Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of people double tubing on my lake, and I didn’t think it was very safe. I was very skeptical, and I wasn’t even sure if it was legal. I did some research, and after looking deeper into it, double tubing can be pretty safe, but some precautions need to be taken.
In this article, I will explain these precautions and many other things that you should know before going double tubing.
Is double tubing legal?
Not every state has a clear law displayed publicly about double tubing, but most of them allow it. One state that did have a clear law about it was New Hamshire. They allow 6 people to be towed on multiple tubes behind a single boat. They also require 2 observers onboard when the number of people being towed is more than 2.
Other state’s laws will be similar, but if you want to be safe, you could try contacting your state’s DNR and ask to see if they know.
Is double tubing safe?
Tubing, in general, is somewhat dangerous. So when you add two tubes behind a boat, it doesn’t really make it any safer. Though, there are many ways to make double tubing safer and limit any chances of injury or even death.
Ways to make double tubing safer
- Wear a helmet
- Even out the weight on each tube
- Avoid sit down tubes such as Big Mable
- Make sure everyone is wearing a life jacket that fits them properly
- Twist the two ropes together a couple of times
- Or if you are only driving straight, you can put the ropes on opposite sides of the boat (don’t do this if you are turning sharply)
- Have a passenger of one tube hold onto the other tube to keep them together
- Don’t turn sharply
- Go slow
Best tubing helmet
There are a couple of good ones on Amazon, but this one here is the best. There’s a video included in the product images that you can check out to see what size you should get.
Why twist the ropes?
If you twist the ropes, the two tubes will stay closer to each other. This makes sure the tubes won’t spread out very far from each other. If they spread out very far, there could be big collisions if they hit each other.
How you should drive
Obviously, crazy driving wouldn’t be very smart, so you want to drive reasonably when you are double tubing. No whipping, sharp turns, or fast driving. Turning should be less sharp, so the tubes don’t move side to side very quickly.
Best tubes to buy for double tubing
There aren’t many tubes that will be safer than another for double tubing, but I would recommend laying down ones such as this one here on Amazon. This is because your head is lower to the tube in a laying down tube, therefore, your head can be cushioned by it in case of a collusion.
On sitting down tubes such as the Big Mable, it is much harder to keep your head from bonking into another person sitting down in a collision. When you are laying down, your arms tend to shield you and your head from bonking someone else’s head, but not when you’re sitting down.
Fun and safe double tubing tricks
If your kids are bored with the slower and less crazy driving, they can try jumping from one tube to another. Make sure, of course, you aren’t going very fast, though.
They could also try to hold one another’s tubes together while driving. This will help avoid big collisions, so you can drive crazier if they are doing this.
Can you triple tube behind a boat?
Triple tubing is possible, but just make sure it’s ok with the law. Most states don’t allow any more than 6 people to be towed behind a boat. As for safety concerns, just follow the same rules you would do for double tubing.
Conclusion
Double tubing can be somewhat safe if you make sure to take proper precautions. It’s always a risk, and if you want to double tube with your kids, go for it, I’m not trying to stop you. Honestly, I wouldn’t risk it because of the possibility of a bad collision, but it’s all up to you.
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