Construct water play - chutes and things - does a toy exist?

Has anyone seen anything where you can start with a series of half tubes and connector type things that kids can connect together to make different water courses? (A bit like kids versions of the tubes that plumbers use - I had thought about using these but run out of time to try and cut them in half see if it works).

Am not looking for a water table - we don't have room, would like something that can put in a bag and take to the beach, and then construct with.

(I have to admit this present would be half for me, as I get bored on the beach and we spend most of the time making dams and pools and I thought it would be fun to enhance this).

Just realized the key word in my Google search was educational - I have now found something like what I was after Waterway pipe builders - only seems available in educational suppliers though :-( - maybe for the future. Would be great if this sort of stuff was available in normal stores, maybe in smaller sets too so not so pricey.

Honestly I'd just go for the type you get from the hardware - we have cut offs at work and the kids love them. Probably a much cheaper option also. The pipe builders ones would not be much use at the beach as they'd get filled up with sand and that would be it, due to them being so small. I'd get the white pvc pipe in the smallest option - which is about 5cm diameter and get elbows and connectors for it.

Modern Teaching Aids has some.

FF how easily do they come apart and go together again? I just went to Masters and tried a few pieces and they seemed to get stuck together and very difficult to pull apart again? Maybe you just need to do it a few times to wear them in? Those sets are too pricey I agree.

You could sand down the ends of the pipes where the joiners go on to make them easier to take off. We don't really use elbows on ours. Also slicing them in half lengthwise is great for rolling balls down or driving cars down, hours of endless fun for a very few dollars.

Cheers FF.

I managed to find something in the toy store that will do the trick lots of pieces and they come apart and go together quite easily (Tubation), and wasn't too expensive so worked as a present for DS from my mum and dad. They were very well hidden away at the back of the store.

I will get some pipes another time though as I think will also be fun.

You could sand down the ends of the pipes where the joiners go on to make them easier to take off. We don't really use elbows on ours. Also slicing them in half lengthwise is great for rolling balls down or driving cars down, hours of endless fun for a very few dollars.