Anyone ever use a 2 foot shock tube

[Horton]

I have a 2 footer and wonder if it is nearly as effective as the standard 4 foot shock tube.

 

Any experience?

[I5boi]

We use a 2' and it appears to work well. It would be interesting to see some technical data between the two. I haven't been hit in the head yet! Of course nobody gets stacked like @Horton

[gregy]

I have a 2 footer that I got to use with my tracker. We never got a handle in the boat but there's a couple of skiers I was pretty nervous about. I got a 4 footer over the winter, going to try this year.

[MISkier]

I don't think the shock tube will prevent the handle from flying into the boat. It is supposed to prevent the rope from wrapping around the driver's neck or the throttle. I don't think it dampens the recoil.

 

That said, it seems that a 2 foot tube might not be as effective at preventing the rope from wrapping around the driver, etc.

[waterbeat]

My wife was driving once when the rope came into the boat and went around her neck. The long tube protected her neck from chafe or worse until I (sitting in the middle) grabbed it away. A short tube probably would not have reached from the pylon to her neck.

[disland]

I have used 2 foot exclusively for the last several years. Certainly easier to pull the rope thru. I have never had a problem with the rope going around the drivers neck or really anything else. I did have a pylon mount have a rope get caught and was broken. That being said my personal observation is I see less handle pops now that 10 years ago. Maybe new skis and new technique or maybe just everyone getting older and not trying to hold on as much.

[The_MS]

Is there any evidence that the 4 footers work?

[Wish]

Here is an in between I've used for yrs. It's 3 feet and does a great job. The inner diameter is huge, has not faded (3yrs now), it holds it's form as its stout vs sagging flimsy 4 footers, no white writing all over it and is cheaper. Highly recommend it. http://tinyurl.com/j5zbqvv

 

 

[Wish]

Oh, and I'll add.. if you are just in a practice set and you know your gonna take a hit more then you can take, PLEASE toss the handle and protect the driver and yourself. Simply not worth injury to either to see how much of a hit you can take. Slightly off topic I know.

[Jody_Seal]

A 2' shock tube utilized with out a camera swing arm may exacerbate the rope recoil where as a 4' does not.

The camera set up that we use for record tournament though we use the 2' shock tube on the swing arm.

When not utilizing a camera and as a driver I prefer the small dia 4' tubes.

However like the man said above there is no reason to hang on to crap that might cause recoil and harm the boat crew.

[6balls]

I like the ease of use of the Masterline 2 footers. First saw them at a tourney and as boat judge and when helping change out ropes at the starting dock they were certainly more user friendly than 4 footers.

I subsequently bought a 2 footer for my boat and really like it...but I really have no evidence of effectiveness or lack thereof. We don't pop many handles anymore which I guess comes with age and wisdom.

[Wish]

@6balls you would feel the same about the 3 footer as to ease of use.

[DW]

@JTH: We have been using 2' ones on a couple of boats for a few years. One guy does have the tendency to pop the handle, does not seem to react much differently based on tube length although not seen all types of recoils either. All the recoils have tended to go straight forward or slightly off center but not in a pattern where it would wrap around the driver / observer.

[EricKelley]

My preference is the 2 footer. I have never had a handle in the boat with one. Not saying that it could not happen.

[Horton]

@ms I am 100% sure that a shock tube changes the way the rope and handle recoil. I would need the math geeks to chime in but I think more than anything it changes the end point of the rope. What I mean by that is the rope is springing back towards the end of the tube and not towards the pylon. This changes the path of the handle away from the driver or in my case Buford Danger.

 

@Than_Bogan @AdamCord feel free to debunk my science?

[Wish]

@Horton you just tossed in the real reason why. If you are questioning it, you already know the answer and trying to mathamatically delineate 2' vs 4' and whether it will or won't strike her wont make you feel more comfortable. If she gets hit do to the 2' your going to feel beyond bad. Play it safe my friend. Minimum of 3' or the best 4'er you can buy. It's not worth the wonder if.. and/or constant worry.

[Horton]

@wish thank you Capt Obvious. Yes as soon as I start shortening the rope I will go to the 4 footer unless someone can convince me otherwise. That is the point of this thread.

[Wish]

I wouldn't get within a 100 yards of trying to answer that. How bad would the person feel that mathaticllay convinced you that it was ok and then something happens. Not a good thing to ask of a baller IMHO. And at 22 off a rope can head for the crew.

[Horton]

@wish it really is not clear. Is 2 feet good enough? Is 3 feet good enough? Should we be using a 6-foot Shock tube? That's why I'm asking. the default is the 4-footer and that's probably what I'm going to do.

[Bruce_Butterfield]

Another option that I use, that is much more user friendly, is a 3' section of 1" clear plastic tubing you can get at Lowes or Home Depot. Tie a short piece of rope to the tube with zip ties and a loop for the pylon that gives 6-12" between the pylon and front of the tube. It lasts forever (mine is probably 15 years old) and is much easier to change rope length than the traditional shock tube.

 

If it makes you feel better, start with a 4' section.

[Wish]

@Bruce_Butterfield so the 3' section of pipe can't hit the crew? Getting slapped by that I would think would hurt.

[thager]

@Wish My guess is that @Bruce_Butterfield uses a very thin and light piece of clear tubing like those used for holding florescent lights. Very little mass to them.

[The_MS]

I have seen Colombian neck ties happen with 4 footers, 2 footers and also with neither in use.

[ALPJr]

4' for sure and an observer with quick arms to protect the little ones. We had 4 kids grow up in ski boats. A few close calls with handles and one rope on a neck. No serious injuries thankfully!

[Bruce_Butterfield]

@wish no the tubing is heavy enough that it won't come forward. I've never had any issues but I don't pop the handle like I use to.

 

I'll be sure to add a few fish hooks to the tube if @thager ever rides in the boat.

[thager]

@Bruce_Butterfield is just fishin for laughs! Nice!

 

[dchristman]

This thread has me wondering if perhaps ZO has somehow mitigated recoil because of the different technique required. I haven't seen a handle shot into the boat in a while.

[RichardDoane]

@horton - size matters, go w/ the 4'

[slow]

Took a handle to the back of the head with a 4 foot shock tube. Guy wouldn't let go of anything. He's retired from skiing now becouse his body is so beat up

[aupatking]

I've had big guy who is a new skier, since last year, trying hard to get in the course this year take a hit so hard at 2 that i swear to you, the handle made it to 3. That said, I would almost expect the rope to wrap me, and it didn't even touch me. (I was ducking though). This was with a 4' tube. I really like the look of the 2' but I'm a full face helmet guy, even if the law says I don't need it.

[Wish]

The last Nats at Okee I shot a handle from 5 to 6 ball at 35 off. When I came up from the crash I saw the splash so thinkn it had some hight as well. I bet the boat crew flinched. If the trade off is looks or easy of use or something silly like that....not worth the risk IMHO

[6balls]

No science or data for the tubes...sounds like smarter handle management from skiers carries more weight. I have not always been good about this (understatement). Most likely I should think a little less about my score and more about my health and the safety of the people in the boat. Easier to do with advancing age, I guess.

Subjectively, my guess is tubes provide some benefit, and the longer the tube the more benefit...holy crap size matters :smile:

[gregy]

@Bruce_Butterfield are you using the flexible tubing that comes in roles or is it rigid.

[socalskier]

We use a 4 footer...my son drives me and my goal is to minimize the danger and teach good safety skills. Turning off the boat when someone is on the swim step using a shock tube are just part of a safe boat. I hate when something happens that could be easily been dealt with by and ounce of prevention.

[Jody_Seal]

I am glad to say I ski and drive with many of the worlds best slalom skier's in practice with out any shock tube. These skiers are IMOP trained very well that practice means just that practice and they will not put them selves or their boat crew in danger by holding on to crap that would cause recoil... Now the tournament is another deal and I prefer to see the 4' utilized as I have seen and had recoil of rope in the boat when the 2' units are utilized. As a driver I do ask my crew/Judge to help me out if the recoil situation arises when utilizing the smaller 2' units.

What I do not like is my boat judge to wince and cower every time the skier loads up and goes the other way. makes me nervous they wont react and watch your back well if the recoil happens!

[BRY]

I have 2' and 4' as my driver wants a tube so I have the Wakeye that needs one. The 2' doesn't seem to do much if anything. Rope still slaps a little around the front of the engine box/pylon area. Harmless but makes driver nervous. 4' tube seems to put all that back at the back of the engine box, works great. I have had some exiting times judging in tournaments with 2' ones with rope coming into the crew area.

[6balls]

I'd use a 4 if it were really rugged and easy to put the rope through. Seems the 4's I've had always get floppy.

I do like the extra measure of perceived protection. I have never wrapped the rope around the driver with a tube, have done so a number of times without creating a dicey situation thankfully remedied just in time. These were PP and way back in the day hand driven boats not ZO, but then I get very little ZO time.

Many times the crew at tourneys is bracing for impact when I have slack out the end gates, but the handle stays with me.

[jeidmann]

As a driver I like a 4' tube with a pvc insert simply because it's easier to center the rope to the stern.

As far as recoil, here's the disclaimer from Masterline:

 

Helps reduce rope recoil and provide some deflection in the case of an overloaded rope being snapped back into the boat. It is also great for protecting inboard motor boxes from rope wear too.

 

It is important to note that no product can completely stop the recoil of rope from a fallen skier who has overloaded the line. There is always a certain degree of risk associated with towing a skier who can potentially overload the tow rope and cause recoil of both the rope and the handle. Also, this shock tube will not prevent the handle from recoiling into the boat in extreme cases.

 

Could be why many manufacturers are calling them "engine box protectors".

[skierjp]

This was the last Big Dawg final at Okeeheelee. This is my boat. Will Bush was driving and Jeff Rodgers was the skier. The tool box was sitting behind the driver seat. The crazy thing is the handle hit the ski locker door before the tool box. I believe it was a 2’ shock tube. Twice in the same tournament Jeff put the handle in the boat. Neither time was there a chance of furthering his score.

 

 

[skierjp]

 

[MDB1056]

Have always had a 4ft. Cheap sleep insurance. My 4ft has held up for many years and looks like new. Doesn’t make sense to go short if you’re using a shock tube at all.

[A_B]

All I know is that I have had the rope and handle shot up past me while driving about half a dozen times all of which were without a shock tube. I always use the 4’ version in my boat.

 

Nowadays it seems that people want to bring their own line and handle sans shock tube where in the old days everyone just brought a handle. While it’s nice that they don’t want to use up someone else’s $100 line, it seems the shock tube usage is going in the wrong direction.

 

 

[skihacker]

I actually rigged up a slightly redneck setup to carry my handle and rope and shock tube all together for that very reason.

[jjackkrash]

I always understood the shock tube was to help keep slack rope on the pylon end from wrapping around the driver's neck, and also help keep rope wear off the motor box, but not really for keeping the handle out of the boat. If the handle is coming in, it is coming in, tube or no tube.

[perfski]

I can't speak to the technical concerns expressed above but we worked with Radar and a bunch of top ski school coaches, drivers, judges to try and make an easier shock tube to use that addressed alot of concerns and ease of use problems. They have a silicone and end cap and a larger very thin plastic tube through them to easy the passing of ropes through them that seemed to be a constant complaint. We offer them in both 2 and 4 foot lengths. Also they have the lower camera mount attachment. Only negative we expereienced is they can't be "bent" for shipping as the plastic tubing inside gets a crease in it.....so it bumps the shipping costs up. I don't know how aware skiers are of these, but there was some really solid ideas put into them. Want to thank all the people who helped us in this process with their ideas. The ski community was really supportive when we sought their advice. And also to Eric and Brooks at Radar who made this happen. Have a look: https://www.perfski.com/search/brands/performance-ski-+-surf?q=Shock+Tube

 

[skierjp]

@perfski These work awesome. I’ve run across these at tournaments in central Florida. A few of us have used the MasterLine Velcro rope caddy and a medium sized carabiner below the rope attachment point on the pylon to quickly attach the shock tube.

[Ali]

I was boat judge in a tournament, 2 foot shock tube, 2nd skier off the dock put the handle in the boat. I told driver to get back to the dock and got the 4 foot tube from my boat. 2 foot tube is useless in my opinion. 4 foot may not stop/redirect everything but much safer than any other options. I love the Performance and Radar products, a great design.

 

Cheers

Ali

[Dysco]

I had the back of my head split open from a handle while driving, 8 stitches. 4 foot tube was in place. Objects may be closer than they appear in the mirror is true! The worst part was it was an "option" to be at work that morning, which was where my wife thought I was. She wasn't amused.