The Rise and Fall of Flying Boating Tubes (Manta Ray, Kite Tube, etc.)
You are probably not the only one who has never heard of flying boat tubes.The sport only lasted for a year, but it was very popular.Why were these flying boat tubes so short-lived?
Water sports give a brief glimpse of man's fascination with flight.People clamored to buy the water tubes when they were released.
When the wind blows under the tubes' wide lower surface, they can maintain speeds of up to 35 miles per hour.
The Wego Kite Tube was awarded Sports Product of the Year by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association after it was released in 2005.
The Sevylor Manta Ray looked like a giant, rideable ray.The Manta Ray could soar up to 15 feet above the water level.
Any sport has a focus on safety.The Kite Tube had a speed limit on it.The use of helmets was encouraged.
Concerns about impact damage were at the forefront of many safety experts due to altitudes that could reach up to 30 feet for the Kite Tube.
Injury reports began to trickle in as the months went by, especially in regards to the Kite Tube.People were having accidents when the wind picked up.
Loss of consciousness was one of the injuries reported.Water feels more solid the faster you hit it, so those falling from higher altitudes faced additional impact damage.
As the number of injuries continued to pile up, a Consumer Product Safety Commission report warned that riders had little control while the tubes were airborne, and that various factors could cause the tube to spin or wreck.
Three people were killed over a four month period in July of 2006 and the number of injuries had risen to 84.The Kite Tube was recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Many businesses had to pull a popular product from the shelves because of the large number of tubes marked for recovery.
Flying boating tubes were not allowed on many bodies of water in the US and Canada.Boaters were held responsible for injuries caused by flying tubes in places where the boats weren't banned.
The actual level of danger was determined after an investigation into the sport.The tubes were permanently grounded in the year after they first took flight.
Three years after their initial release, they were no longer available new, but they can still be found on eBay and various classified ad sites.The sport is dead.
Finding a flying tube is almost impossible if you can't find a body of water.Enthusiasts took these bans personally, but the overall safety risks proved to be the deciding factor in deflating this briefly popular water sport.