Wakeboarding - July 01, 2018

WE

TEST

STUFF

BOAT DOCTOR ///Q&A

WOW

BIG BUBBA

This tube will have your crew

coming and going with cool,

waterborne delight. Pulled

from its forward tow point, the

Big Bubba’s high back wraps

around both sides, where my

4-year-old twin daughters

find tight corners to nestle

into alongside Mom. (The

Big Bubba comes in two-,

three- or four-rider

models.) The first

time I pushed the

throttle forward, I

half expected frightened

faces screaming, “Stop!”

Instead, only laughter from

beaming smiles overcame the

engine’s noise.

Changing to the rear tow-

ing point, where the seat back

becomes the front, the Big

Bubba converts into a buck-

ing chariot for squealing rid-

ers. With the throttle down

and my outboard’s horses

unleashed, older kids could

kneel or stand while holding

the Big Bubba’s handles at

chest or waist height, and the

wraparound sides provided

corners to lean into

for security.

Reconnect to

the front and crew

can now lie facedown,

heads toward the boat, with

bent-knee legs resting on the

backrest. That makes three

ways to play with this tube —

four if you count using it as a

f loating lounge while tied off

to the anchored boat.

Teenagers may find the

Big Bubba a bit tame, but

my family finds their full

measure of fun from forward

motion, waves, and this hyper-

colorful bag full of excite-

ment. $279.99 (two-person

version); wow watersports

.com —Capt. Vincent Daniello

Find a good glass
shop in your area and
they will cut you a piece
of acrylic to fit. Take in
the old hatch, including
the hardware.
And here is a tip for
making clear plastic
look like transparent
black/gray plastic:
spray-paint the back
side of the plastic black,
brown or gray.

ASK THE DOCTOR
Send questions to Mick
with your name and
address to: boatdr@boat
ingmag.com or The Boat
Doctor, Boating, 460 N.
Orlando Ave., Suite 200,
Winter Park, FL 32789. PHOTO: COURTESY WOW WORLD OF WATERSPORTS