Tube Towing

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  • gilbertmilton
    • Feb 2026
    • 1

    • West Palm Beach, FL

    • 08 Super Air 210

    #1

    Tube Towing

    Hello,
    I have a G21 Super Air and am wondering where others attach their tow ropes for tubing. I’ve been hooking mine to the tower, but I’m worried about damaging it. Do most people use the tow hitch at the back of the boat near the cooler/rope storage instead?
  • CHassmann
    Senior Member of PLANETNAUTIQUE
    • Jul 2004
    • 521

    • Holiday Lakes, OH

    • Current: 2002 Ski Nautique Closed Bow Previous: 1990 Ski Nautique, 1987 Ski Nautique 2001

    #2
    I do not have a G21, but I think most (if not all) experienced boaters would discourage pulling a tube mounted to the tower.

    https://www.barts.com/blogs/news/sho...r-no-heres-why
    Ski on dude!

    Comment

    • SilentSeven
      1,000 Post Club Member
      • Feb 2014
      • 2152

      • Bellevue WA

      • 2004 Nautique 206

      #3
      Small tube - like one rider or couple of smaller kids - you're likely OK. Get one of those 4 person flying sofas...naw...prolly not a good idea. IIR, most all manufacturer documentation is that you shouldn't pull a tube from the tower.
      2004 206 Air Nautique Limited - Black with Vapor Blue (family style)
      1997 Masters Edition Nautique - Zephyr Green - gone (amazing ski wake)
      1982 Mastercraft Powerslot - gone (a primitive but wonderful beast)
      Bellevue WA

      Comment

      • bturner
        1,000 Post Club Member
        • Jun 2019
        • 1728

        • MI

        • 2016 200 Sport Nautique

        #4
        I think you're going to find the consensus being that tower from the tower is generally not a good idea for anything past a single tube with small children. While I'm sure the tower would handle most stress situations created with towing a tube the risk/reward of doing so just doesn't make a lot of sense, at least to me. That said I see people doing it all the time.

        As Chris Rock once said..... "just because you can drive your car with your feet, it doesn't make it a good idea".

        Comment

        • MN Ryan
          1,000 Post Club Member
          • Aug 2020
          • 1388

          • Maple Grove, MN

          • 2007 SV-211 TE

          #5
          I've had this debate with a brother-in-law (granted, we have old boats). I'd prefer to never tow a tube, but it occasionally happens. I refuse to tow a tube from my tower. He maintained it was fine till one day he noticed a cracked weld in his tower. Did the Big Mable cause it? Maybe not, but I can't imagine it didn't contribute.

          Comment

          • SilentSeven
            1,000 Post Club Member
            • Feb 2014
            • 2152

            • Bellevue WA

            • 2004 Nautique 206

            #6
            I'd prefer to never tow a tube, but it occasionally happens.
            ^^^ this.
            2004 206 Air Nautique Limited - Black with Vapor Blue (family style)
            1997 Masters Edition Nautique - Zephyr Green - gone (amazing ski wake)
            1982 Mastercraft Powerslot - gone (a primitive but wonderful beast)
            Bellevue WA

            Comment

            • bturner
              1,000 Post Club Member
              • Jun 2019
              • 1728

              • MI

              • 2016 200 Sport Nautique

              #7
              It's all fun and games until Big Mable cracks the tower.

              Comment

              • MN Ryan
                1,000 Post Club Member
                • Aug 2020
                • 1388

                • Maple Grove, MN

                • 2007 SV-211 TE

                #8
                Exactly! Luckily for him, our family cabin is in rural MN, and he found a guy to weld it for $50!

                Did I mention it's a MC?!

                Comment

                • XBIGPUN66
                  Senior Member of PLANETNAUTIQUE
                  • Oct 2012
                  • 474
                  • Lake Mendota

                  • WI

                  • 2014 SAN 210 TE. NSS. Pro ballast.

                  #9
                  I have heard that the G23 pro tube edition has a proprietary tube towing attachment on the tower

                  Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

                  Ian S
                  2014 SANTE Reef Blue/ Black metal flake. NSS. Pro balllast. Boatmate trailer
                  2004 SANTE Masters Blue. 4000 lb ballast, 2013 graphics (prev). Ramlin trailer
                  2009 Moomba Outback Red(prev). Boatmate trailer

                  Comment

                  • charlesml3
                    1,000 Post Club Member
                    • Jan 2008
                    • 2481

                    • Lake Gaston, NC

                    • 2022 G23

                    #10
                    It always tickles me how delicate people think these towers and boats are. We've towed THREE tubes at once from the tower of a G23 on multiple occasions. I saw a youtube video once of a totaled 230 (storm damage) where the salvage yard took a big fork lift and picked the entire boat up from the tower.

                    -Charles

                    Comment

                    • Scooter G
                      1,000 Post Club Member
                      • Jan 2022
                      • 1440

                      • On a Lake in Idaho

                      • 2022 G23 ZZ8

                      #11
                      We've pulled 3 wakeboarders. Would of gone for 4, but somebody forgot to throw another rope in the boat. Granted no one was throwing Raley's.
                      Redo this Summer...

                      Comment

                      • northernoak
                        • Jul 2022
                        • 65

                        • MN

                        • 2001 Air Nautique

                        #12
                        I've always towed tubes with kids or adults from the tower. The manual for my boat year/model specifically says to tow tubes using the tower only while only using the ski pylon for skiing.

                        "Flight Control Tower: DANGER Failure to follow these guidelines can result in injury or death. Do not tow more than two persons at one time from this tow tower. The tow tower should only be used for waterskis, wakeboards, or recreational towables and not for parasailing, kite flying, or towing other boats ect."

                        Comment

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