Re: [Paddlewise] Nautiraid Assembly Pictures?

OK, thanks, this actually answered some questions I didn't just come out and 
ask. I don't have a Nautiraid. I'm building a kayak from Blandford plans but 
substituted aluminum channel for a connector joint which would normally be a 
five inch length of wood with a brass strap in the middle. I'm planning on 
having the aluminum anodized with a brass color to match the brass in the 
rest of the boat. Since I read the Nautiraid uses brass channel I thought 
this might be interesting to look at.

The stringers and gunwales are in place, but I haven't completed what little 
connections that its supposed to have. The stringers like to pop out of the 
grooves, so I suppose maybe I'll try the tab idea.

I bought a used Klepper, but it's of no help for comparison's sake, two 
different animals.

Thanks, Paul.

>The crossribs do not have any kind of
>mechanical connectors or even push-in snapping groves for the long
>pieces to "lock" into.  The grooves on the crossribs are open and
>beveled slightly toward the bow or stern. The long pieces rest in these
>open grooves.  There are small little leather-like tabs (actually made
>of lightweight hypalon, I think) that snap on to some of the crossribs
>to keep them from wiggling out of position when inserting the frame
>halves.  But in no way are those tabs really structural locking
>mechanisms such as the snap fittings on Kleppers.
>
>But don't despair, the Nautiraid system, while not locking, works
>extremely well; the frame inside the skin is very solid.  Arguably, the
>Nautiraid frame system and its external sponsons make for just about the
>stiffest of folding kayaks.  If you lift a Nautiraid at one end while
>leaving the other end on the ground, you will note two things.  One, as
>you lift the end there is absolutely no sag (Folbots in comparison come
>up like a weak person doing pushups and not like a Marine doing it).
>Two, if you shake the Nautiraid up and down when holding that one end at
>waist or higher level, it has virtually no wiggle...it is that stiff.
>
>ralph diaz
>
>Paul Raymond wrote:
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > I was wondering if anyone had any pictures or links to Nautiraid 
>assembly
> > details. I am specifically interested in the intersection of the
> > longitudinals (gunwales and stringers) to the crossribs. Klepper had a 
>nice
> > detailed site but Nautiraid's is vague.
> >
> > Thanks, Paul.

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