posted 08-24-2010 06:16 PM ET (US)     

Any interest out there from you guys in obtaining one of these? I can buy them, and ship you what you want at cost. In my opinion, they are absolutely the best holding battery box strap you can buy.

posted 08-24-2010 06:56 PM ET (US)            

You are the group buy kingpin these days.

posted 08-24-2010 08:15 PM ET (US)            

I have been looking into these as well. If you are ordering, you can put me down for 4. Thanks!

posted 08-24-2010 08:43 PM ET (US)            

Thanks,

posted 08-25-2010 09:55 AM ET (US)            

Seem like over kill for battery straps but they are certainly an improvement over the loosely woven nylon/poly straps provided with my boat.

posted 08-25-2010 05:38 PM ET (US)         

Still waiting for the price quote from the manufacturer, so keep the orders coming until I have to cut it off. I also have to find out whether the SS footman's loops will be included. If not, I can do a batch order on those from another supplier and include them for those that need them.

Even if you're not using the Whaler tan battery box, these straps will work with any battery box. I have found that cutting a piece of "Dri-Deck" to fit under the box works well, as it prevents the box from abrading the gelcoat and lets water and dirt flow underneath. The tension this strap can accomplish compresses the "Dri-Deck" for a good hold on the battery.

posted 08-25-2010 07:19 PM ET (US)            

Hope all is well.

When I last picked some up they came with the footman's loops.

Will you be getting the safety pin and quick release options?
If so, I'm in for 4.

Chap

posted 08-27-2010 09:09 PM ET (US)            

I'll take FOUR.

Now, when are you going to negotiate the actual tan battery boxes with the Boston Whaler logo debossed on the cover? I only have two and I need three more.

Thanks once again!

--- WhalerAce

posted 08-31-2010 03:39 AM ET (US)            

I'll take 4.

Thanks,

posted 09-01-2010 07:03 AM ET (US)            

I know this is off topic, but did you have your Outrage 19 up in Glenview, Illinois over the weekend? I saw a very nice-looking one on a trailer going south on Sunset Ridge Road on Sunday afternoon. Was this yours?

posted 09-02-2010 10:51 PM ET (US)            

Count me in for two also.

posted 09-03-2010 07:04 AM ET (US)            

Looks like a lot of Whaler folks want these straps so if it's more demand than your order can handle just let me know and I'll be glad to place a similar order and ship them to the guy's/gal's just like you plan on doing. Have a great dat and thanks for taking this on.

posted 09-03-2010 09:17 PM ET (US)            

My '73 Outrage 19 (Whaler 19) Hull No. 0021 is at my house just a block or two away from your daughter's house. As luck would have it, my family also has a membership at Valley Lo Club.

I actually turned around and tried to chase you down last Sunday, but couldn't catch up. My boat was brought back from a near death experience and doesn't hold a candle to yours.

I'd love to get an up close look see at your boat if you ever bring her to the area again.

posted 09-08-2010 10:40 AM ET (US)            

I'll take 3 if I am able to get in on the purchase.

posted 09-08-2010 07:19 PM ET (US)         

I have received some preliminary pricing from AGM, and there is a price break at 100 units. Pricing is higher than I expected, and I am trying to see if we can do better.

I will also find out about drop shipping or if a BW dealer could be involved and save us a little.

Stay tuned, and maybe we can get this up to 100. Savings would be about $3.40 each, estimated shipping time about 4 weeks.

posted 09-08-2010 08:25 PM ET (US)            

I am currently in for 4 of the straps but would consider buying more (up to 10) to assist with getting up to the 100 order total. But, in order to committ to 10, I need to know a ballpark price for each strap. If we are talking $5 per strap or $20 per strap that will influence how many I would order. Great job to date and thanks for your efforts.

Cheers,

posted 09-08-2010 10:20 PM ET (US)            

Order more.

No matter how many people respond now, there will always be more in the near future who will come begging for this part after they are all gone. Just "up" the order in anticipation of this. Been there, done that.

You can put me down for two sets or you can put me down for how ever many you need to get to 100 if you are still short.

posted 09-09-2010 09:36 AM ET (US)            

But since price hasn't been mentioned, I thought I'd throw that out there to get you guys in the right mindset for this item.

posted 09-10-2010 05:30 PM ET (US)         

But she has indicated she is interested if she can work a pricing arrangement out with AGM.

Since I know you guys are anxious to know what these will cost, so far, for the 100 quantity lot, the best I have been able to get is $32.85/each. My initial thought was this was high, but then I remembered about two years ago I bought the last two that Lauderdale Marina had in stock, and they were $25/each. That is what Dave just indicated also. So maybe this price is OK right now.

posted 10-30-2010 01:09 PM ET (US)         

Sue has decided to become the vendor for this item, so we will be able to purchase them directly from her, now and in future. If any additional readers want to buy one of these, you can indicate your interest here.

She will contact each person who has posted an interest here and proceed with the sales.

Her contact is:

Sue Lodel
Twin Cities Marine
tcmarine@lakefield.net (e-mail)

posted 11-12-2010 09:02 AM ET (US)            

Thank you for all your time and effort putting this together.

You truly are an asset to this community.

I was contacted by Sue at Twin Cities this morning about my order.

posted 11-15-2010 01:05 PM ET (US)         

Sue has done a great job for us here, since the best price I could get on the strap assembly was $32.50 plus shipping.

posted 01-15-2011 05:14 PM ET (US)            

Sue reached out to me around Nov 12 to confirm my order, etc.

I suspect there is a backorder problem.

My previous experiences with Twin Cities have been great.

posted 01-17-2011 04:16 PM ET (US)         

If not, I have bought them here (1" size):

http://www.strapworks.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=SSFL

and here:

http://www.surplusunlimited.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD& Store_Code=1&Product_Code=4661&Category_Code=0800

I prefer the Strapworks item, since it is lower in profile, but both are good quality.

posted 01-20-2011 05:37 PM ET (US)         

She also told me that she will be stocking this item for future purchases.

Much to my surprise, unfortunately, she also told me that a large number of the people who indicated on this thread that they would buy, DID NOT. When I did the red rubrail insert order, every single person came through, but that is not the case here, at least as of now.

So if you are one of the ones who said you wanted one of more of these straps, and have not placed an order, please contact Sue and at least let her know, one way or the other.

And if you are new to this thread and want one of these straps, you can contact her as she has many extras left over from this original order.

Unfortunately, a situation like this hurts us all, as others will not be so willing to undertake a group buy in the future when obligations are not kept. I was hoping to convince Sue that she could do well by procuring the Whaler tan battery boxes for us, but after this experience, it probably won't happen.

posted 01-23-2011 11:34 PM ET (US)         

Why are you commenting on this? It is none of your business in the true sense of the statement. You have zero business in this ordeal. You invested nothing yet are asking for names. Are you a Nazi?

You did not place an order with Larry 5 months ago. I did along with several other people. We did not expect to wait almost 1/2 of one year to get a friggin strap. I do not blame anyone for not ordering these straps from TC. They made a commitment to Larry in August of 2010. Not Twin Cities. I placed my order for 4 straps with Larry not a retailer. If Larry fails at the job then my commitment with him is done. Period. During the 5 months of silence I fould 2 sources for simular SS buckles for less , but I made a commitment to the group.

This group buy was an abortion.

Tell me when you are willing to place an order with someone, wait 5 months with no replies and then have the price go up and not get all the promised parts (Footman Loops). Larry had good intentions but clearly has never dealt with a wholesaler at any level.

Then a forth party is brought in, Twin cities , and they expect to have orders dropped into thier laps. Tough crap. TC and AGM dropped the ball, not the fine members here.

Get you facts straight contender. If you are willing to buy items the way this went down then you are an idiot. I am because I dropped over $100 on straps that are worth about $40.00 total and I waited 5 months for them. Shame on me, but you my friend should shut your pie hole.

posted 01-24-2011 02:19 AM ET (US)         

Further more this matter is literally non of contender business. The idea that he wants to post the members names that in good faith agreed to particiapte in a group buy 5 months ago and then now are not lining up to order from an originally uninvolved forth party is a joke. Has he considered that many found another source in 5 months or maybe no longer have the need for a strap? Has contender considered that perhaps some of the original interested parties became frustrated with the process and gave up? Has he considered that some of the original participants do not want to do business with Twin Cities? No, all he want to do is be a busy body.

I believe AGM was never interested in business from a group like CW. I also think TC could have done a better job to expedite the order. There are several manufacturers that would have jumped at the opportunity to for this group buy. AGM is not one of them. They appear to be more interested in bragging about the government business they do and not about the little guys like us.

posted 01-24-2011 09:40 AM ET (US)            

First, nobody placed orders for battery straps 5 months ago.

In August, 2010, LHG asked if there were interest in placing a group order for this product.

It was not until early November, 2010 that a system for placing orders was put in place with Twin Cities.

My order was confirmed with Twin Cities November 12. It was at that time that I placed my order and provided Sue with my credit card information.

Sue was very careful to explain what parts were and were not included in the purchase. She provided the pricing for the footman loops and screws and asked if I wanted them as well. I chose to order these components, in addition to the 2 straps I had requested.

I want to thank Larry for all the time and energy he put into this endeavor.

posted 01-24-2011 01:19 PM ET (US)            

Basic rule of success: "Lead, Follow, or Get outta the way"

Larry Led.

The purchasers followed.

The non-buyers... well, "get outta the way!"

I'm calling Sue today for a half dozen of the things.

Best,

posted 01-24-2011 02:16 PM ET (US)            

Given all of that, it seems that $32 per strap is right on target with the previous pricing structure that was in place for this item.

Additionally, a group purchase such as this is intended to provide OEM or OEM quality items for a group of interested parties. If you are comfortable with non-OEM items, then it is understandable that your frustration level with a delay might be elevated - however, you are getting an item that is not/was not available. There is some implied wait period for something like that.

LHG is a purist - he wants OEM stuff on his boats, and when he can't find it, he goes to the extreme effort to get it - including herding a bunch of grouchy, middle-to-upper-income Boston Whaler snobs through a group buy scenario, such as this one.

He also endures the flak for navigation of that group purchase from those in the group and those on the sidelines.

Quite honestly, I'm really impressed with and admire that tenacity so that he can get a single battery strap for his boat.

Most of us would just say "[expletive deleted]it!" and buy whatever the bean counters running West Marine are offering.

posted 01-24-2011 03:15 PM ET (US)         

Secondly, even though I appreciate Dave's comment, in this particular item it is not about "purism". These are simply the only marine battery box hold-down that are worth a darn, and well worth the money. Most others are worthless junk. Whaler knew what they were doing when they furnished these.

The last thing you want in an open boat with exposed battery box is to have the battery moving around in the boat, or even sliding loose, when the going gets rough, water being splashed aboard, etc. If installed and clamped down correctly, it won't happen with these and you, and your battery installation, will be safe.

Once you have used one of these over-centering hold-downs, you won't be happy with a conventional strap & plastic connector. They also provide quick and easy access into the battery box, and can be re-secured in a second. For those with batteries in the console, I would think this strap is even more necessary, since the battery takes more pounding in that location than in the stern.

And thirdly, thanks to Dave Sutton, not one of the original responders, for stepping up and taking some of the excess quantity. If you are not already familiar with this item, you will be pleasantly surprised how good it is.

Here are a few photos of one of my installations, and how I typically mount a battery with Dri-Deck underneath to protect the gelcoat and provide a little compression grip to the installation. Clamped down tight, which this strap allows, they don't move and won't come loose!

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v429/lgoltz/Outrage%2019/?action=view& current=R1-8.jpg

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v429/lgoltz/Outrage%2019/?action=view& current=R1-5.jpg

posted 01-25-2011 02:02 PM ET (US)         

http://www.agmcontainer.com/tie_downs/tie_downs_howkevlokworks.htm

I have not yet received my strap from Sue, but on my older ones from Whaler, the threading directions are embossed on the side of the buckle.

posted 02-04-2011 01:57 AM ET (US)            

Thanks Larry for helping us to keep our Boston up to date

posted 02-07-2011 06:59 PM ET (US)            

Best,

posted 01-30-2015 11:35 AM ET (US)            

We appreciate your positive responses to all our Kevlok tie down products.

In order to better assist our customers, we are currently pursuing a relationship with Amazon that will ultimately make our products more accessible. In addition, this relationship with Amazon will allow the purchase of our products without having to meet a minimum order requirement.

To start, we are only planning to offer one or two of our tie down straps on Amazon. However, we need your help in identifying the particular strap that you would be most interested in purchasing. Is there a specific length or design that is preferred?