Towing another boat

[cola]

How fast can you tow a boat without pulling the ski hook off the back of the boat.
Late, Mike

[dicudmore]

I've always heard NOT to tow by the ski hook....

[DryHeatOnly]

Sounds scary to me. The fiberglass in that area (deck mold) is not as strong as the transom.
If the boat you're towing is big, I'd re-think it.
I'd rather use one of the strap hooks.

[Midlife Advantage]

How fast can you tow a boat without pulling the ski hook off the back of the boat.
Late, Mike
It really all depends on how you do it. a HUGE boat may take a very slow and carefull start, but once you have it moving momentum takes over. In the harbor patrols, they will side tow you, that is, the boat in tow ties on to the side and forward of the tow boat, using spring lines and several cleat cinches. the problem with towing with the ski hook is that you have no control, with a side tow, you can maneuver the tow with pretty good accuracy. If you have to tow a boat really long distances, and its heavier than yours, I would probably take a cleat on each side of mine with a single line and tie another onto it to tow with, and alway have someone ready to fend off should you have to stop. But weight is not such a big factor with like-size boats.

[Some Kind Of Monster]

I have been towed by some crazy people that have had my boat up and on plane during the tow. Amazingly, everything held up.

[Midlife Advantage]

only bad part of powell is the channel, its like the ocean on a bad day,don't want your boat close to mine :D
Ah yes, I left out the part of rough water. thank you, if its rough you have a lot of serious forces at play. another good reason to use a side-tow. you really could rip the ski hook off the back if you are towing with it. I would really hate to be in that position, I think I would think seriously about just staying nearby until a towing service could assist.

[cola]

I have towed 4 or 5 boats this past summer & never towed over 1500 rpm's. This time I screwed up. I stuck our boat on a sand reef coming on to the lake towing a Eliminator back from above the gorge on Sat. We started the tow after 4:30 pm. Not enough time. It was dark as sh*t by the time we pasted the last buoy's. With only low water pickup we filled the sys. with sand. Talk about cold @ 8:30pm in the water pushing the boat off the sand reef.
I just could not leave the guy broke down & gitting dark. With the Lake Pacific run next weekend & needing the boat. I changed the water pump & flushed about gallon sand out of the motor. I was so pissed I swore I'd never tow again. (but I will)

[dicudmore]

I have towed 4 or 5 boats this past summer & never towed over 1500 rpm's. This time I screwed up. I stuck our boat on a sand reef coming on to the lake towing a Eliminator back from above the gorge on Sat. We started the tow after 4:30 pm. Not enough time. It was dark as sh*t by the time we pasted the last buoy's. With only low water pickup we filled the sys. with sand. Talk about cold @ 8:30pm in the water pushing the boat off the sand reef.
I just could not leave the guy broke down & gitting dark. With the Lake Pacific run next weekend & needing the boat. I changed the water pump & flushed about gallon sand out of the motor. I was so pissed I swore I'd never tow again. (but I will)
that sucks Mike....
I think you're right on around the 1500 mark...
But, what to do when you hit the mouth??

[plaster dave]

Well I dont know of the proper speed but those ski bars are stronger than you think. A boat was sinking and I jumped in my boat to go help and their was a 18' jet boat that was already hooked to the boat. The jet boat had a little ski pole sticking out of the back of the boat " no not the one on the motor ". The guys 19' outboard boat that was sinking only had the nose 1 foot out of the water by now. So he hooked the rope to it and gunned it and started dragging that boat till that thing got to the beach. So we were all amazed at that little ski bar. It didn't brake, bend or pull out of the boat. "it was only held in with 2 screws" pretty amazing.
Just be safe when towing another boat.

[Havasu Hangin']

Never use a tow rope with a latch.
I was towing a guy once, the latch on his end broke (it was attached to his bow eye), and the damn thing came flying back at my boat. It hit the transom (put a nice hole/gouge) and then flew over eveyone's heads in the boat.
I use knots only now (1,500 RPMs or so).

[Mandelon]

A longer rope will have more elasticity and provide a little shock absorbing power. Different types of rope also react differently, some are less elastic than others..

[Sherpa]

I pulled a stuck houseboat (that the people had not moved in 4 days) off the
bank at shasta once with my ski pole. I was nervous.......
and, I towed a sanger flatty about 20 miles on the delta once from 10pm till
about 11:30........ I had him up on plane.......
--Sherpa

[cola]

This was a 236 or a 25'. There was no way it was going on plane behind my boat. We got him to Windsor @ 9:00 or so.

[nodigg]

I say barely above idle. Why get in a hurry? Any more than that and you are just sucking gas and putting a strain on everything. Relax and enjoy the scenery for a change. :( :idea: :p

[cola]

I say barely above idle. Why get in a hurry? Any more than that and you are just sucking gas and putting a strain on everything. Relax and enjoy the scenery for a change. :( :idea: :p
The hatch was up on your boat Sat. what you having done.
Late, Mike

[Raisin Wake]

I pulled a stuck houseboat (that the people had not moved in 4 days) off the
bank at shasta once with my ski pole. I was nervous.......
--Sherpa
Now that is brutal. Knowing Shasta, a houseboat that hasen't been moved in four days, is really bad. It must have been beached at least three or four feet!!!! :eek:

[BLUBYU]

I've pulled several boats over the years. My ski tow is glassed in and reiforced in the top of the transom. Pulled a 22' daycruiser this summer about 4 to 5 miles. Put everyone in my boat and then slow and steady on the throttle till both boats are planed over. Seems to work okay, I just get too impatient creeping along... :D

[manuel]

My starter died, (25' Sleekcraft jet) A woman and her daughter came along on a pontoon boat and offered me a tow, she starts making these slow zig-zags down the river, then she yells out that her husband told to always go under the bridge next to the shore (???) after she gets past the last piling she hangs a sharp right and SLAMS me into the concrete piling, broke 3 rivets on my rubrail and flattened it, she apologizes and heads for the pier next to the ramp, when she gets there she is going WAY too fast so she puts it in neutral but still crashes into the pier and almost hits a kid sitting on the end, then she guns it in reverse and plows into my bow smashing an aluminum boarding ladder on her stern, freaks out and hits forward again and hits the pier AGAIN while I'm trying to get untied QUICK, I had to be nice to her because she saved me a lot of rowing but I felt like telling her she was a danger to the boating public. Manuel

[FRENCHIE]

I say barely above idle. Why get in a hurry? Any more than that and you are just sucking gas and putting a strain on everything. Relax and enjoy the scenery for a change. :( :idea: :p
and have a beer or two!!!! ;) :D :hammer2:

[BarryMac]

Towed someone once, it may be coincidence but when I got to the dock and pulled the drain plug the water ran out of the bilge for at least 5 minutes, not sure if towing the boat was the cause but needless to say I am very leary of doing it again, I really don't want to damage my boat because (in my case) some yahoo doesn't want to maintain his boat...

[SB]

Never tow at more than idle speed. It is absolutely stupid, dangerous, and illegal. If you're a little unlucky, you'll lose a cleat or ski tow. If you're a lot unlucky the towed boat's cleat or bow eye will break and snap forward killing you or one of your passengers. You should have a long enough line and a slow enough speed that the middle of the tow line just about touches the water.

[Racer277]

The tow eye is questionable, as it might not be as well supported as the tiedown loops (if equipped).
Problem with the ski pole is the leverage the load has on the pole.
I've towed four boats in with an old school 550 Jet Ski. :hammer2:
Two were actually sinking, :jawdrop: I had a knife ready to cut the rope if they went all the way under.
Of these, I could only get one up on plane, but either way, it was a very dicey situation. I had no control over their boats, and little control of mine.
One I was towing from Crazy Horse to Site six (not sinking). Couldn't believe how many boats passed and looked but didn't offer assistance. :burningm:
I didn't know any of these people either, but they needed the help.

[PHX ATC]

Idle speed.
Ski pole, worked great, no problemo.

[nodigg]

The hatch was up on your boat Sat. what you having done.
Late, Mike
You may have seen me under the hatch on the ATTDR. One of the silent choice flappers quit on me that weekend so AGAIN! I could not run it hard. :rolleyes: Also started seeing some oil in the bilge at the same time. I think we ruptured an oil line but maybe more....We'll see. $$$$$$$$$$

[nodigg]

and have a beer or two!!!! ;) :D :hammer2:
Ya' know, I was gonna add that beer part but thought that might be a given! :D

[ECeptor]

I towed a couple boats this summer, both smaller than mine. But one was completely submerged in a cove and only about 2' of the nose was above water - pointed straight up. I hook two docking ropes to my rear trailering tie downs which are thru bolted. I only pulled a little over idle speed and no where near plane.
Having grown up on a farm, I've seen chains, ropes, cables, straps break when pulling a huge load like a stuck combine. When they break you get big time recoil which can do some serious damage to equipment or people. I had everyone in my boat up to the front out of reach of the ropes if they break.

[Sherpa]

that houseboat was very stuck. the front pontoons were 3 feet up the
bank from the water. I used my dock lines on each corner of the rear of
my boat to pull with. (all that did was pull my hard left every time.....)
then with a heavy anchor rope on the ski-tow pylon... I was very nervous
since if that rope broke, I would be decapitated most likely...
what work was pulling it side to side from the rear. (problem with that was
there was about 6 feet left infront of me should the boat actually pull loose
before I ended up on the bank myself at 4500 RPMS wide open.........
--this is with my Mastercraft Prostar powerslot....... pulling monster....
--Sherpa
for future reference, to get a stuck hoseboat off a bank, just use forward/
full power with the houseboat outdrive and turn it full lock one way, then throttle down, then full lock/full power the other way.......... it will free even
the most stuck houseboats I've found..........
I made freinds AND got mucho free beer last year helping complete strangers
out with that one.......
--Sherpa
Now that is brutal. Knowing Shasta, a houseboat that hasen't been moved in four days, is really bad. It must have been beached at least three or four feet!!!! :eek:

[Underfunded]

I say pull the boat in distress backwards. that way it looks like your having a tug O war and your winning. :wink:

[FastTimmy]

I have done many idle speed tows and twice pulled a boat up on plane. One was a19’ jet boat and the other a 21’ jet boat. Both pulls had to go up river from Topock area and I was not about to wait until the current stopped.
My method of speed tow is to hook up to the tie down loops on the transom and to the boat in tows front eyelet. Kind of like a V, from my loop to his and back to my other loop. This has worked for me twice but hope to never need to do it again.
Stick a peep or to under my bow roll on some beans and cruise at 35-40 MPH. sounds fast but that is planning speed…
Timmy