Tubing, swimming and first wakeboard rides — here's how to plan a stress-free family day on the water in Palm Beach County, with a captain doing the driving.
A family day on the water sounds relaxing right up until you're the one loading the cooler, backing the trailer down the ramp, and trying to teach three kids to wakeboard while also driving the boat. The whole point of a captained charter is that you get the fun part and skip the logistics. Here's how we help Palm Beach County families put together a day everyone actually enjoys — from the four-year-old to grandma.
With kids, timing is everything. We like to get families out in the morning when the lakes are glassy and the sun isn't at full strength. Calm water makes tubing smoother, lessons easier, and little ones far more comfortable. Lake Osborne inside John Prince Park is ideal for this — it's protected, scenic, and has picnic areas and shade back on shore if you want to make a morning of it before or after the boat.
If you only do one thing, make it tubing. It requires zero skill, everyone from about six on up can do it, and the captain fully controls the speed — a gentle glide for the youngest riders, a few more turns for the teenagers who want to get bounced. We carry the tubes, the tow ropes and properly-sized life jackets, so you don't have to own or haul any of it. Parents can ride along with a nervous first-timer, and we'll dial the pace down until everyone's grinning.
Older kids and adults who want to try something new can take a turn on a wakeboard or a wakesurf board. Behind an inboard wake boat the wake is big and slow, which makes learning much less intimidating than it looks. Our captain coaches each rider one at a time while everyone else cheers from the boat. It's the kind of thing kids talk about for weeks. You can see our lesson and party options on the charter experiences page.
Every good family trip needs a break in the middle. We'll anchor in a calm spot or head to a shallow sandbar so kids can swim, snack and burn off energy while the adults relax. Pack easy food, plenty of water, reef-safe sunscreen and a couple of towels. Our Half-Day charter ($899 per boat) gives you enough time to mix tubing, a lesson or two, and a proper swim stop without feeling rushed — which, with kids, is worth a lot.
Safety is baked into how we run. Every rider gets a Coast Guard-approved life jacket, and our captain follows Florida's tow-sports and boating rules to the letter. If you like knowing the details, the Florida FWC boating and tow-sports page lays out the state requirements around towing tubers and riders — including having a spotter aboard, which we always do. You focus on your family; we handle the rules and the driving.
Boating pairs perfectly with the rest of what the county offers. For more kid-friendly ideas around your trip — festivals, splash pads, rainy-day backups — Macaroni KID West Palm Beach is a great local resource for family events. If you've got out-of-town relatives in for the occasion, the Courtyard by Marriott Boynton Beach keeps everyone close to the water without a long drive to the ramp.
You bring the crew, the snacks and the swimsuits; we bring the boat, the gear and a captain who's great with kids. Browse the charter experiences to pick a Half-Day or Full-Day, or just text us at (561) 475-8615 with your group's ages and dates and we'll build the right trip around them. And if you're a family that already owns a wake boat and wonders what it's worth these days, we do valuations, service and trades too — that's all at Palm Beach Wake Boats.
Kids from about six years old can usually tube comfortably, and a parent can ride alongside a nervous first-timer. The captain fully controls the speed, so we keep it gentle for the little ones and only add turns when riders want them.
Yes. We carry Coast Guard-approved life jackets in a full range of sizes, including for young children, and every rider wears one. We also always have a spotter aboard, as Florida tow-sports rules require.
Our Half-Day ($899 per boat) is the sweet spot for families — enough time to tube, try a lesson and take a swim break without rushing. Bigger groups or all-day plans can step up to the Full-Day (custom-priced — per boat).