Booster ball recommendations

[MOA_Chaser]

I have an aftermarket tower on my SX230 and it's really reinforced under the hull. I've been towing little kids, max 120 lb combined weight, for a long time (many years) with zero issues.

That said, I am willing to more closely align to manufacturer recommendations and stop being such a rebel if I can get a decent tubing experience from the transom hook, which I can't do right now. I tried it again yesterday for old time's sake, and had about 20' of the tow rope submerged in the wash. We ended up transitioning back to the tower.

I think the $130 or so for the SportsStuff booster ball is a ridiculous price especially since I don't know how much of an effect (if any) it will have on our experience. I noticed that more companies are making them, like O'Brien, Airhead and Gladiator for around $60. Much more reasonable for what they are.

Has anyone tried these other brands of booster balls on our jet boats and can recommend (or discourage) the purchase of one? Stop us from towing from the tower; let me know how we can fix this!

 

[WiskyDan]

I almost pulled the trigger on the Airhead version last week but the threads that mention them here are hot or miss so I decided to do more research.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I have a booster ball. Used it one outing, it was complete garbage. Threw it in the garage. Tried again at the end of the season cause it kept eating at me. Still doesn't work great. Jet wash kicks it around and it drags coming across the wake, even over inflated.

Have no issues with using the tower.

 

[jgourlie]

We finally got our booster ball working good. 50ft of rope from boat to ball. 10 feet of rope plus 5 foot bungee from ball to tube. Kids finally stopped complaining about getting splashed in the face.

everyone is happy

 

[WiskyDan]

I have a booster ball. Used it one outing, it was complete garbage. Threw it in the garage. Tried again at the end of the season cause it kept eating at me. Still doesn't work great. Jet wash kicks it around and it drags coming across the wake, even over inflated.

Have no issues with using the tower.

Do you still have it?

 

[HangOutdoors]

Yes in a storage box in the garage somewhere.

 

[HangOutdoors]

We finally got our booster ball working good. 50ft of rope from boat to ball. 10 feet of rope plus 5 foot bungee from ball to tube. Kids finally stopped complaining about getting splashed in the face.

everyone is happy

I don't put the bungee at the end where the tube is. They have snapped before, at least so I have read. I put mine at the boat tow point.

 

[TimW451]

I have the SportsStuff Booster Ball and it works well for us. It does retard the maneuverability of the towable, but the kids wouldn’t tow without googles before and now will. I use just the tow rope it came with. That said I would never pay $130 for it. I got it for ~$65 using CamelCamelCamel to track the price on Amazon, which was typically $90 during off-season.

 

[tkeru408]

I have the SportsStuff Booster Ball and it works well for us. It does retard the maneuverability of the towable, but the kids wouldn’t tow without googles before and now will. I use just the tow rope it came with. That said I would never pay $130 for it. I got it for ~$65 using CamelCamelCamel to track the price on Amazon, which was typically $90 during off-season.

We have the SportsStuff Booster Ball, too. Haven't had the chance to use it a lot yet but when we have used it, it's worked well.

I agree with Tim here on pricing...no need to pay $130 for it when it can easily be had for much less if you're patient. We paid $74 for ours last August on Amazon. It was on backorder at the time and took about a month to be delivered but I knew that when I bought it and wanted to lock in the $74 price at that time. CamelCamelCamel is great...I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to see Amazon price history and set up price alerts for when something drops back down to the price you want to pay.

 

[mraz72]

I have a sportsStuff booster ball I haven't even used yet, it's about 4-5 years old lol. I keep thinking one day.....

 

[3 green tornados]

Not sure the maker but our is the Airhead Bob. We use it 2/3’s of the time. Kids like it because it does help cut down spray. Slows the whip a little and takes some learning for the driver. Wouldn’t pay the $100+ for a new one. We got a used one from OfferUp for $45 with two tow ropes. $65-$75 I’d still get it, more than that, I’d pass.

 

[jgourlie]

I don't put the bungee at the end where the tube is. They have snapped before, at least so I have read. I put mine at the boat tow point.

That does make sense. I have 2 of them so I will report back if 1 bungee ends up breaking. Although I suppose there would be no harm in having 55 feet to the ball and 10 feet to the tube. Might work even better.

 

[RobbieO]

I have the SportsStuff Booster Ball and it works well for us. It does retard the maneuverability of the towable, but the kids wouldn’t tow without googles before and now will. I use just the tow rope it came with. That said I would never pay $130 for it. I got it for ~$65 using CamelCamelCamel to track the price on Amazon, which was typically $90 during off-season.

I just bought one today...How long is the included rope? I bought a bungee too that I will use if the kids want more of a thrill. They're all over 30..lol

 

[Woodsy]

We picked up the O”Brien Shockball. It seems to work pretty good. It does get caught under the wake from time to time. We aren“t the most aggressive tubers, so perhaps it has similar challenges that others speak of if you are given“r.

 

[TimW451]

Product description says 60’ overall. I’d guess the short end is ~10-15’. I’ll take a look tonight.

EDIT: Ball is in the middle, 27-28’ on either side.

I just bought one today...How long is the included rope? I bought a bungee too that I will use if the kids want more of a thrill. They're all over 30..lol

 

[RobbieO]

Product description says 60’ overall. I’d guess the short end is ~10-15’. I’ll take a look tonight.

EDIT: Ball is in the middle, 27-28’ on either side.

Thanks. Mine came today and I’m pleasantly surprised. It came with a 2 piece 60’ 4k rope. Now I have an extra 60’ 4k rope. Thanks again!

 

[HangOutdoors]

@RobbieO Would like to hear your thoughts when you use it. I can't stand mine and it collects dust somewhere in the garage. When I am doing hard turns and big "S" stuff it always gets caught up on the wake when I tow low. Especially when there is a good chop. Perhaps I am just ignorant and didn't use it correctly.

 

[RobbieO]

@RobbieO Would like to hear your thoughts when you use it. I can't stand mine and it collects dust somewhere in the garage. When I am doing hard turns and big "S" stuff it always gets caught up on the wake when I tow low. Especially when there is a good chop. Perhaps I am just ignorant and didn't use it correctly.

I will definitely let you know. I noticed in the directions that it says there should be no wrinkles in the cover and the cover should be tight. I pumped it up pretty firm and the cover is still very loose. So I’ll use the hand pump to top it off when that gets here. Some people love these things, and others hate it. Looking forward to the first outing with the Mable next month. I’m going to drill another hole tomorrow and put a 12v power point on the so called wet storage platform. There is supposed to be one there, but tired of fighting the dealer about it.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I bought one of these…

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01713ON4M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Huge improvement with not only less spray on the tube riders, and the rope doesn’t get stuck in the jet wash.

 

[Julian]

I use my booster ball (Sportsstuff) when I tow the massive BandWagon 2x2 (4 person tube). I definitely helps with keeping the rope out of the water and allows me to sling the tube easier. Not perfect, but improves things. Regarding jet wash, I just never keep the kids right behind the boat, I immediately swing them out to one side.....no face spray.

Now if a kid mouths off to me .... into the middle they go for a face washing! LOL