Well, now for the questions...

Hollywood wrote: Since you are new to inboard boating, maybe there is a chance to save you from becoming a tuber. Quit tubing, cold turkey. I have taken a personal vow to never pull a tube again.

What can I say.. It's likely too late already. The kids loved it, heck I think I kinda liked it too! Were already looking for our next bigger and more comfy unit. It's kinda like crack I suppose. One hit and your hooked.

I smiled plenty growing up without a tube, and all behind a pontoon boat.

Yes, I realize it is selfish. I'm all for having a good time, and who am I to tell you what you should and shouldn't do on the water. I was merely sharing my thoughts on tubes and makign a suggestion. If we were on the same lake and I was trying to barefoot while you were tubing, I'd pack up my sh*t and find a new spot instead of barking at you.

I personally think it is a talentless activity that jeapordizes other's chances at performing a real sport, worse than driving around in laps. Atleast try it before tossing the tube back there.

My feeling/hope is that tubing is a fad in the watersports world. Obviously people like tubing because it is EVERYWHERE.

What are your feelings on jetskis?

Mojo wrote: Don't dispair, many use their "ski boats" as tube boats when their kids are little and the water is rough..

This is understandable. The epidemic we are currently suffering from is that tubing is what can be CAUSING the water to be so rough in some areas. If you want to run down the main channel with a 6-tube line I'd love to watch.

Courtesy and respect, we all share the water. I better log off, I can feel my blood pressure rising.

Mojo wrote: Brian, when they hunt you down.... Moj'

I have scuba gear and a sharp knife. It opens up the tubes pretty easy!!

Brian, I feel it comes down to a matter of being courteous and sharing the lakes. The problem is that I have yet to find a courteous tuber!!

Hollywood wrote: Mojo wrote: Don't dispair, many use their "ski boats" as tube boats when their kids are little and the water is rough.. This is understandable. The epidemic we are currently suffering from is that tubing is what can be CAUSING the water to be so rough in some areas. If you want to run down the main channel with a 6-tube line I'd love to watch. Courtesy and respect, we all share the water. I better log off, I can feel my blood pressure rising.

No reason to get upset. I am asking you to educate me. I wouldnt be suprised if more people would be respectful if the knew they were being disrespetful. I for one ddnt have a clue and without it being pointed out in relative detail, then I'd be at a loss and am sure that I'd find a way to piss you off if we met in the water. Now I know and will do my best not to.

I ride a Harley, I think guys that ride rice rockets down the freeway on 1 wheel make it bad for all of us. Hey they do... It really ticks me off. But then again my loud pipes aren making too many friends of those that dont understand and arent into Harleys. Guess we allhave to get along somehow.

FWIW, I bought the boat to ski/wakeboard, not to tube. The tube gets used when the kids are just too damn tired to bother with the boards or they are fighting over who gets to go in the water.

Brian,

To answer your question of how tubing or Jet skiing disrupts certain skiing activities, most skiing activities like slalom skiing, barefoot or wakeboarding are ideally done on glass flat water without a ripple in site, this is considered utopia for any skier because it allows you to preform at your very highest level, in some cases such as barefoot even so much as a small wave can be enough to send the skier down face first at 40+ mph, while slaloming keeping an edge on rough water can be very difficult thus hindering your ability to make that next buoy or simply work on your form.

Tubing is a part of life and most likely every person on this board has either ridden or pulled a tube at one point in their life but it would be similar to having a sidecar or training wheels on your bike, not really much of a challenge, work on getting the kids skiing, kneeboarding or wakeboarding, it will challenge them much more and IMHO give them a much greater sense of accomplishment as they continue to excel.

TRBenj wrote: bphillman wrote: No reason to get upset. I am asking you to educate me. I wouldnt be suprised if more people would be respectful if the knew they were being disrespetful. I for one ddnt have a clue and without it being pointed out in relative detail, then I'd be at a loss and am sure that I'd find a way to piss you off if we met in the water. Now I know and will do my best not to. Bill, thanks. If there were more people like you on our public waterways, this wouldnt be such a sore subject here. Most people dont care if they are being disrespectful. Tubes have their time and place. I loved them as a kid, but my parents would only take us when it was rough out AND we had already been skiing that day. Thank god. Now that Im older, I have a much greater appreciation for the sport. I still tube with friends on occasion, but its not what keeps me coming back to the water. In case it wasnt obvious, skiing (and especially barefooting) requires calm water. Its possible to share the water with others without ruining it for everyone. That is, if youre not driving erratically while pulling a tube. Just be conscious of your wake and its effect on everyone else, and you'll be fine.

Thanks for the kind words. I guess I am a "glass half full" kind of guy, and expect that if properly educated, the majority of folks will be respectful of others. I think its a vast minority that screws it up for the rest of us. Then again I have been wrong before.

bphillman wrote: Now if I can get that guy in the $100k+ 35' Hallett with the twin Blown Bigblock Chevys running nitro to keep is under 80, we'll all be good!

I'm glad you understand.

tuber on 300 acre lake = twin big block penis extension running 90 mph down havasu

Hollywood wrote: bphillman wrote: Now if I can get that guy in the $100k+ 35' Hallett with the twin Blown Bigblock Chevys running nitro to keep is under 80, we'll all be good! I'm glad you understand. tuber on 300 acre lake = twin big block penis extension running 90 mph down havasu

Yes I definately do understand!

quinner wrote: Brian, Sunrise is where you find that water, experience and familiarity with your waterway will also help find the sweet spots, low traffic or upwind locations that make the skiing experience so much better, and when you start working on your families skiing ability this site will provide experience as vast as those waterways to help you and your kids get to the next level, have fun, it is a great sport! I do believe there are some very talented hydrofoilers in and around the areas you mentioned as I believe it was the birthplace of the Air Chair, that may be another event you could consider as it does not require glass flat water to enjoy and/or excel.

Thank god my kids arent early risers! You all are safe from me. I will maintain that the tube will only come out during the late hours after the water is chopped up and that I will be cognizant of the skiers when using it.

If your sharing water with other people who have spent a lot of time, money, and energy to be able to catch those precious few moments of clean water then indeed some of us do get a bit heated if we perceive what is often referred to as wally type behavior.

Some of this is common sense some of it to those who haven't had the priveledge of growing up on and around boats is not so obvious so I will try a few tips.

Barefoot skiing and slalom skiing in particulare require nice straight runs of very calm and smooth water. In addition those sports take a lot of physical effort that cannot be maintained indefinitely. Once your up if someone cuts across the lane you really can't work that set, by the time it calms down legs, back, arms, etc are ready for a rest. The amount of speed involved in those sports is enough that trying to ski through those waves can cause a serious injury. When wakeboarding rolling waves are a little easier to deal with but can still be dangerous on big landings.

Waves that run parallel to shore along the upwind side will clear relatively quickly out of the area and allow everyone to experience clean water in turn. If someone is making waves perpendicular to the shore or as often in tubing at all angles then the whole lake or river can be unusable for a substancial amount of time.
    Even if your not tubing driving the "right" way when you or others are attempting watersports will keep everyone safe and happy. The right way includes not making a quick powerturn if someone falls down or off. A hand signal should be in place to communicate to the driver that the person is ok. That allows the driver to slow the boat down to no wake speed before turning around and going back to pick up the skier, which is much safer for all involved as well as better for the water.
      
When you are skiing/wakeboarding/tubing etc along the upwind side of a lake/river and you need to turn around, your turn should be first out away from shore then 180 degrees around and back onto the line you were coming down the waves on the outside of your line will travel out and a way from your ski line and the ones on the inside will basically implode and lessen thier effect. (You will also get a good double up for wakeboarding). Don't make big sweeping turns get it done and then get back in line.

More basic things, dont travel between 8-15 mph if at all possible (unless surfing), its loud and makes huge waves. If someone else has a skier dont travel in front of them making them lose thier line and don't travel behind them where you can run over the skier if they should fall unexpectedly. If there are multiple ski spots on a lake/river and someone else is already there move on to another location. If there is one spot share the water by alternating sets. Tubing doesnt require the calmest areas so give them up if someone is waiting.

Above all else if I have someone in the water stay the heck away from them, if I think someone doesn't notice I have a fallen skier in the water I dont follow any of the above advice the throttle goes down I spin her around and drive right at the offending driver full throttle then we have a problem.

I admit it, I take people tubing, in fact I worked 10 years at a summer camp and you just cant get through 30 kids an hour on waterskis with one boat so I probably have taken more people tubing than almost anyone in the world. I consider it a gateway drug to real watersports. If you want your kids in for a lifetime of watersports its going to take something that requires skill and can be improved upon on a regular basis. So suck em in with the tubing then get them up on a board or some skis.

Sorry for the long ramble hope its something you can use, in general be aware of whats around you follow the golden rule and I will never have to ram you with my boat..
-Joe.

bphillman wrote: I am curious though, dont you guys ever do things that are mindless?

Maybe some of these other guys do, but as you'll come to see, the PLBC is all serious. There's no place for crazy costumes, jackass ski stunts, or excessive drinking in our organization.

bphillman wrote: I am curious though, dont you guys ever do things that are mindless?

Bwahahahaha, If you only knew... Come to Green Lake next summer and watch...

Moj'

Mojo wrote: bphillman wrote: I am curious though, dont you guys ever do things that are mindless? Bwahahahaha, If you only knew... Come to Green Lake next summer and watch... Moj'

bphillman wrote: I knew that there had to be some of my kind of people on here!

Bill, Im sure you'll fit right in.