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In light of all the tragic events involving boats lately, I got to wondering about tubes, I don't believe I have ever heard about a loss of life using a float tube, Don't tubes get caught in freak storms also? wouldn't they also flip over if caught in sudden high seas?
I am not being morbid but float tubes must be effected also, just curious as to why only boaters write in about big blows and not tube guys.
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Well most of us tube guys don't like wind to be gin with. If it is blowing we are usually already off the water. We also usually hit the water (at least I do) early am so we can be on and off before suggested winds. I also keep track of the weather reports showing wind. Helps me to plan my trip.
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Maybe its due to most float tubers see a storm rolling in and tend to paddle back to shore or get off the lake sooner then the boaters. I don't know about anyone else, but I tend not to get to far from where I launch my tube. And some boaters try to gun it across the lake to the docks instead of waiting out the storm on the shore line. I have spent my fair share in a boat during a storm on the shore line. Any way you look at it, its more about using common sense and not pushing your luck.
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Yes I would think that in a tube a person would be aware of the weather at all times, But surely most boaters would be also?
I would think that some tubers would also be capable of using poor judgment at times, Yet I have never heard of one,
I totally agree with the heck with the dock, head for the nearest shore way of thinking.
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The biggest problem that tubers and tooners have are the power squadron, who for some reason seem to regard a tube/toon as a toy to play with. TD can tell you some great stories of his experiences dealing with em !! I believe that most tubes/toons are more seaworthy in rough water than a boat, lower center of gravity, higher flotation so about the only thing that can go wrong is putting a hole in the unit!! You also have more protection from hypothermia due to the waders most guys wear !!
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[#0000FF]I've been float tubing well over 50 years. Well. And I have gone afloat on lakes, ponds, rivers, oceans, etc. And I definitely try to plan my trips around wind forecasts. I can deal with cold, rain, snow...almost anything except wind...and lightning.
That being said, weather forecasters are not always right. Can you say "SELDOM". I have cancelled trips when wind was forecast only to find out later that it was flat calm all day. And I have gone tubing in nice weather only to have an unforecast gale force windstorm come up. Had that happen a couple of times on Starvation...flat to flat-sided 4 foot swells in 4 minutes flat. TubeBabe and I have had to power for the nearest shore to wait out a blow...or to hike back and get our vehicle when the wind only got stronger.
Float tubes are inherently safe in "troubled" waters. At least in lakes. You should never try to float tube down a strong flow with rocks and shallow spots...with legs dangling to potentially catch and flip you over. But on deeper waters you can ride out some bodacious waves without fear of flipping. Center of gravity and all that. But no guarantees against sea sickness. That has happened...not to me but to others.
Dirty Harry says "A man should know his limitations." I'd like to think that most tubers pay more attention to their limitations than some hairy chested boat owners who think they are impervious to all that Mama Nature can throw at them. They are known as "statistics".
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Actually TubeDude, you were one of the people I had in mind when I asked, I know that on occasion you mess with instant weigh loss programs on Utah Lake during early spring, I am aware that you have decades of tubing under your belt, But I was surprised that I have never heard of a tube disaster was all.
Tubes must be pretty seaworthy because there has to be some hairy gorillas in that crowd also.
As for me I have healthy fear or respect for the water, I had an experience last year with a so called boat person that I will never forget.
Went along on a small body of water Huntington N. to be exact. On the boat a small 14ft,tiller type, we are fishing having a good time, I am concerned with what I can read in the sky, speak my mind several times to no avail.
At last he somewhat pays attention but says just one more pass (far shore) from out of the canyon comes a sound like a train and we are in instant doo doo!
I am hollering head to the bank! we are a whole 25yds away. He heads for the dock!! straight across the lake!
had water coming over the bow and I am bailing like a madman, I said my prayers and was sure I was finished.
Well we made it barely, and I was upset to say the least
We were both white as ghosts so I asked what the heck were you thinking the shore was right there!!
Answer you guessed it, didn't want to hurt the boat.
So that got me to wondering about tube guys, I was just wondering where the thinking impaired are in that crowd were also.
Glad to hear tubes can take a beating and survive. I haven't been able to go back out on the water since that happened,
I will try again this year because I need to get back on that horse.
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Thanks to all who replied, I got my question answered good luck out there
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[#0000FF]Just to clarify...there have been on-the-water problems with float tubes. But most are caused by "thin-the-herd" mentality...or lack of mentality.
Like many tubers who fish for spiny-rayed species I have experienced pinhole leaks created from having a spiky fish (not only catfish) bounce off my tube in the heat of battle or when lifting aboard without a net. However, in virtually every case it has been a very slow loss of air and I have been able to notice it and make it safely back to shore without having to walk on water.
On the other hand, I have heard of tubers who used the surface of their inflated air chambers as a cutting board to cut bait or whatever. And, you guessed it, the knife went through and the air came out. Dumb and potentially dangerous if you are a long ways from shore in deep water.
Possibly the most dangerous times in float tubing are launching and beaching. This was especially so during the earlier days when all we had were round tubes (donuts). As my longtime friend Therapist will confirm, it was not uncommon for the donut to drop down around your ankles and topple you into the water. That often led to broken rods, waders full of water and injured dignity...especially if accompanied by fellow tubers. In some cases it almost caused drowning.
But, I can honestly say that I have never heard a verifiable account of someone flipping a tube over while out on the water...from weather or natural conditions. Howsomever...I did witness an incident in which an impatient tuber with a full bladder tried to "download" after pulling himself up on to a seated position on the back of his round tube. You guessed it. He went over backwards. Fortunately it was during the summer. The water was warm and only a few feet deep. And the "relieved" tuber was easily able to recover and get back to fishing...after he dived down to recover his rod.
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I pay close attention to the wind forecasts, sometimes they are not accurate but when projected high winds I will defer to another day. Safety first or you may not fish another day!
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as a boater I have seen tubers blown clear across strawberry , I have heard of no recent drowning's but I can remember hearing stories of It happening here in ut. so tubers are not immured to accidents and inflated feelings of safety will only contribute to further tragedies. one thing about boats is they can travel much farther out into the water ,plus the down canyons etc. plus the speed and sheer numbers of boaters contribute to higher odds of accidents involving boats. hopefully we won't see to many accidents this season .
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[#0000FF]Don't know how many Utahns remember Del Canty, from Colorado. In the 70's he spent a lot of time in Utah in his self-designed float tube system...fishing for big trout with flyrod only. He caught many big browns from the Gorge and still holds the state record for a big Kamloops rainbow (about 26#) that he caught there...fly rod and float tube.
The point of the story is that he once got caught in a sudden blow on Pyramid Lake in Nevada. Blew him and his float tube clear across that big lonely lake and he crash landed on a rocky shoreline...and nobody knew he was there. It was a couple of days before someone found and rescued him.
Yes, it is possible to get in trouble in a float tube. But it is better to stay off the lake when winds are expected...boat or float tube.
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In the 70's some of the first tubes was hand made and you would set higher and they could and did flip over and with out a life jacket on you could not get up-righted and a few drowned.. But now days the ones we have now are so much better and safer..
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amen bassrods like you and tube dude said your better off using your head. boaters and tubers alike shouldn't be lured into a false sense of security . rip to all that have learned the costs of arrogance .
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Knew Del in 71 if I remember correctly. Used to stop in at his house for a visit at times.
He was a guy that fished weather be damned. Get in the tube and not see him for a couple of days till it was time to go home.
He and a buddy of mine used to backpack in for some back country fishing. From some of the stories. My bud told I'm surprised they both made it back. I never could bring myself to crawl over snow covered boulder fields above timberline. I guess I have never been dedicated enough for the bug uns.
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most of boating accidents are common sense, know your limitations and what your boat/tube can handle. keep your boat nose into the wind, never turn sideways in big waves and slow down. in utah lake (shallow water) with big waves trim your motor up and go slow.
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