Wego Kite Tube, Open Water Flying

Water tubing has reached a new level, the air. I guess having your face drag across the water concrete, having water shooting up your nose and exiting through your ear canal while at the same time losing your shorts was not fun enough.

From the site:

The next generation of action towable is here, taking you to a whole new level of excitement! Whip across the water like a deck tube, or fly through the air like a bird! Experience the thrill of flight as you rise above the water, reaching incredible heights, leaving nothing but adrenaline in your wake! The level of extreme sport has been raised with the WEGO KITE TUBE. Anything else is beneath it…

Price: $599.95

[tags]extreme,water,tube[/tags]

About the author: Vic DaSilva

Website: http://www.uberreview.com

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http://www.uberreview.com Robin Ruiz

I just wanted to let you all know that this flying inner tube has been the cause of broken ribs/ kid was out his entire senior year for baseball. Another girl smashed her nose in. Another kid had a bursted ear drum. The most recent a kid has a rupture Aorta and is now in iintensive care.
Brian Mazzola

Robin,

I have a good friend that was killed on the kite tube. Please email me at brianmazzola@gt.rr.com.

Brian
Justin

Just bought this thing yesterday. It can be safe and fun, but it really relies on the BOAT DRIVER/SPOTTER. Ive had it out all day for the last two days and this is by far alot more exciteing than wakeboarding. I have however had two hard falls. One from about 20ft and another from about 30ft. Had the wind knocked out of me and a headache, but nothing serious. Biggest thing is the recognize when the rider is getting to high for their comfort and to back off the throttle of the boat. I can not stress this enought as my first mis-hap was because I was trying to get two high and told the driver to punch it once I took off. BIG MISTAKE. I would recomend a wakeboard helmet also and commone sense will go a long way.
Brian

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06202.html

CPSC Warns Consumers about Dangers of Tube Kiting
Two Deaths over the Past 3 Months Attributed to New Water Sport

WASHINGTON, D.C. ï¿½ In advance of the July 4th holiday weekend, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers about the possible dangers associated with a new type of water recreation known as ï¿½tube kiting.ï¿½

CPSC is concerned about death and injury reports associated with tube kiting. It is currently investigating two versions of these products to determine if there is a significant product hazard.

Tube kiting is a relatively new form of extreme water sport which is fast growing in popularity, but also extremely dangerous. CPSC is aware of at least two deaths associated with tube kiting this year. A 33-year-old Texas man was killed in late April 2006 while tube kiting, and a 42-year-old man died from injuries associated with tube kiting on June 26, 2006 in Wisconsin.

CPSC is also aware of 12 serious injuries associated with tube kiting. The injuries include a broken neck, punctured lung, broken ribs, broken femur, chest and back injuries, and facial injuries, such as jaw fractures. A 14-year-old girl who was tube kiting lost consciousness when it fell about 15 feet and struck the water.

Tube kites are very large, sometimes round, inflatable water devices that can be more than 10 feet in diameter. The tube is hooked to the back of a boat by a tow rope, and the tube rider pulls back on a rope as the boat travels at speeds between 25 and 35 miles per hour. The ride begins when the tube is lifted into the air trailing the boat. Possible reasons for incidents and injuries include: 1) riderï¿½s difficulty in controlling the tube, 2) boat operator inexperience, and 3) how the tube reacts in certain weather conditions. The conditions of highest concern are wind gusts that can cause the tube to spin out of control, or sudden slowing or stopping by the boat operator, which can cause the tube to nose dive into the water. In some cases, the sudden stopping of the boat might cause the tube rider to continue past the boat and hit it or hit other boats or stationary objects, such as a bridge.

The National Park Service has banned the inflatable devices in at least one of its parks, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which includes Lake Powell where there have been at least four serious injuries.
Kyle Johnson

This is the second year i have had the wego kite tube and personally i have had a lot of fun with it. Yes, the tube can be dangerous but if you follow the instructions and use some common sense you should be just fine. I have had only two crashes on the tube and neither of them were serious because of the communication between the rider and the driver.
Their are a couple of things that will make your ride on the kite tube much safer.

1. Make sure the tube is properly inflated!

It did take some time and practice to find out what the pressure should be. That was one mistake SPORTS Stuff made. The manufacture should have had device to check the pressure in the tube. To low of pressure will cause the wings sides of the tube to cave which will cause the tube to become severely unstable. To high will cause the tube to expand and possibly rupture and it will not glide across the water very easy (will act more like an anchor not letting the boat plain out.)

2. Make sure the wind is at a minimum (5mph max) The lake should be just about like glass.

This part extremely important. I only take the kite tube out in the evenings when the wind is down and the lake is free of traffic.

These are just a couple of things that you can do to insure a safer ride. Good communication and and experienced driver is also a must.

I have looked at all the videos of people crashing on the tubes usually sending the person to the hospital and from what i can see there was absolutely no common sense used. A couple of the videos i watched showed every one in the boat drinking including the driver and they were going at speeds of 30 plus mph and at 30 feet or higher. WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN!!

This is a great tube and i will never give mine up. If you follow these tips and use some common sense you WILL be fine!

I would also like to buy another tube just for backup in case the tube gets a hole or cut in it. So if any one wants to sell theres please e-mail me at kyleleejohnson@hotmail.com
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