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boat? Recently bought a used Outback LS. When skiing one of the first times, the rope shot back into the boat and the handle hit the back portside vent, breaking it off, where it promptly sank.
Skiing sometimes with kids in the boat, I'm worried about this. I saw overtons and barts sells these nylon covered foam pieces that go over the rope near the pylon. I don't understand really how they would work. Do they?
The tubes do work as I've witnessed a few slingshots on someone else's ski boat. The tube restricts the recoil energy to the end of the tube rather than to the pylon where people are sitting. The shorter distance on the rope doesn't allow the rope to get the wide whipping action that provides more velocity on the handle. I have a tube but I never used it and even with the tube the handle still will hit near the back end of the boat and probably wouldn't have avoided the hit your boat took.
The tubes work great, but again like was mentioned probably wouldn't have helped your vent.
Do they work at protecting the driver?
I have considered them more recently as I have started dabling with 38 off. I have nearly hit the driver twice with the handle. I know for a while ski boats were sporting nets across the middle of the boat, but not practical in free ski environment.
That's the idea, protect the driver and spotter
We had a haunting experience with the rope recoiling back into the boat.
The rope flew back into the boat hitting my wife directly in the mouth. The teeth cut inot her cheek and lip area severly severing the inside of the mouth and the lip area. The result was three plastic surgeries and an extended engagement...She ended up marrying me regardless.
It was really bad at the time (12 years ago).
Our solution...
Buy the best ski rope on the market
Buy the recoil tube
Pray like hell that it doesn't happen again.
Our experience shows that the recoil tube would not have helped. It recoiled directly back into the boat without any arch whatsoever.