I was able to get to her quickly and get her ride-side up otherwise she would had drowned. It scared the crap out of all of us. The tube was trashed the same day.

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I don't want to rush her along to much and scare her though... most important to me is that she is happy in the water and boat! I really don't understand the hatred that so many people have for tubing (other than chopping up smooth water ) isn't the main thing to be having fun and not sitting on the couch playing video games all the time?

Geoff

Couldn't agree with you more, it's all about having fun on the water with your family / crew!! I am a slalom skier and truly understand about ruining flat water.

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Went tubeless when that &*(^% thing finnally popped a couple of years ago, never have looked back. My kids are 16,14.12 & 9 though. teach them to ski and tell them that the tube cant go until they have skied first. worked for mine, didn't hear a word about a tube all last season.

That is my rule also. I also have another rule that unless we have guests at the house no tubing unless there is another tube on the lake or the lake is blown out with wind. I hate wrecking good water with a tube. My kids were 5&6 when we went to the no tubing until you ski rule. The no tubing if there is still calm water rule went in about 8&9 when they had enough energy for multiple ski sets.

Edited by Chef23
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