Hi,
I am trying to provide a very high quality sailplane tie-down kit and I need
the help of this very knowledgeable group.
A customer of mine recommended that I buy and sell the tie-down system that
Cobra offers. I did some research and talked to Cobra about it. I came to
the conclusion that I liked their tie-down straps, but decided not to buy
their stakes but rather to use "The CLAW" anchoring system. I bought a
batch of the tie-down straps from Cobra and sold one set to the customer
that had started the process. The good news is that the straps are
extremely nice and rugged. They are a little over 15 feet long and have
very nice foam padding on about 5 feet of the strap. There is a very rugged
metal cam buckle at one end of the strap. They will work very nicely with
The CLAW system. When used with a pair of wing stands they will hold the
wings down very securely.
The bad news is that the straps are extremely expensive (in my opinion) for
what they are. To make a fair profit I will need to sell them for $50 each.
I can buy similar 1" straps at my local hardware store for much less, but
they wouldn't have the very nice padding found on the Cobra provided straps.
So, the reason for this post is to see if any of you have any suggestions on
sources for the straps - with metal buckles and padding. The straps have
the words "Sail & Fly By Sails Products" sewed into the strap. I have had
no luck finding the source or any reference to the straps using Google.
Does anyone know where they are made? The name implies that they are made
for both the sailing and aviation markets. I have no idea where in the
world they are made. My guess is that Cobra buys them and marks them up and
then I have to pay for the shipping for the heavy package all the way to my
office in Minnesota, USA.
My goal is to find a lower cost source so I can offer an very high quality
and reasonably priced system for glider pilots. For now, you can see the
very nice, but somewhat pricey option on my web site he
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/misc....Down_Equipment
Good Soaring,
Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com