62 PERSONAL WATERCRAFT ILLUSTRATED • JUNE 2009

Adversity, strife, despair, anguish. Excite-ment, adrenaline, speed, absolutehilarity.

This juxtaposition of terms can onlydescribe one thing: Personal Watercraft Illus-trated’s inaugural Totally Tubular Tube-Off.That’s right – it’s a showdown between someof the industry’s leading inflatables manufac-turers, cut down to the nitty gritty and sentthrough extreme conditions with the PWItesting staff on Lake Havasu, Arizona. Con-nelly, Airhead and HO gave us the best theyhad to offer to the tubing community for thisone-of-a-kind shootout, but so did MotherNature...

Overcoming the bitterly cold gustingwinds and arctic water in Lake Havasu, it washard to believe that something as inherentlyfun and wild as tubing could be suddenlyturned into more of a survival situation thana fun day of horseplay. Equally as implausiblewas that a day in these miserable conditionscould even be salvageable – little did weknow it would ultimately turn out to be con-siderably amusing, if not completely hilarious.To be completely honest, us at PWI wereglad we charged through it. No amount ofwind, chop or cold could bring us down –and, in the end, we still had maniacal smiles

across our faces while bouncing around thelake on some of the coolest tubes everdesigned. Here’s what our Totally TubularTube-Off testing consisted of:

The ControlFor our shootout, we needed a three-seatPWC in order to adhere to Arizona’s boatinglaws – which require that the towing vesselcontain enough seating for a driver, spotter,and the person being towed. However, weare compelled to mention that, during partsof our Totally Tubular Tube-Off, the Hondawas towing three subjects at a time on atube. Technically, this behavior is frownedupon by the lake’s authorities. However, weopted to use a chase craft (a naturally aspi-rated Honda F-15) at all times to ensure thatthere was always room aboard a PWC foreach member of the test, just in case anythingwent wrong. All testing was completed usingHonda’s turbocharged F-15X, since its stabil-ity, fuel economy, power and three-personcapacity would keep us on the water all daywithout needing to refuel. The daring PWItest crew consisted of the usual cronies –editor Kevin Shaw and yours truly – and myfamily out of Lake Havasu City: Joe, Sharonand 12-year old Eric. Sharon worked as our

designated spotter, Joe manned the controls,and the rest of us fought tooth and nail tokeep from being tossed into the drink duringour tumult in the lake.

The VariablePresent for the Totally Tubular Tube-Off weretubes from Airhead, HO and Connelly, theirbrand-new 2009 models just waiting topunish some unsuspecting tubers. Airheadoffered their Mach 1 single-seater, Storm IItwo-seater, and Rockstar three-seater.Coming from Connelly was the Cockpitsingle-seater and Interceptor two-seater.Rounding out the group was HO, with theirsingle-person Slider, 2XS two-seater, andBlack Ice three-seater, which left us eighttubes with eight completely different han-dling characteristics and features – all of themakings for an unforgettable Tube-Off.

The ChaosNot only was Lake Havasu, Arizona, a greatchoice because of its picturesque desertscapeand beautiful blue water, but it’s also consid-ered “tube friendly,” welcoming the unre-stricted use of towables with PWC.The onlydrawback is the region’s proclivity for unpre-dictable (and often undesirable) weather.

T E X T B Y J U S T I N S T A N N A R D P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y A N D R E A W I L S O N

62-66 Tubular_PWI4 4/10/09 10:45 AM Page 62

JUNE 2009 • watercraft.com 63

The entire week prior to our much anticipated Totally Tubular Tube-Off, the Arizona desert was blessed with warm, dry weather andsmooth glassy conditions. As our luck would have it, we were greetedinstead with cold 30-mph gusting winds from the northeast and superchoppy oceanlike water on the day of our testing. Even at the launchramp, we could see the wind-whipped white-caps rising and falling in thelake, and the incoming rollers made docking the Hondas quite a task.Water temps for the day averaged in the high-40s and low-50s.The airtemperature maybe reached into the low-60s, but felt much coldergiven the wind chill (especially after a soaking wet ride on the water-craft).Whether we liked it or not, these were just the right conditionsfor sending the tubes through the most grueling of tests.

With its boardlike design and low-profile compact shape, HO’sSlider tube is a blast for the young, solo rider. One thing we reallyliked about the Slider was its maneuverability. Simply lean in and con-trol your direction – no longer will you be at the mercy of a sadisticPWC pilot. Also, its low-profile, narrow design makes it feel likeyou’re traveling at warp speed across the wake – which also allowsyou to feel every tooth-jarring bump and chop you skim across.

We weren’t really too excited about the old-school narrow valvestems (even using an electric compressor, it still took a while toinflate and deflate the small tube), or how the main stem resides inplain unprotected sight on the top of the raft – a minor safety issuein our opinion. But, we couldn’t overlook just how much fun theSlider was, especially for only $65. It is compact, easy to store, can beinflated with or without an electric pump, and is a blast for anyoneunder 160 or 170 pounds.Anything more than that, and you can planon exerting way too much effort just to keep the raft planed andyour head out of the water. I mean, seriously, we would’ve beenbetter off tying the rope to my waist and dragging me though thewater at 20 mph.

Young or apprehensive new riders will love Airhead’s Mach 1tube, as its cockpit area provides a comfortable and secure ride.Thehandles are strategically placed and offer padded knuckle protection,and Airhead’s convenient Kwik-Connect fitting and Boston valvemake harnessing and inflating/deflating a real breeze.

One thing we loved about the Mach 1 was its secure cockpit.Small and large riders will fit easily, though full-sized adults will haveto sit with their legs straight out. Even hitting that rough Lake Havasuchop during testing, we never once felt like we were going to bounceout of the tube. Also, its Boston valve – hidden in the rear of thetube and covered with a neoprene flap – provided for a muchquicker inflation with our electric air compressor. Overall, the Mach1 was a stable, high-quality tube with a well-thought-out design thatwill impress adults and children alike.

• Steers when you lean in• Slippery and fast ride, very fun• Inflatable wings help keep you onboard during turns• Great tube for kids

• Good luck if you weigh anything over 160 pounds• Tends to nose-plow and submerse at low speeds• Exposed valve stem

• Cockpit sitting area keeps rider secured• Backrest and inflatable floor come in very handy• Easily accepted a full-size adult rider

• Stable ride was almost too stable• Didn’t have that fast “zip” across the wake during turns

• Superfast ride• Suspension seat soaks up the big bumps• Handles adults like a champ

• Lack of a backrest made for some whiplash moments

Wettest ride

Eric’s Pick

62-66 Tubular_PWI4 4/10/09 10:45 AM Page 63

64 PERSONAL WATERCRAFT ILLUSTRATED • JUNE 2009

The Connelly Cockpit was the favorite single-seater of the PWI testcrew.This tube was not only very comfortable for full-size riders, butoffered just enough stability and comfort for the little groms as well.Connelly is very proud of their flexible, low-friction, PVC-coated“Speed Base” bottom, and now we know why; this tube is so fast thatyou have to hang on for dear life when rounding a corner – what ablast! The Cockpit also utilizes a mesh-suspension seat, whichabsorbs bumps and hardly ever bottoms out. Even on the choppy andwindblown lake, we were laughing and screaming at every bump andturn, without knocking our teeth loose.

The only real downside is the lack of a backrest. After beingspoiled with Airhead’s Mach 1, we noted the tendency for our necksto become a little sore after a few rounds. But, this was overshad-owed by its great ridability and cool features, such as its all-seasoncapability (you can take this one to the snow), neoprene flap over theBoston valve, and the quick-disconnect harness. Connelly’s Cockpitmay be a little pricier than the other single-seaters at around $170,but it is well worth it.

Representing the traditional inner-tube style inflatable is HO’s 2XS.This classic tube features an inflatable floor, which got rave reviewsfrom Eric who sat in the donut’s hole for his solo ride and had ablast. While the 2XS’s styling may seem a bit lackluster when com-pared to our other contestants, you can’t deny the timeless bouncyfun of a traditional round tube.

The 2XS is quick, lively, and offers an exhilarating ride for one ortwo riders. However, its 60-inch diameter makes doubling up a bit ofa challenge, especially with the hole in the center, and 12-year-oldEric had a little difficulty reboarding the tube due to its high-profileshape. But, the springy nature and white-knuckle ride made for somepretty exciting tubing. One thing that caught our eyes was the inflat-able floor’s valve stem, which is situated topside – posing a potentialchafing threat to seated riders. But small imperfections aside, the 2XSwas a terrific tube boasting all the fun of a traditional inner tube, butwithout the painful memories.

With plenty of room for two riders, Connelly’s Interceptor decktube offers a fun, albeit unstable, ride for the more intrepid tubers.First off, its eight padded handles (with knuckle guards) make it easyfor both riders to find a place to hang on. Its two convenientreboarding straps and tapered tail (with even more neoprene) makereboarding a lot easier.After riding, it’s easy to see why they includedthose straps.

The guitar-pick shape of the Interceptor introduces a new setof challenges; keeping our outside legs onboard during the turnstook every ounce of energy we had. As a result, this tube becamea favorite for two combatants trying to knock each other offduring hard turns. A gentle nudge to the opponent during a turnwill send their legs right into the drink. Make sure you’re wearingproper-fitting shorts on this one! This tube is fantastic foraddressing sibling rivalries.

• Plenty of handles• Well-placed neoprene patches• Tapered deck makes for easy reboarding• Great battle tube

• Unorthodox shape makes it difficult to hang on• Handle placement doesn’t allow for the leverage

needed to stay onboard during turns

• Super bouncy and fun• Bulletproof construction• Classic design perfect for a solo rider

• A little too cramped for two riders• Difficult for smaller riders to reboard

• Utterly hilarious• Wacky ride unlike any other tube tested• Relatively stable while crossing wakes

• Backrest is way too floppy• Poor handle placement• Looks a little peculiar with two dudes riding on it

Guilty

Pleasure

62-66 Tubular_PWI4 4/10/09 10:45 AM Page 64