Expand Your Boating Fun With Towables
3/23/2006 11:10:18 AM by Sandy Lindsey
Towables instantly make your boat superior to any amusement park water ride. After all, your action is real and as high-powered or as low-key as you want to make it. Virtually non-stop wet fun can be easily had by tying on any of the latest offerings, including the Sumo Tube, which is as amazing as it sounds and will thrill the extreme sport enthusiasts on board. The excitement continues with a selection of multi-rider towables for great group thrills as well as single-rider units for the daredevil on board. The latest offerings feature state-of-the-art materials and design for ultimate comfort and reliability. So why not toss a tow line off the transom and explore a whole new level of dynamic boating fun?
The Sumo Tube
Always a leader when it comes to innovative towable design, SportsStuff has created the first wearable towable, the Sumo Tube. Just slip into the Sumo suit, grab onto the handle of a 60-foot tow rope and off the brave ones go. It’s as if you are the water toy and vise versa. The “inside the tube” control allows riders to do astounding right to left 360s, jump wakes, and steer right and left by simply moving their arms. To make the product attractive to those other than the action junkies on board, the designers made sure that those looking for a tamer experience can use the Sumo Tube to just glide across the water’s surface. It’s all up to the person inside. The towable also works in beach surf as a body surfing tube and features a one chamber design for easy inflation and deflation. For more information call 888-814-8833 or visit www.sportstuff.com
The Wego Kite Tube
Move aside wake-boarding, the 10-foot diameter slanted saucer design Wego Kite Tube allows the rider to get impressive heights for incredible airborne action. The adrenaline rush design can also function as a rowdy deck tube darting across the water. The 840D full body nylon double skin cover with PU coating features computerized double stitched sewing and nylon zippered openings for bladder insertion and adjustment, and multiple bar tacked mesh drain ports. What this means is that the unit can withstand the pounding you give it and is easy to use so less time is spent on prep and more time flying behind the boat. SportsStuff packages the Kite with an instructional DVD, tow rope, and cover.
The Mable
The gang’s all here with the Mable series and its one to four passenger versions. Multiple tow points means each of the four models available will act as several towables in one. The rider(s) can be towed with the Mable facing forward and riding sitting down or for more excitement reverse the Mable and kneel as the towable jets across the water. Before subjecting any towable to the abuse of four riders aboard, you want to know the towable can take it and SportsStuff’s Mable can. The design features a heavy-gauge PVC bladder, a double-stitched nylon full cover with zipper, PU fabric coating, and a reinforced tow system. Comfort is assured by double-webbing foam knuckle pads, foam seat/knee pads, and backrests.
Molecule
Looking like something off of a sci fi cable channel, the Molecule by HO Sports will turn heads faster than a Victora’s Secret supermodel while providing one of the most energizing rides on the water. Using HO’s Sphere Technology the rider platform is suspended over the water, while only the three spheres touch the water. This significant reduction in surface drag results in a quick sliding ride that can handle both calm and rough water. Multiple handles and two towing points mean this towable features ride options virtually limited by only the user’s bravery and imagination. For more information call 800-938-4040 or visit www.hosports.com
UFO
You may want to slip a CD of the X-Files theme into your onboard CD player when launching the UFO. This four rider inflated space ship inspired towable spins like a top. Rotation speed can be controlled by slowing or increasing boat speed, or taking advantage of the “no spin” harness. The four riders face each other to increase the camaraderie and laughs. The 86-inch diameter heavy-duty towable features an oversize heavy duty stainless steel Kevlar mounted steel swivel at each end, as well as convenient draining vents, four Boston valves and the other expected bells and whistles. For more information call 800-624-1297 or visit www.airhead.com
Mega-Slice
Looking to tube some bikini clad girls behind your boat while providing them with a sun bed after the stimulating rides? Then check out the newest Slice, the Mega-Slice, from Airhead. The large 100-inch diameter (deflated) towable features a thicker front section for a more natural and comfortable riding position for women and men alike, as well as preventing unwanted “submarining.” The unit gets thinner at the back for extremely easy boarding via the five conveniently placed boarding straps. It can accommodate one to four riders who can grip on securely to the deluxe neoprene knuckle-guarded handles for a whirlwind jaunt.
Manta Ray
Manta Rays have always been exotic and this one continues its exotic reputation. The Manta Ray from Sevylor likes fresh water as well as salt and is very friendly to humans. Despite its underwater name the Manta Ray is designed to glide and fly as an individual chooses. With an 11-foot wing span and a nine-foot length, it is a virtual inflatable airplane that has no problem getting airborne once the tow boat has reached an average speed of 23 mph against the wind or 28 mph riding with the wind. After rising from the water, the Manta Ray is designed to “hover,” making it a truly unique ride in a round-up of extreme towables. Despite its large size, it weighs a mere 45 pounds deflated and is extremely portable and easy to store.
For more information call 323-727-6013 or visit www.sevlor.com
The Vortex
Forget Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride of childhood, when it comes to wild rotation the Vortex boasts screaming water toy action. This three-person towable rotates unpredictably as it’s pulled; with fast and slow rotations alternating for gripping action. Those looking for a less hair-raising ride can block the rotation feature and simply ride straight. Comfort is assured by three concave backrests with complimentary inflatable headrests and neck supports. Inflatable leg braces and soft EVA handles with finger grips further increase both ride quality and safety aboard. The heavy-duty design includes a serious marine grade swivel and nine air chambers for ultimate performance.
Proper Towable Procedures
While towables are often referred to as water “toys,” towing someone behind a boat is serious business. The boat owner should insist that riders always wear a PFD when being towed, no matter how good a swimmer the rider is or how uncomfortable a PFD might be on a hot summer day.
The boat driver and rider(s) need to coordinate hand signals or another form of communication before towing begins. If there are enough people on board an observer should be designated to keep an eye on the rider. If no observer is available, a wide-angle water ski mirror is a normally acceptable alternative, repeatedly turning one’s head while driving the boat is not.
Resist the temptation to exceed local speed limits, even just a little, to give a better ride. Do not make sharp turns, if an object or another vessel is in your way, throttle back as you turn and signal the rider of the change. If the rider falls off the towable, return to him/her without delay, as other boats may not see the rider in the water.