Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

For kids and adults at pontoon speeds? We have a plain tube that came with the boat but the ride is far from exciting. Is there a towable that allows for a little rider a little directional control?

I highly recommend using the Sportsstuff booster ball, it helps get the rope out of the water and makes it easy to get the tube out of the wake. As far as towables go I would recommend the Sportsstuff doable line, it does allow the rider to control direction, we have used the slalom, and it is a blast.

I'd suggest you just check Overton's to see what they're featuring. There are so many available, and it's difficult to say what's good for your specific use.

The way to get a little excitement is speed, and those with 50 hp pontoons are not going to get much out of tubing. It's also the driver's technique in handling the boat that can get a tube running sideways as fast as forward--exciting. Unfortunately, pontoons/tritoons just don't have the quick handling of a boat like a SkiNautique.

+1 on the Boosterball. We also use a harness on the back of our toon that has a pulley system to allow the rope to slide from side to side behing the boat -- that also helps get the rider out to the side. But as Bamaman pointed out, it takes driver technique to really sling a rider with lower HP engines. We have a 90 but I can still sling my nephews pretty well to give them a good ride on the tube. Make sure whatever tube you get has a full cover - this helps keep the tube up out of the water without dragging as much.

We have a Big Mabel family young and old have enjoyed it. Inflated sitting area big deal for the older folks.

Bamaman wrote: Unfortunately, pontoons/tritoons just don't have the quick handling of a boat like a SkiNautique.

Mine does!!


I have two tubes. The first for the "tame" people is a Super Mabel (Its the three rider version of the mabel) . I've dumped people off this when they were six feet in the air. Can really get a jump going over the wake. But normally I keep it a little more tame.

The second for the "skill" set is a Sportstuff Doable Slalom Jockey. (I've got the two rider version but we almost always ride just one.) I've managed to dump all but one rider off this, and he was going backwards for quite a while.

The Mable is pretty much a sit and be dragged. So all the turns are on the driver. The Slalom Jockey is steerable by the rider so he can jump the wake or pull out wide by himself. It's much easier to pull the slalom Jockey as it's lighter and the boat driver doesn't have to work. Just drive pretty much straight and let the rider do the work


We've also used a sportstuff Paparazzi. We didn't like this one as much as the riders tend to get thrown to one side and get stuck there. But they still had fun on it.

you can make any towable an exciting ride, ya just gotta know when to whip the wheel and hit the throttle, work on those figure eights, yanking them hard through the wakes,

...like this skipper is doing!