New Product - BABz - Giveaway

[hcooperrn]

Nice, thanks.

Not sure if it was intentional, go ahead and take credit for this though. The plugs go in and out easily. I was a bit worried they would be like large exercise balls and be tough to pull out, making it a pain with use, however, they seem to be a good fit. They haven't popped loose with all the bouncing, and yet I can easily get them out if I want to. Good design there!

As far as inflation, I'll append to my review and say that they seem well within what they can hold at a 24" diameter. I'm sure they could go much larger, though I don't know why you would need them that big.

One more question that I thought of though -- do you have a mounting/hanging recommendation? The handles almost seem like the right size to actually fit over the cleats, though I don't think that would always work if I'm up against a low dock.

[bsreid]

Got mine in the mail today! These things are huge and definitely well built. I agree on coming up with rope to go along with it.

Thanks man.

[Jhbudde]

I have an set of exile fenders now and use these ties from Home Depot. They are rubber and come in multiple sizes and colors. They work great. Hope this link works.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Nite-Ize...K-01/203210641

[BlackoutATX]

Nice, thanks.

Not sure if it was intentional, go ahead and take credit for this though. The plugs go in and out easily. I was a bit worried they would be like large exercise balls and be tough to pull out, making it a pain with use, however, they seem to be a good fit. They haven't popped loose with all the bouncing, and yet I can easily get them out if I want to. Good design there!

As far as inflation, I'll append to my review and say that they seem well within what they can hold at a 24" diameter. I'm sure they could go much larger, though I don't know why you would need them that big.

One more question that I thought of though -- do you have a mounting/hanging recommendation? The handles almost seem like the right size to actually fit over the cleats, though I don't think that would always work if I'm up against a low dock.

Those plugs are definitely not popping out. I've actually tried to get them to pop out by putting a ton of pressure on them. They just won't budge. You can even leave them sticking out about a quarter of an inch for even easier removal.

They can definitely go past 24inches. But I agree, I don't know why you'd want to. In the 20-24 inch range they are rock solid.

For mounting see below...

Got mine in the mail today! These things are huge and definitely well built. I agree on coming up with rope to go along with it.

Thanks man.

Great! glad they made it to you. As far as hangin them. Options 1: You can hang them on the cleat. The rough raised section on the handle really keeps them in place. Everyones cleats are different as far as size and location. But I often ride around the lake with them just hanging on the cleats. Haven't lost one yet. Option 2: Use a rope to hang them at your desired location. A big problem on my boat is my cleats are tiny. They just don't have the space to tie one line for fenders and another line to to the dock or other boat. Because of this, my personal favorite is to just tie your dock line from your cleat to either the other boats cleat or dock, threading the dock line straight through the handle, letting the ball hang in the middle. But freely sliding around. This usually gives them just the right hang. You can also tie your dock line a bit tighter than normal given these flex and absorb shock so well. They have no problems with constant pressure on them between you and another boat. I have thought about trying to develop a solution that would adjust for all types of boats. I have a few ideas in the works.

I have an set of exile fenders now and use these ties from Home Depot. They are rubber and come in multiple sizes and colors. They work great. Hope this link works.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Nite-Ize...K-01/203210641

These little twist ties are one of my favorite things in the world. I currently use a set to tie my loose bimini poles together when its all folded up. These could definitely work for hanging the balls. Even if they don't, they are great for a million other uses.

[BCRider]

I use those gear ties (aka fidget sticks) for everything on the boat. They were originally purchased to help hold my bimini rolled up but started finding them good for a number of other uses too. I've now got an extra set and added them to the list that every boater should own.

[chpthril]

Shipping prices on products online is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. A lot of companies like us shipping "costs" to hike of their prices. I do a ton of shipping for another business of mine. So I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on shipping prices. I'm not trying to throw anyone under the bus. But $17 is pretty ridiculous. I use medium flat rate and regional flat rate USPS boxes. Unless its going to one of the coasts, the regional boxes are almost always cheaper. But in general the shipping cost is between $8-$13. If you're just ordering one ball, I can get it in a flat rate envelope for about $6. But 2-4 balls is the same cost. So I just charge a flat rate of $9.99 for 2+ balls. If its going out of the country, UPS is sometimes cheaper. For example, one of the Canada shipments was around $40 via USPS and $50 via UPS. The other Canada shipment was just the opposite. So it just depends. That being said, a lot of companies just use UPS accounts and never try to find the best rate.

If any of you are doing any shipping this holiday season, I invite you to check out the regional USPS boxes. They are an absolute shipping deal.

UPS and FedX use a algorithm called dimensional weight. The rate is not just the weight of the box, but how much space it takes up on the truck. A large but rather light box, will kill you on shipping cost. The mostly empty box takes up room for more packages on the truck, so you end up paying for some of that lost room. I have also found that there is an unwritten minimum cost is seems. I can ship a package across the street and t will cost the same as shipping to IL for example. This is where the USPS comes in. I figure since my tax dollars go to prop up their faulty business model, I might as well take advantage of some cheap rates. I too, like the regional box. With the cost of a small flat rate where it is, I have found that a regional A is sometimes less and its a larger box. And its a 2-Day box as well. These rates crush UPS and FedX on small items or light weight items as long as they fit in those boxes. With the Regional A & B boxes, I hardly use flat rate boxes anymore.

[dukesofhazzard]

Well after some hassles from ups I just got babz bumper balls. They look great. Need some warmer weather now. -BlackoutATX was so great the way he handled the whole situation. I felt bad for him and told him I understood what a headache the shipment was becoming and he could just forget about it. But he insisted and they showed up a couple days ago. Thanks so much. And just to be clear it was dealing with ups to Canada that was the problem not the product.

[BlackoutATX]

Well after some hassles from ups I just got babz bumper balls. They look great. Need some warmer weather now. -BlackoutATX was so great the way he handled the whole situation. I felt bad for him and told him I understood what a headache the shipment was becoming and he could just forget about it. But he insisted and they showed up a couple days ago. Thanks so much. And just to be clear it was dealing with ups to Canada that was the problem not the product.

Thanks for the kind words. What a cluster F old UPS created! But I'm glad you finally got them. I also can't wait for you to try them out!

A few updates. The website is slowly but surely getting made over. Its starting to not look like a 5 year old put it together. I'm also expecting to be on Amazon here in the next few days. I have some pretty exciting things coming up that I can't quite reveal yet. So stay tuned.

Also, anyone who didn't win one of the 5 sets might want to check out Wake World....

[bsreid]

Just a suggestion but try and get them on amazon.ca as well. Us Canadians are so limited when it comes to buying boating products yet the western Canada tow boat industry is huge.

[BlackoutATX]

Just a suggestion but try and get them on amazon.ca as well. Us Canadians are so limited when it comes to buying boating products yet the western Canada tow boat industry is huge.

Thats a great idea! I will for sure get them on there.

[supremedevice]

These look great, I'd love to try them out!

[BlackoutATX]

These look great, I'd love to try them out!

I've already completed the drawing on here. But I'm doing another one on Wake World if you are a member over there.

If you'd like to simply purchase a set, I'm also offering a 15% discount code for Tige Owners. Just use code "tigelove18" .

[BCRider]

BlackoutATX, I assume WW killed your thread as it was probably deemed advertising? Don't see it up anymore.

[BlackoutATX]

BlackoutATX, I assume WW killed your thread as it was probably deemed advertising? Don't see it up anymore.

You got it! But today I purchased an advertising package which should allow me to repost the giveaway. Should be back up by tomorrow at the latest.

[Jetdriver]

Well, surprise surprise I got skunked in giveaway number two! Guess I’ll just have to buy a set
Hey Blackout, how easy is it to inflate/deflate the ballz and are they designed to be repeatedly used in this manner without wearing out? I’m asking because storing them onboard inflated isn’t going to be practical for me.
Thx man!