Checkout this Kite Tube Video.....DAMN!!!

[Sotally Tober]

Wonder if the guy broke anything?
Kite Tube (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3662795352661557160&%20amp;q=kite)

[mbrown2]

That could not feel good....I am hearing they are starting to look at outlawing these things....narrow passages, quick flight/wind shifts due to operator error and all the sudden people are landing on land versus water....- Ouch

[Chubby4Life]

I saw one of those last weekend at mojave. looked pretty cool untill the dude caught to much air, the tube turned sideways and the guy did about 5 cartwheels. looked like a pretty painful dis-mount if you ask me.
EDIT- I should have watched the vid. to the end. thats pretty much what I saw except not as much air!

[Sotally Tober]

I wanted one till I saw that video.

[77charger]

i konw i want to buy one just better hurry now

[TRUMP TIGHT]

Is the thing supposed to come out of the water? OUCH!

[No Name]

Looks like fun but I can see how that could be dangerous. :skull:

[Sotally Tober]

Is the thing supposed to come out of the water? OUCH!
Yes that is why they call it the Kite Tube. If you go to thier home site they have kis on them that have hang times in the minutes!

[Wake Havasu]

http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/3383/wegokitecrash6tw.png
"I should have stayed in the Channel d r i n k.......ing!!!

[Wake Havasu]

Can Tubes really fly? (http://www.skitube.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=17)
Often we get asked about these tubes that supposedly fly. Here is a detailed explanation of the how's, what's and why's about tubes that get airborne behind a boat.
Ok let's get started, the most important thing to know about flying a tube is it's really fun and pretty easy. All you need is a boat that will tow the tube at about 17 MPH and a rider that is willing to take a spill or two... or three... or four. What goes up must come down and often times you do not land in the same orientation you took off from! First thing you need is a tube that is capable of flying... see the list below. The next thing you need is the proper tow rope to safely pull a tube of this size. If your not sure what rope this is see out article "Why just any rope won't do!"
Alright so you have the boat, the crash test dummy (rider), and the ski tube. Head the boat into whatever wind you have and get the tube pulling at about 17 MPH. Then have the rider either lean back or pull back on tube and the rest is history! On a tube like the Wego Kite Tube you just need to lean back and the tube will do all the work. On deck tubes like the Disco's, Wet-N-Wild and Frequent Fliers the rider slides back on the tube with their legs in the water. There are straps at the back for them to pull back on and away you go!
Things that will make the tubes fly better:
A high attachment point on the boat for the tow rope will help, but is NOT necessary.
The bigger the ski tube the easier it is to lift off.
A lighter person will get off the water at slower speeds then a heavier person.
Now with all this said... we tell you about our personal test results. We can fly a 220lb; middle aged; risk taking dad; behind a 13' Boston whaler with 40 HP outboard; at 20MPH with no wind; a heavy duty tow rope; a heavy duty tow harness; and a Wet-N-Wild flier. He may spend the rest of the week on Celebrex but he had a great weekend above the water!
TUBES THAT CAN FLY:
Wego Kite Tube
Wet-N-Wild Flier
Disco 76"
Super Slice
Mega Slice
Have fun and be safe!

[77charger]

basically like anything else it can be dangerous follow the directions you wont get hurt.(or less likely)
tow behind this boat it will definitely fly high
<----------

[jbone]

That looked fun until the drop off.
I bet his shorts had some brown stuff in there when he landed.
J

[KineticoH20]

Can you say HMO :cry:

[Cole Sanger]

I saw that posted somewhere else on here. I have one. It is up to the driver not to pull so fast. I think that camera guy should be kicked off the boat and made to swim for not getting the landing.

[RitcheyRch]

Looks like a pretty rough landing.

[Flying Tiger]

Saw several along the Parker Strip this weekend.
Seemed fun.

[MagicMtnDan]

I'll betcha a sheet of 3/4 plywood with some rope handles could fly too :rolleyes:
Just because something can go up in the air behind a boat doesn't mean it's a good idea to ride it :D
There's gotta be an aeronautical engineer or two out there who can make a semi-controllable towable that would be fun to ride :)

[kcvega]

Looks fun as hell but there was a guy here in OK that broke 2 ribs on that thing.

[Infomaniac]

Yea I think those guys wre a the island weekend before last.
My son came running and has been begging me to get one since. He can fly his Body Glove Air Time but he is bigger this year and it needs a lot more head wind to fly.
I'm curious. how do you inflate those things at the lake?

[GHT]

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy Sh!t!! That's funny right there.. :2purples: :2purples:

[maxwedge]

Better get one before the lawsuits catch up with them. :crossx:

[RitcheyRch]

Would imagine inflating befoer heading out on the water although need another boat to haul the thing on.
Yea I think those guys wre a the island weekend before last.
My son came running and has been begging me to get one since. He can fly his Body Glove Air Time but he is bigger this year and it needs a lot more head wind to fly.
I'm curious. how do you inflate those things at the lake?

[Biglue]

Is it just me or was that tow line a little too short as well?

[Infomaniac]

THOSE BASTARDS !!!! I have been wanting to do that for years. A W.I.G towed behind a boat.
CRAP !!
My brother works for Lockheed Martin, and him and this other guy are designing one right now.. It's a towable tube with actual "control surfaces" so once you get off the water you can actually "fly" it... Turn left / right / up / down..
They have 3 or 4 concepts right now, and are getting ready to do some basic wind tunnel testing etc..
RD

[RitcheyRch]

Which Lockheed facility does he work at? I am at the Palmdale facility.
My brother works for Lockheed Martin, and him and this other guy are designing one right now.. It's a towable tube with actual "control surfaces" so once you get off the water you can actually "fly" it... Turn left / right / up / down..
They have 3 or 4 concepts right now, and are getting ready to do some basic wind tunnel testing etc..
RD

[Infomaniac]

Would imagine inflating befoer heading out on the water although need another boat to haul the thing on.
Well DUH !! silly That is what I want to know. How to air it up after you transport it to the lake from home.

[Infomaniac]

We had a big inflatable and I rigged up a leaf blower to air it up with. it would put some air in it but would not make any pressure.

[Speedin' Ian]

These things are a blast... picked one up a couple months ago and it is the best 500 bucks I have spent. We fill ours up with a hand pump and it doesn't take too long, the only problem is transporting when no one is on it, the thing is huge and does not tow very well without a passenger, even when it is tied off right to the back of the boat.
Flying these things are dangerous and takes a responsible driver, but if you have a driver you can trust you should be fine.
BTW do not hook it up to the tower, you will go way higher than you want :cry:

[stompnstang]

We had a big inflatable and I rigged up a leaf blower to air it up with. it would put some air in it but would not make any pressure.
I picked up one of those cheap 12 volt (in case $hit happens) tire pumps for your cig lighter at a yard sale for 3 bucks and just cut the end off and riged up a way to air up all our stuff its easy and dont take up room where beer and friends could be sitting...

[N2Lake]

That is what I want to know. How to air it up after you transport it to the lake from home.
These work well for inflating and deflating big tubes. (http://www.bartswatersports.com/catalog/Tubes_and_Towables/InflatorDeflators/index.asp)
I have this one and it has done great for several years now. (http://www.bartswatersports.com/catalog/Tubes_and_Towables/InflatorDeflators/OBrien_High_Output_12V_Inflator/index.asp)

[Cruzzze]

Just saw on the news about the guy on the tube, broke his neck, has a halo on, still in the hospital. Wow....... :220v:

[ANXIETY ATTACK]

we have one also. took it out last week and wholly shiooot! I thoutght i killed my son, you have to watch the tube the entire time and have throttle(s) in hand, one of my cocky marine friends wanted to go so i flew him around the lake in groungd effect (1 foot off water) then he wanted to fly I had to get him (210 Lb) to 60 mph before flight then it was lift off, he flew real good for about 8 sec but he needs more pratice on landings, when he hit the water all we saw was arms and legs cartwheeling on top of the water for about 4 sec. no injuries but I can see people getting all mesed up if not paralized!

[HotDogz]

Get the manta ray!!1 You can ride it like a dirt bike. :D
Have a TRUSTED driver who is paying attention ALL the time.
Drive into the wind and you can fly higher with less speed.
To inflate, I picked up a 12 volt high volume air pump by Coleman from wal-mart. Blows the damn thing up in about 10-15 min, also has a reverse flow nozzle so it will also suck the remaining air out of the towable so it will roll up more compact.
Driver needs to learn how to tow the flying tube (whatever it is) because once they go up you cant just let off the gas. Creates too much slack in line and rider loses control, you have to help bring em down slow so you still have tension in the line. Dont turn when they are in the air, makes the tube want to roll over. If you bring em up to speed slowly turn into the wind, you can keep the tube out of the water for good distances at decent heights.
My kids ride it alot so I have to keep a close eye on em.

[TJRiver]

There has already been one death on these things in Texas. All of you folks with these things and kids be careful........

[RitcheyRch]

They definitely look fun but also look like an accident waiting to happen. Might be okay on the water if no one else out there but with other boat and watercraft traffic I would be leary.

[riverroyal]

my kids are laughing their butts off,we keep watching it

[Cole Sanger]

That's one of the rules on our boat. No kids under 12 go on this thing, and I make sure that they don't go over 4 feet. Also, you must be sober to ride on it.