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Tube for Younger Kids


Addictedto6

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Time to get a new tube. My costco Jobe special is finally starting to fall apart. I'm looking for suggestions for a new tube. Kids are 3,5 and 7.

My thoughts:

- about 56-60" diameter

- 2 kids at a time

- probably want one that they can sit in the center.

My local costco only carries the wing shape now...

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We have an Airhead Slice. We didn't want one with the hole in the middle because if the kids want to lay down on it the hole causes them to fold in half backwards. I just got the new "Bart's" catalog and they have 'em on sale for $89.95.

Airhead Slice @ Bart's

The boys love it.

EDIT: I forgot to say....it's a fairly thin (low-profile) tube. 12" thick in the front, only 6" thick in the back. Makes it easy to climb onto in the water.

Edited by NorCaliBu
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Thanks Michael - I'll check it out. the low profile back would help a lot.

My kids are all under 50 lbs, so we haven't encountered the folding problem yet.

Edited by Addictedto6
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I think the H0 Formula is the one we have too.

It's real save and will not flip over. Believe me I've tried. You can go fast in it and it will not nose dive either.

The negatives are:

1. It's boring if you want to eject people from the tube.

2. Theres' four compartments you need to fill with air and you must do it in the proper order or it does not work.

3. You'll need a pump with an interchangable fill nozzle for the small air sockets and the large air socket.

4. The riders are side by side so if a parent wants to go with a small child, it's unbalanced. However, a very small child can sit with a parent on one side while another adult sits on the other side to balance it.

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jklien I have to agree with all, but I have ejected people out. I don't know how I did it because we were just going on a small turn. I think the tube hit a wake and they weren't holding on. But yes it is vary hard to eject people. I was once launched over 3-4ft off the water. Surprised.gif ya not fun.

You do have to fill the tube to the top with air. If it is a little low the tube will bounce all over and hurts your back. Bash.gif

http://www.barriessports.com/catalog/produ...products_id/177

you can find it a little cheaper. Check your shops.

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Got this one at Costco. About $200 Cdn (which is about $160 US). Everyone who has tried it behind our boat (and has kids) has gone and bought one.

Fits 3 people... or 1...or 2... or 3. Very wide, so very stable at reasonable speeds. Very safe for kids. Especially little ones.... because they're not "alone" in the tube. Handles placed well. Can include an adult (see picture).

At very fast speeds, with a light load (1 person) on windy days you can make it "take-off" on corners if you play the throttle properly.

post-114-1114864714_thumb.jpg

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We have the Sea Doo version pictured below. 3 at a time works great for us, we have 5 kids. Very stable at speed even while cornering. Almost too bland for the older kids, Dad really has to work the throttle to get them over the wake and back.

Makes for a great little island for the kids to play on while we are out in the middle of the lake. We can kick back, listen to tunes, have lunch and watch the kids battle for "Ultimate King of the Mountain."

It is important to note that the size of this beast requires a committment to tubing for the trip. We typically don't setup a beach for the day. We like to go out on the water and stay there. With a beach setup you could easily drop this off and then board or ski. If not, your stuck with a big tube for the trip. Not a huge deal but something to think about. Getting this thing out of the water can be difficult. It's two pieces, a tube and a cover. If underinflated, water will get in between the two and make it HEAVY.

seadoo.jpg

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For a single tube we have the Obrien LeTube. Seems to me it's about $75 or so. Small kids fit inside very well and bigger kids can lay across the opening if they want. Very well made and last forever.

We've also got a Connelly Dually 2 person. You sit down inside and have plenty of handles. My kids called it the Grandma and Grandpa tube til I started launching them and their friends out of it at will. It's all about the driving skills! Tongue.gif

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I tend to agree with D-Goose. If you want stability for younger riders it is tough to beat the HO Formula. Also agree it is little bit more of pain to inflate/deflate. We usually tow 2 tubes at a time to make it a little more interesting for the riders.

If you are looking for a more excitement I'd recommend the flat tubes like the HO Extreme or couple of HO Solos. Great tube for more adventurous/exciting ride.

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We have the same tube as J_Gled (3 person Sea Doo). It is great for the kids, and they like to ride with 2 or 3 kids at a time. We've had the standard tubes, a 2 man tube and now this one - this is the most stable for the kids, and they love it.

J_Gled - to solve the problem of "a committment to tubing for the trip". I bought a "super high volumn" pump that I keep in the boat. The tube stays in my back ski locker, un-inflated, and we ski/board first. Then we get the tube out and inflate it (takes me about 2 minutes with this pump). We tube for a while, then when it's either time to go, or time to ski/board again I let the air out (can even suck the air out with this pump - again, only a couple minutes). At home the tube get hung up to dry and I leave my rear locker open to dry.

BTW - I only let the air out of the main compartment and leave the floors inflated all the time.

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good thinking on the portable pump - I'll give it a try. I have a AC version but will look for an DC or take the converter along in the boat.

First time out I tried using the portable compressor while in the parking lot at the lake - what a joke! I was so pissed and needless to say my kids thought the whole tube idea was a bad one. That was all resolved when they made their first pass in that thing! Now I have a hard time getting them to do anything else.

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A mod that I'm thinking of making to my boat this year is simply to run a power source to the trunk, so that I can plug in the pump from the back instead of the cord running all the way up to the glove box.

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at wakesports unlimited they had 2 awesome tubes intended for little tykes(i'm sure the big boys could have great fun / them too Surprised.gif ) the two of them reminded me of the dukes of hazzard. one was a bright orange jeep/truck and the other was a police cruiser. looked like fun when used in tandem.

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