are inflateables killing our sport?

First, a little background. I learned to waterski in 1978, Bought a boat that year, and went to my first camp in 1992, teaching youth to waterski. I have gone to many waterski camps since then, and have taught many youth to ski, and and in the last several years, wakeboard.
In the last few years, some of the camps I have gone to have an attitude that dragging youth in tubes is a more valueable use of time, because you can pull two or three tubes, with several youth at one time.
Yes, riding on a tube is fun. I will not deny that. But it is just an adrenelin rush, where the thrill is mostly forgotten a short time later.
I believe that learning a skill, stays with you much longer, and these youth that learn to ski, or wakeboard, are the ones that are going to buy tow boats in the future.

 

Well Daniel I have you beat in a couple of areas there.........

I learned to ski in 1963 (I was 7) and still don't ski nothin' fancy, went on my first camping trip in 1963 (that I remember anyway) and bought my first boat in 1986....so either I am a whole lot older than you or you are a late bloomer! LOL! Ok, so I am sure it is because I am older!

My two oldest who were 6 and 2 when we bought our little dingy, their Dad learned to ski that summer. My son and daughter really were never interested in learning to ski for some reason, but they did try a few times. Slowly I did get them to start kneeboarding and of course they like tubing. We had the kneeboard prior to getting a tube.

I have two younger sons as well......currently 15 and 12 (their first camping trip each was when they were 6 weeks old by the way). Paul loves to wakeboard and has been doing it for a couple of years now, Glenn it trying hard and think he will make it in 2007. The our daughter wakeboards now as well.

My kids just didn't seem to have the no fear daredevil trait I did as a kid.......I would try anything! I guess they just had to be older to finally want to try things, still working on the 12 year old and he is getting there. I know it will just take making it once and he will be hooked.

I think tubing is a great introduction for kids that may have a fear factor of some sort, get started, but yes I also believe some of them get to comfortable. I am guilty as well of it being easier and less work to just pull them on the tube, but I always ask when they ask to go tubing "Hey, want to try the wake board or skiing first?" Some times I get a yes.

Of course like I said, I am not a fancy skier......just pull me around, let me jump (or should I say crawl) over a few wakes and I am happy as heck! That is why I bought a boat.....we didn't own a boat when I was growing up......cuz I wanted to be able to SKI anytime I WANTED! So it was also in 1986 I finally learned to single as well.

I think all my kids will be boat owners someday and will take their kids out when they have them because of the memories we have created.

 

Yes, tubers can be a real pain, but killing our sport? I don't know about that. We live on a very small lake and we have a lot of restrictions. We can only ski between 11-8. Usually we are the only ones out there on week nights. On weekends we have to get out there right at 11:00 because by 12:00 or 1:00 the lake is full of pontoon boats pulling multiple tubers. Yes, it ruins the water, but my major beef with tubers is that they are more concerned with trying to dump their riders than on where they are going. Our lake is very small, so zig-zag driving is a major pet peeve with me.

However, we own a tube and while I don't care for it (it hurts my back) it is a great favorite when we take guests out with us. Many of them have absolutely no interest in waterskiing, but most everyone is willing to try the tube!

 

I never get tired of this pic.
Rob

 

My son wants me to buy him a Sumo tube for next year. Has anyone tried one of these things? Are they good for more than a few laughs?

 

I have taught 6 year olds to ski, on a boom, and wakeboard also. With very young children, I have seen parents just give a young child a kneeboard as a beach toy. After the child gets comfortable with it, the parent pulls them along the beach with a 5 foot ski handle. Then it is a short transition to being towed by a boat. A word of caution, do not strap the child in a kneeboard until they know how to get out of it when it turns upside down.
There is no skill involved in hanging on to an Inflatable. Once again, I am not denying that they are fun. But there is no skill development, and no satisfaction after the rush dies down. I honestly believe that if a youth gets up on skis, or a wakeboard for the first time, they will remember it for the rest of thier life. I do. Do you remember when you first got up on skis, or a wakeboard? I bet you do, also. Do you remember your first tube ride? I don't and I am betting you do not either.
I have had many youth, sometimes a few years after the fact come up to me and thank me for teaching them to ski, or wakeboard. The only time I nave been thanked for a tube ride, is when I mentioned the above about being thanked for teaching a skill.

 

Thanks DanielC, but my 6 year old already knows how to ski and kneeboard (no strap). We are just looking to have some fun. A kid on my lake had a sumo tube and couldn't get up on that. How is that possible? I don't know. Just wondered if anyone had tried one.

 

swvski1, I have not used a sumo tube personally but I have seen one in use. It looks like the hardest part for most people is th initial take off. The water tries to consume the tuber until they get up on plane. takes a lot of hand strength.

 

No, don't strap my kids on the knee board either....the older ones do now.

Remember my first tube ride........you BET I DO! Why? Cuz it was my first time on a tube and it wasn't a tow tube! It was an inner tube from a big truck that we had used in the snow years before. Talk about plowing first, then plane and then WHOA! Nothing to hold on to for the most part, your back stretched over the hole in it and thought I was going to snap my back. Thank goodness Todd happen to find our very first real towable tube in a trade in at work.

If you are creative tubing can be a skill.......pull two tubes, one manuvers over close to the next and you jump off yours on to the other guys! Should have seen my husbands face when I did that! LOL! Also, most know you can't really stand on one....well for very long anyway. It is fun to try and see how long it takes before you are dumped........I have the record for longest standing! Every time I do it I almost drown laughing.

I have also seen those sumo tubes and never have tried one, but really not interested in them. BUT that KITE tube......oh yeah, want to try that! I actually almost tracked a guy down on the lake to ask if I could. By the time I got brave enough to ask they were gone. I have seen where they have taken them off the market because of injuries however.

I understand about teaching a skill.......but there is also just the plain old fun factor. I gave my twin nephews their first ever run on the water behind my boat on a tube when they were just two years old. Their faces were PRICELESS, well until I started heading back to shore and they noticed and didn't want to quit. LOL

Seeing my kids having fun, their smililng faces and the memories created has always been thanks enough for me. You know just knowing how to have fun and enjoy yourself is a skill in itself.

Daniel C. you have obviously created memories that will last a life time for those you have taught to ski. I remember in detail the day my Dad and Charlie took me out my first time.