Pylon for pulling Tubes?
 

I'm looking for a pylon I can mount to the back deck of my boat for PULLING
TUBES. I can only find ones that are recommended for skiing and
wakeboarding. My guess is because the drag from tubes is much stronger so
the pylons I have found are not suitable. Most are deckmounted and some
have support arms as well.

I have a Chaparral 220si with a "ski eye" on the back that works great for
sking and wake-boarding. But when I pull individual tubes with my
lightweight kids the ropes often catch in the wake. It sprays a lot of
water and also makes for a rough ride. If I pull more than one tube it can
get dangerous. I want to elevate the eye. That's why I'm looking for a
pylon.

Does anyone know of a product that I could mount on the back portion of my
boat deck? (just outside the transom). It would have to bolt through the
fiberglass deck -- I can also add some aluminum for fiberglass backing. Are
the warnings for current products legit or are they just going overboard to
avoid lawsuits? I know the situation is worse for longer pylons. A stubby
24" one would be great if I could find it. Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!

The loads placed on a pylon are much greater for a wake boarder than a 1 or
2 or 3 man tube (yep, you gotta allow for them). A wake boarder only puts a
load on the pylon up to what he can hold. A tube can put much much higher
load on the pylon. Think worst case, as any designer or engineer will. A 1
man tube with a 200 pound person submerging (200 lb person plus maybe an
additional 300 or 400 lbs of drag). Or the same setup being whipped out on a
turn. How about a 2 man? Or 3 man?

I always wanted to do the same to get around the water resistance on the
ropes. But it was not to be.

You might be able to engineer one but the vendors will not touch it I hate
to say.

If you do something, you might consider moving it forward of where you
mentioned to where you see most pylons and towers due to the sideways
pulling load that such a large load would place on the boat.

Good luck and let us know if you succeed ! ! !

Before I had a ski eye installed on my 19' bowrider, I used a water ski
pulley with about a 8' poly line attached to each of the stern tie downs. It
could just as easily be looped over the aft cleats, that would get the tow
line a little higher.
I now have a wakeboard tower, and we've used it for wake boards and tubing
for about 5 years.

"John Smith" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for a pylon I can mount to the back deck of my boat for
PULLING
TUBES. I can only find ones that are recommended for skiing and
wakeboarding. My guess is because the drag from tubes is much stronger so
the pylons I have found are not suitable. Most are deckmounted and some
have support arms as well.

I have a Chaparral 220si with a "ski eye" on the back that works great for
sking and wake-boarding. But when I pull individual tubes with my
lightweight kids the ropes often catch in the wake. It sprays a lot of
water and also makes for a rough ride. If I pull more than one tube it
can
get dangerous. I want to elevate the eye. That's why I'm looking for a
pylon.

Does anyone know of a product that I could mount on the back portion of my
boat deck? (just outside the transom). It would have to bolt through the
fiberglass deck -- I can also add some aluminum for fiberglass backing.
Are
the warnings for current products legit or are they just going overboard
to
avoid lawsuits? I know the situation is worse for longer pylons. A
stubby
24" one would be great if I could find it. Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!

"John Smith" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for a pylon I can mount to the back deck of my boat for
PULLING
TUBES. I can only find ones that are recommended for skiing and
wakeboarding. My guess is because the drag from tubes is much stronger so
the pylons I have found are not suitable. Most are deckmounted and some
have support arms as well.


If you are talking about a pylon that gets the mounting point just above the
deck height then it should be fine. If you are talking about a tall pylon
that is common for wakeboarding then I would not recommend it. I wouldn't
be worried about the boat, as it is hard for a tube to put a sideways pull
against the boat and the pull to the rear certainly wouldn't be any worse
than getting a large sized wakeboarder up.

What I would worry about is the "lift" that the tower would provide. While
wakeboarders desire it, getting a tube airborne is not a good idea.

Rod

If you get rough, you can get a tuber airborne when towing with a wakeboard
tower.
We don't get rough, and the tubers like the tower because it keeps the front
of the tube elevated a little, and they don't get splashed in the face as
much as they do when we pull from a lower point on the boat.

"Rod McInnis" wrote in message
...

"John Smith" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for a pylon I can mount to the back deck of my boat for
PULLING
TUBES. I can only find ones that are recommended for skiing and
wakeboarding. My guess is because the drag from tubes is much stronger
so
the pylons I have found are not suitable. Most are deckmounted and some
have support arms as well.


If you are talking about a pylon that gets the mounting point just above
the
deck height then it should be fine. If you are talking about a tall
pylon
that is common for wakeboarding then I would not recommend it. I wouldn't
be worried about the boat, as it is hard for a tube to put a sideways pull
against the boat and the pull to the rear certainly wouldn't be any worse
than getting a large sized wakeboarder up.

What I would worry about is the "lift" that the tower would provide. While
wakeboarders desire it, getting a tube airborne is not a good idea.

Rod

"Mark" wrote in message
...
The loads placed on a pylon are much greater for a wake boarder than a 1
or
2 or 3 man tube (yep, you gotta allow for them). A wake boarder only puts
a
load on the pylon up to what he can hold. A tube can put much much higher
load on the pylon.

Huh?

Think worst case, as any designer or engineer will. A 1
man tube with a 200 pound person submerging (200 lb person plus maybe an
additional 300 or 400 lbs of drag). Or the same setup being whipped out on
a
turn. How about a 2 man? Or 3 man?

There are a lot of variables that need to be considered, before proclaiming
something for sure, such as...rope length, pylon height, pylon placement,
boat power, boat speed, hull size, weight being pulled, and type of
apparatus being used.

Example, for a 290 hp inboard ski-type boat, with a center floor mounted
pylon, a heavy slalom skier on a 65' line, would induce the most
force...both at start up, and hard cuts. A 2-4 person tube on a 70' line
would be next, but this is dependent on the handling of the boat. The tube
riders themselves could not increase the "pull" on the boat...its all about
the driver, and how fast he wants to go. I've felt some great pulls from
jumpers. They like to dig hard in a cut, and it can easily be felt by the
driver, but not as hard a slalom skiers. Id say wake boarders are next.
Given the slower speeds, a 'boarder can only "pull" so much on a cut,
especially with a short line that is typically used. And then there's the
kneeboard. Good riders can produce a good pull, but it would be light.
Again, the short line and slower speeds just don't allow a lot of poundage.
Dead last is barefooting. That's right...even at speeds of up to 52 mph, the
'footer just doesn't have "grip" to do virtually any type of cutting. It not
uncommon for me, not to know, when a footer goes down.

Now just to show some difference, take your heavy slalom cutter out on a jet
drive boat, and watch him pull the boat around all over the water.


--
-Netsock

"It's just about going fast...that's all..."
http://home.insight.rr.com/cgreen/

What happens if the tube submarines? A lot more force than a single
wakeboard can apply.

"Netsock" wrote in message
...

"Mark" wrote in message
...
The loads placed on a pylon are much greater for a wake boarder than a 1
or
2 or 3 man tube (yep, you gotta allow for them). A wake boarder only
puts
a
load on the pylon up to what he can hold. A tube can put much much
higher
load on the pylon.

Huh?

Think worst case, as any designer or engineer will. A 1
man tube with a 200 pound person submerging (200 lb person plus maybe an
additional 300 or 400 lbs of drag). Or the same setup being whipped out
on
a
turn. How about a 2 man? Or 3 man?

There are a lot of variables that need to be considered, before
proclaiming
something for sure, such as...rope length, pylon height, pylon placement,
boat power, boat speed, hull size, weight being pulled, and type of
apparatus being used.

Example, for a 290 hp inboard ski-type boat, with a center floor mounted
pylon, a heavy slalom skier on a 65' line, would induce the most
force...both at start up, and hard cuts. A 2-4 person tube on a 70' line
would be next, but this is dependent on the handling of the boat. The tube
riders themselves could not increase the "pull" on the boat...its all
about
the driver, and how fast he wants to go. I've felt some great pulls from
jumpers. They like to dig hard in a cut, and it can easily be felt by the
driver, but not as hard a slalom skiers. Id say wake boarders are next.
Given the slower speeds, a 'boarder can only "pull" so much on a cut,
especially with a short line that is typically used. And then there's the
kneeboard. Good riders can produce a good pull, but it would be light.
Again, the short line and slower speeds just don't allow a lot of
poundage.
Dead last is barefooting. That's right...even at speeds of up to 52 mph,
the
'footer just doesn't have "grip" to do virtually any type of cutting. It
not
uncommon for me, not to know, when a footer goes down.

Now just to show some difference, take your heavy slalom cutter out on a
jet
drive boat, and watch him pull the boat around all over the water.


--
-Netsock

"It's just about going fast...that's all..."
http://home.insight.rr.com/cgreen/

Regarding your "Huh?". My typing does not always connect to my brain! I
meant to say ... tubes put a much greater load on a pylon than a wakeboard.