FlipTite Founder’s Story

by Lou Dzierzak

TIm Tucker is hard-wired to solve problems. Encountering poorly designed and clumsily built products, Tim’s first reaction is “There’s got to be a better way.”

In 1999, Tim faced a dilemma. One garage, one car, three kayaks. Simple math says there’s not enough room for everything. Hours of scouring the still-evolving Internet for a commercially available rack system left him discouraged. Strapping on his toolbelt and asking “How can I make this better?” Tim spent a weekend building a free-standing rack to hold all three boats.

Three years later, Tim’s weekend job filling a steady stream of orders was doing better than his day job, so he made the decision to leave the advertising world, and promote his woodworking business. Talic was born.

The tinkering didn’t stop there. Pondering a way to keep expensive kayaks from getting scratched after paddling, Tim invented and patented the SeaHorse self-leveling portable kayak stand.

Then there’s the patent on a rooftop rack system and the folding bicycle project.

Loading his boats on the car, he turned his tinkering attention to finding a way to improve tie-down straps.

 

Fine-Tuning FlipTite

Over a decade, Tim’s vision for a more effective tie-down strap mechanism came into focus. Existing products on the market didn’t measure up. Cam straps are limited to lightweight jobs and heavy duty ratchet straps can be hard to use and often stress the load under the buckle.

FlipTite’s design goals were clear. A new tie-down needed to be easy to manufacture, easy to use, and hold up under pressure. With Tim’s previous experience in graphic design, a FlipTite tie-down had to look good too. 

Tinker, experiment, prototype. Repeated many times.  After sending off engineering drawings, materials specifications and construction instructions, Tim waited patiently (alright, impatiently) for another set of machined parts to arrive.

Requiring parts to work together fluidly, the resolution of one problem often led to another unexpected issue. Sharing an experience with many of history’s best inventors,  the “aha” moment that solved the last obstacle came to Tim when he got dental floss stuck around his fingers.

FlipTite works!

 

Everyone Needs FlipTite

We’ve all heard horror stories about roof rack and trailer disasters. Lumber strewn across a freeway, looking up at the rear view mirror to watch a canoe tumbling end over end into a ditch.

When you hold a FlipTite tie-down strap in your hand, the operation is intuitive. Thread the strap, flip the level and rest assured that your load is safe and secure.