August 14, 2006 – PWC Report

Kite tubes pulled off market
The growing list of accidents involving kite tubes, high-flying inflatables featured in a recent issue of Powersports Business, has prompted one tube’s maker, SportsStuff of Omaha, Neb., to pull the WeGo Kite Tube off the market as of July 11.
The manufacturer has issued a recall for the approximately 19,000 tubes it says are currently on the market, despite reportedly not being able to determine the cause of the incidents in question. The tubes, which have been involved in numerous accidents as well as two deaths, were sold between Oct. 1, 2005 and July 11. Retail prices were estimated to have run between $500-$600. Consumers looking to replace their Kite Tube should contact SportsStuff at 866/831-5524, or log onto the company Web site www.sportstuff.com to obtain free replacement products.
PWC-Specific Bans Still Cropping Up
Recent victories on the national parks front don’t appear to be enough to keep communities from considering their own PWC-restrictive legislation. Case and point? Branstable, Mass, which recently proposed a ban on launching PWC from the public boat ramp on Wequaquet Lake in Centerville. No other types of boats were singled out.
The American Watercraft Association is urging interested parties to attend a public hearing on the issue scheduled to take place Aug. 17 in Hyannis. “The anti-PWC contingent are depending on a lack of involvement from the PWC nation,” said AWA Executive Director Chris Manthos. “If we show up in force, we’ll win. If not, then this is the beginning of a chain of local bans that will eradicate PWC access on the Cape.”
For more information, check out the AWA Web site at www.awahq.org. psb