: Eric,

: Nice work and some good original problem solving. "Snap" together
: solves one of the major folder construction problems, leaving
: the skin as problem number one.

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Yup, there we're left with air or foam innner sponsons, or adjustable width stations as I consider building (with the inconvenience that the yak would grow beamier in time as the paddler's skills would require a slimmer boat).
Unless Estée Lauder Body Cream works on truck tarp...Ha!
Actually I stuffed all my interrogations points into that much "experimental" yak; that left room for lotsa thin air, which explains it sits too high on water...
-
: The "lobster claws" look a bit thin at the snap on point.
: Do you think they will hold up over repeated snapping of the
: tubes without losing their memory ?

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Correct. I had to file the ends to avoid them protruding into the skin.
It's too early to tell about the nylon crampons' resistance yet.
They're easily replaceable anyway, at about 30ç apiece.
-
: I've used thicker walled tubing as well as thinner walls than
: the 6061 -T6 x .049 that I normally use. I've found it to be
: the best all around for weight "and" rigidity.

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You're correct in mentioning the importance of tubing alloys.
Actually, I felt perhaps flex wasn't so much needed on such a short, portable hull (438 cm long) and beamy, so the strength of the stringers could absorb the pulls and shocks rather than flex.
Another question, seldom considered, is whether the stringer-to-stations connections are fixed or also flexible, depending on the connecting device used.
Nylon crampons allow no flex up to a certain bending angle.
Yet another criterion is the thickness and alloy quality of the interior connecting tubes.
They're 4.5" long here and 2mm thick!
Also, the structure's coherence matters. It's somewhat defective here, as the stations' okoumé is much too dry to match the strength of the alu stringers.
-
: I've just purchased a quantity of 6063-T832 x .055wall tubing for
: my next folder. The .055 wall is all I could find in this grade tubing,
: but I bought it anyway for it's superior corrosion resistance vs. 6061-T6.
: Though thicker walled, it's actually lighter than 6061-T6. It's
: used a lot by sail rig and mast producers and is well proven in a salt
: water enviorenment. Plus, it's less expensive than 6061-T6 and is used by
: Feathercraft in the Kahuna.
: I referred to 6063 as "lower grade" on another forum, but Mark
: Balogh of Balogh Sail Design quickly pointed out the error of my thinking.
: For which I am most appreciative.
: HDPE is indeed more expensive and heavier than your excellent Okume / lobster
: claw hybrid. However, the Sea Rover, with it's 8 cross sections, heavy HDPE
: coaming, and additional inwale tubes has a final weight of under 15kg.(
: 32lbs)

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There's also the polypro stations solution that I'll try later. Polypro seems more rigid than HDPE (polyethylene) that has too much flex. Nautiraid use it on their alu craft. Quite heavy too, though.
Their alu yaks are barely 1 kg lighter than their wooden ones.
-
: Additional weight will be saved when the CF coaming is finished.
: Keep up the good work. Hopefully we can get together for some folder paddling
: one day. Do you live in the wine country ? ha!

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You're welcome. Under 20 kgs we skip the extra luggage charge on planes.
And The Brie Runs Thru It. Ha!
Best,
Eric
-
: Enough talk for one day, time for a motorcycle ride.
: Best,
: Tom