2003 SAN 210 Team Edition - tubing?

[Matt1717]

Hi,

New here and can’t seem to find the exact answer I’m looking for in past threads. I’m about to purchase a 2003 SAN 210 Team Edition. I have 4 young kids who still enjoy tubing and a 4 seater tube. I drive fairly conservatively when they are on the tube, but I’m seeing conflicting information about what the appropriate tow point is for this tube and whether there is in fact an appropriate place to tow from. Total weight (tube and kids) is approx 380lbs max. Is the ski pylon sufficient for this? I’m assuming the tower isn’t. Thanks in advance.

[XBIGPUN66]

We used to tow tubes from the pylon on our 2004 SANTE from the pylon back in the day

[bturner]

This has been one of those "what's the best oil" type of questions that seems to strongly divide people on this and other forums. Opinions seem to range from absolutely not the tower to you're good lifting your boat off the trailer using the tower type of answers. The first factory tower I had was a 4 post tower on a 07 MasterCraft X2 that would rattle and sway when I had it in chop or swells. On that one..... I honestly would not recommend pulling a 4 seat tube with adults from the tower. With the new 2 post towers on a say 2016 forward boat? IDK, I might do the kids but something in me just doesn't trust the leverage the tower gives the weight of something like 4 ~180lb plus riders in an inflatable sofa on the water. I'm sure you're going to get people very quickly that say it's fine and it may be but for me, and I'll say it again, for me, I'd rather not. It's not that I think the load will rip the tower off the boat, I'd be more concerned with stress cracks. Then again, for 4 - 60lb kids pulling at age appropriate speeds? I seriously doubt you'd have an issue from any tow point.

For me, and once again, for me, I've always pulled from the rear tow point on the transom or if you have a tow point in front of lounger, there. To be clear, I've seen people do it all the time and have never seen a tower fail directly from it. But that said, I have seen tower welds fail, stress cracks at the tower mounts and towers swaying when under load. For me the "juice just wasn't worth the squeeze" pulling heavy loads from the tower. It's not like it's some sort of Olympic even or that the rider would even notice if the tow point is from the tower or the transom but then again, to each their own.

[Matt1717]

Thank you to both of you!

[FMSki 'n Surf]

Red forces are for rope on tower eg tubing, skiing, boarding etc. It creates leverage on the base of the tower: multiply the rope load by 4 for torque, then divide by 2 (two bases). For example double tubes with 4 dudes, start from idle is 1000lbs x 4 / 2= 2000lbs at each front point, 3 bolts at the red up arrow. If you angle the rope the forces bias to one side or the other.... not so good.


Lift the whole boat = the blue forces. Cut the total boat weight of 4000lbs in 1/2 for each attachment point, 2000lbs spread across all 6 bolts assuming you emptied the ballast. It's a lot... but yeah can hold it, right on the margin, flexing the deck no doubt.

A stubby pylon is best - that is 1000lbs right at the attachment point, easy loading for how Nautique puts them in