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Join Date: Jan 2018
02-08-2018, 4:47 PM
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As I’m sure all of you have now realized, the first thread was deleted as advertising which violates the board rules. This was my fault entirely. But now BABz are an official Wake World advertiser! So lets try this again…
I realize its still February and most people aren’t doing a lot of boating. But I’m too excited to not show you a new product I’ve been working on.
These came to be from me just not liking any of the options out there for fenders. They were either too hard, scuffing my white and black hull, too small, not durable enough, didn't last, warped, etc. I know there are companies already out there offering this ball style. But after trying out several different kinds over the years and not being happy, I decided to make some better ones of my own. I’ve been testing the prototypes out myself all this past summer and I love them. I felt like every time I was on the lake someone would ask me about them. After many months the first batch have finally arrived here in Austin, TX.
I’ve dubbed them BABz (Big Ass Ballz).
I wanted these to be made to last and tough enough to take the punishment of a dock or larger boat. To allow for this, these are made from a thick, durable, but soft plastic blend. Much thicker than the competition. The handle itself is reenforced with an even harder, thicker plastic. The air filler location is also reenforced to eliminate leaks or tearing associated with constant inflating and deflating.
These aren’t called Big Ass Ballz for nothing. These are the largest fenders of their kind on the market. These will inflate all the way up to around 24 inches if needed. The thickness of the ball itself allows for different sizes of inflation and firmness for different situations. The larger size allows you to put these at the water level when tied up at the cove and not have to worry about hanging them at just the right height. Of course, you can hang these in the traditional style for even more separation or protection.
I’ve incorporated a plug style for inflation. This allows you to blow these up with the same 12v air pump you use for other inflatables or with your own lungs. No needles or valves.
For now BABz are only available in black with the white logo. But in the future more colors will be offered. It is also important to note the logo is only on one side. If you’d prefer the no logo look, you can simply flip them over.
The website is up and running at www.babzusa.com . It is nothing special right now. But it fulfills its purpose of allowing you to order. I work on it almost every day. So hopefully it will build and grow into something special. I encourage everyone to give it a look and also follow the various BABz social media accounts.
I’d like to send some sets of these out absolutely free of charge. If you’d like a set of these, just comment below. Sunday evening I will draw 5 members randomly. Simply comment on this thread to place your name in the hat. Once the winners are drawn I will contact you for shipping information.
All I ask is you tell the boating community what you think about them. These should be on Amazon very shortly. I encourage everyone who receives a set to leave a review their.
So here we go. Lets give away some Big Ass Ballz!
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Join Date: Jan 2017
02-08-2018, 4:51 PM
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Count me in
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Join Date: May 2017
02-08-2018, 6:16 PM
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Would love a set of these for my AXIS T23!!
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Join Date: May 2012
02-08-2018, 6:27 PM
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I'd love a set for my A22 and I've got a bunch of buddy's with boats that will need sets too that would be wanting to buy some out of jealousy! I'll definitely advertise them all summer on our lake!
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Join Date: Feb 2008
02-08-2018, 7:02 PM
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I'm in! Looks like these would do a much better job protecting my vintage Tige from dock dings than my tired traditional fenders.
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Join Date: Jul 2013
02-08-2018, 7:23 PM
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I would love to try a set out. I am using the Exile balls now so I would be interested to see the difference between yours and theirs.
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Join Date: Jul 2016
02-08-2018, 8:08 PM
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Sign me up for the chance to win some. We are down in Houston and would be happy to test them out!
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Join Date: Feb 2018
02-08-2018, 8:54 PM
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Sign me up please, just ordered a new FI23 that would be a shame to scratch
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Join Date: Jul 2010
02-08-2018, 9:19 PM
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Sign me up. I've been interested in this style and would love to try them. Here in normal and out every weekend in the summer.
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Join Date: Jun 2017
02-08-2018, 10:13 PM
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Fellow Tige’ owner just looking to sport the latest and greatest fenders on my boat at this summers epic floatillas! Send a set over so I can show em’ off!
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Join Date: Feb 2009
02-08-2018, 10:30 PM
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I'm in too! Would love to give them a try.
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Join Date: Jul 2008
02-08-2018, 11:05 PM
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These would be tight sitting in my Shasta slip all day. At night, a classic Tige sittin’ pretty in some BABs. It’s always a boat show at the end of the day.
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Join Date: Mar 2005
02-09-2018, 2:27 AM
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Would be a great hook-up and know a nor cal distributor could hook you up with, thanks
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Join Date: Jul 2007
02-09-2018, 3:42 AM
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Sign me up.
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Join Date: Feb 2018
02-09-2018, 5:07 AM
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As I stated in the last thread, first and foremost, congratulations! I’ve been searching for a quality fender fir years. I love the idea of your product. I have an A24 and funding a fender that works is challenging to say the least. I’d be happy to share a ton of feedback and get others on board. I’m out here in AZ which will allow to test in extreme heat too. Let me know either way as I will still be a customer. Congrats again!
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Join Date: Dec 2009
02-09-2018, 5:23 AM
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Sign me up
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Join Date: Oct 2014
02-09-2018, 6:21 AM
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I'd love to rock some of these on the OnlyInboards boat! I'll make sure to get them out on social media this summer too
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Join Date: Sep 2008
02-09-2018, 7:00 AM
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Heck yeah I'm in. They looks good!
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Join Date: Mar 2005
02-09-2018, 7:27 AM
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I’m in too
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Join Date: Apr 2016
02-09-2018, 7:31 AM
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Count me in round 2!
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Join Date: Apr 2003
02-09-2018, 7:53 AM
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would love some BABz!
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Join Date: Nov 2006
02-09-2018, 7:58 AM
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Sign me up.
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Join Date: Oct 2017
02-09-2018, 8:08 AM
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I think these look great and i would love to try them out. Count me in!
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Join Date: Mar 2007
02-09-2018, 8:12 AM
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They look nice and the price seems pretty darn fair .... any other colors besides black planned?
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: SLC, UT 5600'
02-09-2018, 8:29 AM
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Stoked getting on the advertising here and doing it the right way! For a frequent house boater these seem like the perfect match, we have huge fenders now but over time and sun exposure they're getting harder. Being able to deflate and put away seems like a fantastic idea in hope these will last for many years. I would love to be put in a drawing and give you a full honest review on different sites and forums.
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Join Date: Dec 2013
02-09-2018, 8:34 AM
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Put me in the hat! I've been looking for bumpers exactly like that. And the fact that you can deflate them after you're done...Genius!
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Join Date: May 2008
02-09-2018, 8:43 AM
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Put my name in the hat please... I've used the Exile balls for years now and would also like to compare them to your version.
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Join Date: Apr 2006
02-09-2018, 10:18 AM
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Yes please! I'm in.
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Join Date: Jul 2006
02-09-2018, 12:04 PM
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Put my name in there too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Join Date: Apr 2017
02-09-2018, 1:28 PM
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I will advertise LKN area for you! Nice job coming out with something innovative, means more coming from a fellow boat owner that knows what it takes from firsthand experience
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Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: San Clemente, CA
02-09-2018, 2:33 PM
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Count me in. These would work well protecting my new LSV. Happy to represent from SoCal.
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Join Date: Jan 2016
02-09-2018, 2:54 PM
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Pick me please!
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Join Date: Jan 2018
02-09-2018, 3:26 PM
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Thank you for all the kind words guys. I hope all of you love these as much as I do.
I was out messing around with the boat this afternoon. I thought I would shoot some quick pics of what these bad boys actually look like on a boat! This is a 15 RZ4. You can see how large they are even on one of the longest boats out there. One is hanging directly on the cleat. The other is on a rope. Enjoy!
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Join Date: Jul 2016
02-09-2018, 4:19 PM
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Count me in please. I'm a big fan of Exile Bouy Balls already...you've got stiff competition from them. Thanks!
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Join Date: Oct 2007
02-10-2018, 6:26 PM
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would love a set of these
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Join Date: Sep 2008
02-10-2018, 9:15 PM
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I am in!
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Join Date: Jul 2010
02-11-2018, 11:18 AM
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Count me in please
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Join Date: May 2010
02-11-2018, 12:14 PM
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I’m in! Would love to write a review.
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Join Date: Jan 2012
02-11-2018, 1:31 PM
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count me in
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Join Date: Jan 2018
02-11-2018, 4:31 PM
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Just a heads up. I will be picking winners in about an hour!
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Join Date: May 2012
02-11-2018, 5:38 PM
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They look awesome on that Tige!
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Join Date: Jan 2018
02-11-2018, 6:34 PM
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Thinking I’m a day late and a dollar short on this one! Great product!!!!
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Join Date: Jan 2018
02-11-2018, 7:19 PM
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Alrighty... Here are the winners! I assigned everyone a number and used a random number generator to pick the winners. If you didn't win and you'd still like a set. PM me and I'll hook you up with a 15% off coupon. To the winners, check your inbox and reply to the message thats waiting for you! Thank you for everyone who participated. I'll still be here to answer any questions you guys have.
Winners:
1. Bryce Pool (bryce2320)
2. Mike Contreras (SCMike)
3. Todd (tmb80)
4. RM (RPM_DLX)
5. Justin Keller (kellerman)
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Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: San Clemente, CA
02-11-2018, 7:26 PM
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WOW, cant believe I was selected. Looking forward to using and providing feedback. Just unwrapped my 2018 LSV yesterday. These will keep her looking nice and pretty.
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Join Date: Jan 2018
02-11-2018, 7:41 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bryce2320
They look awesome on that Tige!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gdmatson
Thinking I’m a day late and a dollar short on this one! Great product!!!!
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Thanks guys! And thanks to everyone else for the kind words.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SCMike
WOW, cant believe I was selected. Looking forward to using and providing feedback. Just unwrapped my 2018 LSV yesterday. These will keep her looking nice and pretty.
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Wow. Beautiful boat. As you can see from my Tige, I'm a huge fan of the neutral color scheme. These will look great!
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Join Date: May 2017
02-11-2018, 7:48 PM
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AWESOME!!! i am so excited to try these out!! I'll post pictures as soon as I get them and try them out!!
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Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: San Clemente, CA
02-11-2018, 7:50 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BABzUSA
Thanks guys! And thanks to everyone else for the kind words.
Wow. Beautiful boat. As you can see from my Tige, I'm a huge fan of the neutral color scheme. These will look great!
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Thank you, and yes, definitely noticed that! My Parents Tige was a very similar color scheme, and i loved that boat so much. I certainly helped inspire my design.
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Join Date: Jul 2010
02-11-2018, 7:51 PM
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Wow, awesome! Can't wait to give them a try! They look incredible on that tige!
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: SLC, UT 5600'
02-14-2018, 12:34 PM
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Congrats to all the winners! Interested in any and all in depth reviews when people start using these.
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Join Date: Oct 2014
02-14-2018, 12:45 PM
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I ordered up a set, will let you know but it will not be for a while!!!
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Join Date: Jan 2018
02-14-2018, 1:11 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by onlyinboards
I ordered up a set, will let you know but it will not be for a while!!!
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Thanks for the order! Looks like they've been delivered.
I can't wait to see what everyone thinks of these!
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Join Date: Jul 2016
02-14-2018, 3:51 PM
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So how do you blow these things up? Can I collapse them while we're out riding and quickly inflate them when we're headed to the dock?
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Join Date: Jan 2018
02-14-2018, 5:57 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DCross
So how do you blow these things up? Can I collapse them while we're out riding and quickly inflate them when we're headed to the dock?
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Absolutely. I recommend using a little 12v pump like this one.
https://www.amazon.com/AIRHEAD-AHP-1...s=12v+air+pump
But you can easily do it yourself without a pump. The plug design allows for easy inflation with just your own mouth and lungs. They deflate just as easily by pulling the plastic plug. The valve itself is a straight through design. It doesn't have a little flap like you find on a lot of pool floats. So air flows in and out really easily.
Here are some pics of them folded down and the valve/plug.
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Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: San Clemente, CA
02-14-2018, 6:01 PM
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Just got mine in today. Can’t wait to put them to use and provide feedback this season. Thanks again!
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Join Date: Jan 2018
02-14-2018, 6:22 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SCMike
Just got mine in today. Can’t wait to put them to use and provide feedback this season. Thanks again!
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No problem!
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Join Date: Jul 2016
02-14-2018, 6:53 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BABzUSA
Absolutely. I recommend using a little 12v pump like this one.
https://www.amazon.com/AIRHEAD-AHP-1...s=12v+air+pump
But you can easily do it yourself without a pump. The plug design allows for easy inflation with just your own mouth and lungs. They deflate just as easily by pulling the plastic plug. The valve itself is a straight through design. It doesn't have a little flap like you find on a lot of pool floats. So air flows in and out really easily.
Here are some pics of them folded down and the valve/plug.
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Nice! How long before you are able to provide more color options? Not that I'm against black... they should match the boat just fine.
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Join Date: Jan 2018
02-14-2018, 7:23 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DCross
Nice! How long before you are able to provide more color options? Not that I'm against black... they should match the boat just fine.
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Not very long. The delay in color choices is really from deciding on what colors to offer. My personal front runners are White, Sky Blue, Grey, & Electric Yellow. But I seem to see requests for basic red and blue too.
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Join Date: Dec 2009
02-15-2018, 5:42 AM
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Who would request blue balls?
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Join Date: Jun 2012
02-15-2018, 6:42 AM
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I don’t know H but I would request Lime Green Balls. Hehe
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Join Date: Apr 2016
02-15-2018, 8:01 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BABzUSA
Not very long. The delay in color choices is really from deciding on what colors to offer. My personal front runners are White, Sky Blue, Grey, & Electric Yellow. But I seem to see requests for basic red and blue too.
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I currently have black Exile's but white or red BABZ sound like a future purchase to me
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Join Date: Jan 2018
02-15-2018, 10:26 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Truekaotik
I don’t know H but I would request Lime Green Balls. Hehe
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I actually really like the lime green. I just don't know if theres a large enough market to add it anytime soon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by h20king
Who would request blue balls?
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You'd be surprised.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mlzelenik
I currently have black Exile's but white or red BABZ sound like a future purchase to me
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I think you guys with he Exile balls will be pleasantly surprised with the BABz.
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Join Date: Jul 2010
02-16-2018, 2:29 PM
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Got mine, they look awesome! Finally something that will give more distance between the dock and the boat than the regular bumpers. Although, my girlfriend wasn't amused when I said, "Hey check out my big...." well you can guess the rest..... Lol. I'll keep it PG13
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Join Date: Jul 2010
02-16-2018, 2:32 PM
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Are these on Amazon yet?
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Join Date: Jan 2018
02-16-2018, 6:12 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RPM_DLX
Got mine, they look awesome! Finally something that will give more distance between the dock and the boat than the regular bumpers. Although, my girlfriend wasn't amused when I said, "Hey check out my big...." well you can guess the rest..... Lol. I'll keep it PG13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RPM_DLX
Are these on Amazon yet?
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Awesome! Glad you’re digging them. The jokes that come with them are a nice bonus. Haha.
Yup. These are on Amazon. Just search BABz boat fender.
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: SLC, UT 5600'
06-23-2018, 6:57 AM
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I finally got a chance to mess with my BABz fender balls and they are legit. The first impression was they are HUGE and will protect any boat no matter what's thrown at it. The material is quite soft and have yet to see a scratch from them on the boat. They will hook directly to your cleat but I didn't find that to be handy since my rope just popped them off, could have been user error. I ended up getting some of the smallest rope on the market and tying it to the handle and had plenty of room to tie off the boat but very well protected. The handles are very think and wont have a problem with the rope around them, they seems a little thicker then similar products. Being black in color it's a good idea to under inflate them on a hot day, they will expand and you don't want them to burst. Blowing up is a little tricky and takes awhile with a break in between. If I remember it was 17 really good breaths to get it inflated and a numb lip and dizzy head. I also have a pump that made it crazy easy and about 30 seconds to fill. The plug system seems very convenient but I have troubles getting it out. Without using tools being afraid of popping the ball I actually broke a nail trying to get the plug out. I have found the easiest way for now is using your teeth but with a lot of use I can see the plug getting ruined. If there's an option of getting additional plugs it might be a good idea until you find your best way to get these plugs out. Deflating the balls storage is amazing and take zero room which is a plus. I found the best use for these fenders is with our houseboat. I've been looking for options for good coverage and regular fenders wreck havoc with scratches. The BABz balls solved that problem with their decent size. The picture attached shows the difference between the very popular Exile balls vs BABz.
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Join Date: Aug 2011
07-03-2018, 8:47 PM
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I finally got to use my BABz this past weekend and can confirm everything in DFTR’s post. I have a full set of BABz, 4, and three of the exile balls. We had a boat on each side of us this Saturday and of course the cleats are in the wrong spot on our 210 so we had three balls on each side. The side with one BABz and two Exile balls was a joke how different the two products are. The BABz are so much bigger and handled everything the rough conditions threw at them, worth every penny!
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