Is tubing growing in popularity or is just me?

That's pretty cool. I've never seen one of those. Ill have to see if I can find one. Only thing I have seen is training skis. Any leads on where to get one? Thanks.

In the 60's my dad made a larger version of that out of plywood, an "aquaplane". We could ride on it easily behind a 10 HP. I remember that when we fell off, it would dive for the bottom if you gave the boat any throttle!

I know my dad had heard the name somewhere. For a piece of plywood and a length of rope, it worked well, could go outside the wakes, sit or stand, bounce a bit. What was really fun, and I don't see any more, is a disk. I made one in my early teens, it was challenging to ride on, got up on a stepladder a few times, also a folding chair.

One point to mention, more on-topic with this thread, is that these "devices" all were pulled at what today would be wakeboarding speeds, making large wakes even though it was behind outboard 40 and 50 and 70 HP motors. So, maybe even then the slalom skiers didn't like us!

SNobsessed wrote: [QUOTE=8122pbrainard] Before water skiing which is said to have started in the 1920's there was aquaplaning which actually started just before the turn of the century. Looks like they hadn't thought of PFDs yet!

Chris,
The PFD requirement for skiing is a very gray area in most states. Years ago, our local ski team went to the DNR as well as some judges to find out the actual requirement since they didn't use PFD's in most acts in their shows. Wisconsin basically follows the federal rules which is the skier is considered to be a occupant of the boat. So, a PFD is needed in the boat for every occupant, available but wearing one while in the boat or skiing isn't needed.

I was going to post this in my "in my blood" thread, but since it came up over here.... Was visiting my inlaws over Christmas and my father-in-law pulled out some of his old army pics from the 1950s. Despite being in the army he served on a boat over in the Philipines from about 50 to 52. When bored, they got resourceful. Here he is on a home made (war surplus?) aquaplane, being pulled by his landing craft.





(That second pic kind of looks like a G25)

That's a lotta man-meat on the rear lifting eye

Like most here, not a big fan of tubing, or more accurately tubers and the people who pull them. But I will confess, my wife spotted a big, nice tube at a garage sale last summer for $5 so it is now in the equipment room with the rest of our ski stuff. On quiet weekday afternoons last summer, my son head out with it with his buddies and they have a pretty good time with it so....