By Don Jurries
For several days now, I’ve been “product testing” Kwik Tek’s Airhead 3 person towable called the Hot Dog (also known as the “water weenie”) with my four nieces and nephews. I suspect they wanted me along because at 6’3” and 220 lbs, I could add an extra amount of thrill by bouncing the Hot Dog higher over the wake and waves.
What surprised me was how well the Hot Dog took the beating. At 8 ½ feet long and 44” wide, it was far more stable on the water than I had expected. The first towable I ever rode (back in the late 1960s) was nothing like it. My father had rigged up a spare door from our house to a tow rope. You had to lean back to keep the top of the door out of the water. And when you fell off, the door nose-dived straight to the bottom and was a struggle to get back up. We eventually graduated to inner tubes off truck tires.
Today’s towables are so vastly different and so much more advanced. Sitting on the back of the Hot Dog, I could twist and turn the towable a little in my attempts to dislodge the other riders, but this water weenie has been designed with three 30-gauge vinyl air chambers encased by a double stitched 840-denier nylon cover that keeps it incredibly true and straight.
The Airhead Hot Dog also has deluxe nylon-wrapped handles with neoprene knuckle guards that are strong and easy to grip, and three neoprene seat pads that help you stay on top. Rope hook-ups are made easy with the heavy-duty Kwik-Connect system. All Airhead towables are equipped with an Airhead Multi-Valve for the ultimate in inflating and deflating convenience. The only difficulty I had was actually getting onto the towable from the water given my size without first putting my nieces and nephews on top to weigh it down.
The Hot Dog is part of a series of towables by Airhead that includes the 2 person Double Dog and 4 person Jumbo Dog. Airhead also makes other towables in just about every shape and size.
While I’m a slalom skier generally, it’s an individual sport. Products like the Airhead Hot Dog towable let the family have fun together and no-one has to wait their turn.
The Kwik Tek Airhead Hot Dog retails for $199.99.
