Tips for Towing Tubers and Water Sport Fans

Spring break is all about embracing the thrill of the water—by tube, board or a trusty pair of skis.

For those who stay on board and tow, the job is an even bigger one: make the rider’s experience as thrilling as possible, while also making it safe and easy to enjoy.

Wondering how to get the best of both worlds, as a boater? Read on as we share a few key towing tips that are sure to help.

Find your perfect spot

The first step in any tubing adventure—or any sort of water sport, for that matter—is finding the right spot to play. Any body of water that’s deep and wide enough will do, but best are the ones with especially spacious channels, or some sort of division between the tubers and everyday cruisers. You want to be able to spread out, away from fellow boaters or shoreline rocks and other structures. How else can you achieve enough surface space to twist and flip with carefree abandon?

Slow and steady

They say “slow and steady wins the race…” but does that old adage really go for water sports, too?

At first… yes! While you ought to initially speed up to get the run going (especially for stand-up sports like wakeboarding and waterskiing), maintaining that initial speed might be a bit too much, especially if you’re just starting out. Level out and slowly work your way back up to a more rigorous tempo—your rider will thank you!

“S” is best

So once you’re on your way… where do you go? You don’t want to continue in a purely straightforward fashion, since much of the thrill of tubing or boarding is in the twists and turns. But you also don’t want to jerk your rider around too much that they slip into the water at every junction. The solution? Try an “s” motion! By gently winding throughout your run on the water, easing into every curve (instead of jutting into them like you might with a “z” formation), you make your rider’s experience manageable but still incredibly fun.

Now for the fun stuff…

Now that you have the basics down, you’re probably itching to get on the water and try out some of the tricks you’ve seen. One of our favorites? “Doubling up.”

Once you and your rider are familiar with the water, speed and have a good rhythm going, try teaming up for this ultimate effort, in which you, the boater, turn around on your own wake and create an extra-large swell for the rider to jump. Just be sure to get some distance in (at least 50 feet or so) before making the crossover, to give your rider a chance to get comfortable and ready for the dramatic cut.

With these towing tips and know-how under your belt, your water sport excursions are sure to be some of the best on the water.