Kids and their friends broke our tube

[Blueliner]

They got crazy the other day (and it was hilarious, its all good!) the end result was that the bottom of the tube, the seat which is round and fills the hole, got busted clean out, everything else is fine. Is it still safe to use? the reason why is that if you were small enough like a 4 year old you could fall into the tube and get trapped in the cover/shell under it. So I went to the local big box store and had a look at possible replacements'; the"airhead blast 1" which is very similar looks on the box and in the pictures like the hole goes straight through the center there is no "seat" which blocks the hole. My inner lawyer says don't let small kids on it, but the cheapskate says its fine as is don't buy another. Other than maybe filling up with water and torpedoing cant see a problem. Opinions please!

Thanks!
Blueliner

[iwaterskihard]

I'd personally toss it in the garbage can and buy them a set of water skis!

[samvq1]

Once they are damaged those nylon covers will start to shred. I had an old tube of the same style. One use after the damage it looked like strips of nylon with a seam around the top. I would throw the cover away and use the tube for a lake float.

[Blueliner]

The nylon cover is fine, just worried that if someone's skinny arse fell to deep in the tube they would get stuck, as funny as that sounds it might be alarming to the victim! Since we have a month and a half (maybe) of good weather left I am going to buy the new tube and keep it in the truck in case the current tube fails. if it doesn't i'll take it back to the store and get a refund at season end. In the meantime I'll measure everyone's behind and make sure they fit properly.

Lots of water sport purists (which I am not) are negative on tubing but if the water is already rough, or you have people who have never done watersports its a great way to break the ice, can go any speed you like. Next thing you know they are trying the wakeboard and the surf board....We usually tube first, then wakeboard, then finish of with an attempt at surfing, which only one of us has gotten up on properly yet....its new to us.

[VA LSV]

Better check the condition of your tow rope also. Had one snap and it shot back into the boat with enough force to knock the breath out of my daughter and bruise her pretty bad where it hit her in the chest and she had her life vest on.

[jmvotto]

Used to use an ole truck inner tube tied off with an old ski rope, stem face down.

They should be fine without out the liner, not sure how well the tube will fare though?

[iwaterskihard]

Better check the condition of your tow rope also. Had one snap and it shot back into the boat with enough force to knock the breath out of my daughter and bruise her pretty bad where it hit her in the chest and she had her life vest on.

Get a shock tube for the rope they work wonders.

[bergermaister]

Tubes are not cheap - I'd say run that sucker until its destroyed before replacing.

Ours only last 1-2 years at most.

Like JMVotto said - these kids have it easy. I remember the fear of death from the metal stem and the rope tied around the old overinflated truck tube.