21 Best Towable Tubes for Kids

- If your kids are nervous about tubing at all, choose a tube where they can sit down on their bums rather than lying down
- Nervous kids will also do better on a tube that has two people on it so they can go with a sibling or friend
- If you plan to go fast and whip the boat around for more adventurous kids, please consider the dangers of multi-rider tubes. The risk is always increased when there is the possibility of heads smacking into each other.
- Get a tube with a good quick release. It's no fun to have extra work when you're trying to enjoy the day out on the boat.
- You'll end up spending much more on your tubes over the years if you don't have a high quality, high capacity pump! A regular air mattress pump will not work! If the tube is under inflated at all, it will wear out much faster. This is the pump I recommend.
AIRHEAD Air Pump, 12v, AHP-12H
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- Even if your own kids are very confident in a tube, keep in mind that they will bring their friends and cousins who may be riding for the first time. Don't get an adventurous tube and expect it to work for everyone.
- Don't think you'll buy one towable to use for every situation. It's nice to have 2 or 3 towables in the garage so you can change things up to make it more fun for the kids, or to use a different towable if you'll be bringing newer riders out with you.
- If your pontoon boat has issues getting up to speed when full of people and towing a tube, then I highly recommend buying a booster ball. I was skeptical before I bought mine if it would make much of a difference, but it was a HUGE improvement. The booster ball just gets the rope out of the water, and it was excellent for getting the rider outside the wake and going much quicker. So if you have a slower boat but want to use it for towing tubes as well, it's a great buy. You can get one here.
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I've broken down 15 of the most popular tubes available by my rating and which group of kids (little kids, intermediate, or more adventurous kids) they are best for...
5 Best Towable Tubes for Younger or More Timid Kids
For the younger kids, I recommend the cockpit style tubes, or the sit-up tubes as they give the kids a feeling of being more secure. It also means you can increase the boat speed a bit more to get them used to going faster with less danger of the kids falling off. I would never recommend a one-person tube for the younger kids. They always seem to prefer going with a sibling, cousin, or friend.#1 Sportsstuff Chariot Warbird 2-Person
Sportsstuff Chariot Warbird 2 | 1-2 Rider Towable Tube for Boating
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This is my favorite towable for the younger kids because it's extremely stable with the wide wings, it has a high back so the kids stand very little chance of flying off, there are good convenient grips, and it fits two kids which is essential for the newer riders. All of the tubes on this list are good quality tubes, but I think for this category, this is by far the best tube out there, and the reviews from other boaters back that up as well.
I also really like that this tube can be towed forwards or backwards. Sometimes the feeling of kids riding backwards can actually make them feel more comfortable by having the large "wall" of a back seat between them and the water in front of them. This is the very best tube you can buy if you'll have any newer or intermediate riders on the boat. It's an excellent design and will likely last for many years. It isn't cheap, but it's the best out there. You can check the current price of this tube on its Amazon.com listing.
#2 Sportsstuff Big Mable 2-Person Towable
Airhead Big Mable, 1-2 Rider Towable Tube for Boating
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#3 Airhead Mach 2 Towable
Airhead Mach 2 | 1-2 Rider Towable Tube for Boating , Blue
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#4 The Old Reliable Hot Dog
Airhead Hot Dog 3 | 1-3 Rider Towable Tube for Boating, Multi (HD-3)
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The hot dog has been a very popular towable for a lot of years because it allows a lot of riders to enjoy the tow. They are also good for pontoon boats with lower powered engines because their streamlined design makes it easy to get up to speed even with 4 riders on the tube. The only issue with this style of towable is that you have to exercise extra caution not to go too wild as you drive.
Remember that there is nothing keeping the riders in place and they are tightly packed, so even if the kids don't mind getting flipped off the tube and into the water, heads can easily hit one another and cause very serious injuries. The other good thing about the hot dog style tube is that it is quite inexpensive compared to some of the other tubes on the list for kids. The tubes for younger kids are often more expensive because they are much larger and wider to give more stability and to allow for multiple riders.
#5 World of Watersports Bingo 1-2 Person Tube
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5 Best Towable Tubes for Intermediate Kids
#1 Airhead Mach 2 Towable
Airhead Mach 2 | 1-2 Rider Towable Tube for Boating , Blue
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#2 Sportsstuff Frequent Flyer Towable
SportsStuff Frequent Flyer | 1-3 Rider Towable Tube for Boating
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#3 Airhead G-Force 2-3 Person Tube
Airhead G-Force, 1-4 Rider Towable Tube for Boating, Red (AHGF-3)
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#4 Airhead Slash 2 Towable
Airhead Slash II | 1-2 Rider Towable Tube for Boating, Multi (AHSL-32)
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#5 The Old Reliable Hot Dog
Airhead Hot Dog 3 | 1-3 Rider Towable Tube for Boating, Multi (HD-3)
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The hot dog has been a very popular towable for a lot of years because it allows a lot of riders to enjoy the tow. They are also good for pontoon boats with lower powered engines because their streamlined design makes it easy to get up to speed even with 4 riders on the tube. The only issue with this style of towable is that you have to exercise extra caution not to go too wild as you drive.
Remember that there is nothing keeping the riders in place and they are tightly packed, so even if the kids don't mind getting flipped off the tube and into the water, heads can easily hit one another and cause very serious injuries. The other good thing about the hot dog style tube is that it is quite inexpensive compared to some of the other tubes on the list for kids.
The tubes for younger kids are often more expensive because they are much larger and wider to give more stability and to allow for multiple riders.
5 Towables for Older, Adventurous Kids
For older and more adventurous riders, I only recommend one or maybe two person tubes. Why? Because pontoon boats aren't known for speed and agility, so using a tube that is small will give it more fling in the turns and more speed by reducing drag. If you want something adventurous but which handles at least three riders, look toward the intermediate tube list above.#1 Obrien Super Screamer
O'Brien Super Screamer Inflatable Tow Tube, 70-Inch
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#2 Airhead Super Slice (1-2 Person)
Airhead Super Slice | 1-3 Rider Towable Tube for Boating, Orange, Three person
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#3 Sportsstuff Frequent Flyer Towable
SportsStuff Frequent Flyer | 1-3 Rider Towable Tube for Boating
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#4 Airhead Slash 2 Towable
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Airhead Slash II | 1-2 Rider Towable Tube for Boating, Multi (AHSL-32)
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#5 Airhead Blast Tube
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