Need Advise on a Grass / Sand Net System

[SleepySmurf]

Both people make great points however, the biggest factors for me is:

Safety - Tripping over a wire or injuring your self on one is liability.
Quick Easy Setup - One person should be able to break down and setup.
Appearance - Guy wires are ugly no matter how functional.
Down Time - Theres no excuse, once setup it should have attention paid to it until its time to go home.

I'm still waiting on a call back from Cobra.......

I wounder if I would be able to attach another net to the system? May the question is what kind of net can I attach?

Would you use the Cobra on Sand too?

[Outta Town]

Cobra works great on both sand and grass.


I believe you could order a heavier net as long as it has rope top and bottom. If you look at the picture, you see the rope tensioner at the top right pole. Just slide rope through and pull tight. On the bottom of new net, you'd have to make loops for bungee cords to grab on to.

My newest nets are probably 1 1/2 years old. They came with nicer quality nets and heavy denier carry bags.

[Glenn]

Originally Posted by Outta Town

Cobra works great on both sand and grass.


I believe you could order a heavier net as long as it has rope top and bottom. If you look at the picture, you see the rope tensioner at the top right pole. Just slide rope through and pull tight. On the bottom of new net, you'd have to make loops for bungee cords to grab on to.

My newest nets are probably 1 1/2 years old. They came with nicer quality nets and heavy denier carry bags.

We are sold, COBRA it is! Thank you everyone for your help on this....

[Troy]

Originally Posted by SleepySmurf

Both people make great points however, the biggest factors for me is:

Safety - Tripping over a wire or injuring your self on one is liability.
Quick Easy Setup - One person should be able to break down and setup.
Appearance - Guy wires are ugly no matter how functional.
Down Time - Theres no excuse, once setup it should have attention paid to it until its time to go home.

I'm still waiting on a call back from Cobra.......

I wounder if I would be able to attach another net to the system? May the question is what kind of net can I attach?

Would you use the Cobra on Sand too?

If that is your criteria, then the Cobra is the best choice. Its the only system on the market that uses internal support (the giant spike) for pole support, so no guy lines are needed so long as you use the Cobra net or something similar. It can also be set up by 1 person and takes only 20 minutes to get it up and running. The hardest part of the whole operation is driving the stakes straight (in relation to the angle of the net face) with the sledgehammer. There's a natural tendency for them to begin to slant one way or the other.

I use my system on sand almost exclusively, and replaced the net on my system with a heavier AVP net with steel top cable and wooden dowels on the sides, with tape border all around the edges; a pretty nice net.

The steel cable was a bit long, so I attached lightweight nylon pulleys at the top of the poles and ran the cables through there, then down the pole to the bottom where the bottom of the net attaches. I'm only 5'7", so this makes it easier for me to adjust the top tension since the tension is controlled at the bottom rather than the top. Snap hooks hold the cable to open eye bolts on the poles. I bought a net ratchet from Volleyhut to crank in the top cable for adjustment.

I then drilled holes in the poles near the top, about 2" below the net attachment points (or pulley attachment points in this case), and attached 1/2" open eye bolts, facing outward. These served as attachment points for the single guy wire coming off the pole (1 guy wire per pole). I could get away with single guy lines on each pole since the guy lines were just there to take the "bounce" out of the poles and help support the weight of the heavier net. I use cargo straps and vinyl-coated chains for the guy lines, but you can use nylon ropes if you want. For sand play, I use 3/4" plywood with U-bolts as anchors. Those babies aren't going anywhere!

Diamond-braid polyester rope is used for adjusting the net face tension.

Because of the pulleys, this results in the net being about a foot too low for men's height, so I kick about a foot of sand around the ground spikes before fitting the poles. I can always adjust the height downwards using the ratchet and the bottom net attachment points.

A stock Cobra system can be set up in about 20 minutes. My garage-engineered variant takes about 30-45 minutes because of all the pieces that need to get attached, but once its up its pretty sweet. I'll probably refine it as I get lazier. Both ways take about 5 minutes to disassemble, plus 5 minutes to dig out the sand anchors on my variant.

[Troy]

Originally Posted by Outta Town

Cobra works great on both sand and grass.


I believe you could order a heavier net as long as it has rope top and bottom. If you look at the picture, you see the rope tensioner at the top right pole. Just slide rope through and pull tight. On the bottom of new net, you'd have to make loops for bungee cords to grab on to.

My newest nets are probably 1 1/2 years old. They came with nicer quality nets and heavy denier carry bags.

The net with the red pads (2nd from front) looks like the model I have. As you can see from the ****-eyed angle of the net border, there's the reason why I upgraded to a better net. That plus I was getting tired of climbing the pole to release the top rope. Using pulleys makes it much easier to deal with the top tension.

[SleepySmurf]

Thank you all,

We are going with the Cobra system. I spoke to Glenn at VBLI and he mentioned that Cobra was improving the system and the new improve systems would be available with the month.

I cant thank all of you for the information and support you have given me on this matter. With your help I was able to make what i feel is the best decision.

Special Thanks go to Outta Town and Troy, I owe both of you a beer!

[Outta Town]

Good News for everyone here.
Les Decker called me and gave me input on the Cobra Systems. They will have upgraded poles, and stiffer nets with dowels now. This should get rid of some more of the springiness of the net play. New systems will be in by late January and he will hold the cost for us all.

He also said he will show up as a sponsor for April Rocky Point Mexico tournament.

This seems to have turned into a big win for us all!!
Thanks VBLI.

Luis

[VBLIStaff]

Originally Posted by Outta Town

Good News for everyone here.
Les Decker called me and gave me input on the Cobra Systems. They will have upgraded poles, and stiffer nets with dowels now. This should get rid of some more of the springiness of the net play. New systems will be in by late January and he will hold the cost for us all.

He also said he will show up as a sponsor for April Rocky Point Mexico tournament.

This seems to have turned into a big win for us all!!
Thanks VBLI.

Luis

To All:

We called Cobra Sports, spoke to Mr. Decker, placed our order for the new systems . Mr Decker was just as everyone described a true gentlemen. His staff was prompt and completely accommodating. We are excited to use a net system that is easy to set up and 100% life time guarantee.

Thank you ladies and gentlemen for your input.

Sincerely,
VBLIStaff

[NewEnglandRT]

Any plans on being able to offer some kind of group buy?

[VBLIStaff]

Originally Posted by NewEnglandRT

Any plans on being able to offer some kind of group buy?

Absolutely, yes, once Cobra has the new line and availability we will put an offer out to all VBLI members.

Regards,
VBLIStaff

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