Mountain Buzz banner

New Saturn

15K views 55 replies 9 participants last post by  crazydrake 
#1 ·
I'm a new member to this site. I surfed every frame build project on Buzz, I like to thank everybody for giving me ideas on framing my new Saturn. My buddy has been using his Saturn for many years, he has even thrown it on top of his van for a trip from Michigan to Mexico twice. Cody at Saturn has great customer service, I bought 2 new prototypes from him recently and now I have to build the frames.. Vehicle Motor vehicle Transport Car Boat
Water transportation Boat Vehicle Outdoor recreation Inflatable boat
Inflatable boat Vehicle Boat Watercraft Rigid-hulled inflatable boat
 
See less See more
3
#3 ·
I wouldnt call it an anti Saturn sect - more along the lines of a conspiracy that is very much interwoven with the canyon/pro/entity saga somehow.


Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the reply..... I did see some negative comments on the Saturn rafts, but my buddies Saturn ( the blue one) has served him very well, and he is a hardcore Trout Bum....... His van has bunk beds and a heating / cooling ventilation with separate generator. He actually lived in his van for over year traveling all over the place with his Saturn strapped to the top, chasing trout..... He has dragged that thing all over place, over stumps and logs, across gravel beds , through thick brush, and launched it in some very off the grid places.......... I wanted something similar to his raft but a little wider. So I called Cody and he had one one that was perfect for me, its about 6 inches wider and longer , and self bailing........ Cody was friendly and very easy to deal with........ I looked for months for new and used rafts, and couldn't find anything affordable..... This new Saturn should work perfect for us, so we picked up 2 of them for our 6 man fly fishing guide/group. We plan to frame it for fishing using 6061 tubes. We are still working on plans, might weld or use speed rail fittings..... I used the "fun with frames " thread to get some ideas.....I read read sooooo many threads that I forgot half of what I read ......
 
#6 ·
The part we are contemplating is the height and angle of the oar risers and how to make a adjustable casting brace... other then that, I hope not to run into too much trouble... I got what I think was a good price on 4 Mini-Mag Cat oars , Sawyer oar locks, cam straps from Strap Works, Harken cam cleats and small bock pulleys for the anchor system.... Just need the aluminum tube and someone who can tig weld , or use speed rail fittings....
 
#8 ·
CrazyDrake, l am all for building your own frame but when it comes to towers since this is your first boat l will assume. I would buy a set of towers that can be adjusted. Sound like you all will be switching rowers and experimenting. With a set of 8 inch towers you can roll them in and out to make them taller, shorter, you can slide them for shorter taller rowers. 100 bucks. Onice you figure it out and want to make permanent nose put them for sale right here for 80 bucks and if nobody buys them in the first week l will be surprised. Just my 2 cents
 
#11 ·
What are the specs of that boat? Is it a raft or and IK? Can't quite tell in the pic, but I understand posting pics on the Buzz is kind of a bitch. I've been thinking of an RD290 or a Storm for a few seasons.
 
#15 ·
I like to go to Home Depot or wherever to buy 30-40 feet of 1-1/2 inch PVC some L joints, T joints, 45 joints, etc.
I save my receipts and build a mock up without glue. After I'm happy with my Design I just keep the cut pipe and return the joints. Then, I buy what I need in Aluminum and build. Very cheap way to plan.
 
#19 ·
I am out of my realm on this one, the narrowest frame l have built was 48 inches. Bighorn had a great idea. You might want to consider butterflies which are loops that extend outward for you oar towers. When frames get ultra skinny you need tall towers so you don't hit your knee. You could put 6 inch butterflies on it. You could lay them flat with the rest of the frame and welded then with movable towers you would be able to adjust for different rowers. The butterflies would need to be squared not a continuous bender so you could have room to slide towers.
 
#21 ·
You are welcome. So your frame will be 41 or 42 inches wide. Put 6 inch butterflies on it now you are 54 wide. I have a frame I built that is 52 wide. I am 6 feet 2 inches tall. It has a set of 8 inch NRS towers on it that are leaned out at 30 degrees. I run 7 foot 10 inch oars. I saw you had a set of mini mags. You will be happy with this set up. A good friend of mine runs class five with mini mags on an eleven foot cataraft.
 
#22 ·
Much appreciated for the help,,, looking into aluminum tube prices next... Also need to figure the anchor system out using small block pulleys or wheel sheaves... NRS low back seats came today.... I have everything I need , now the hard part... Picking the correct aluminum tube size....
 
#23 ·
If you go with 1.5 inch aluminum. It will have a 1.66 inch Outside diameter. This will be useful because most fitting that you will find, speed rail, nrs are for this size. Stay away from aluminum conduit. It is the correct size but it is soft and bends to easy.
 
#24 ·
I totally don't mean to quibble, but one should be aware that tube and pipe are two different things. Tube is designated by the OD and Pipe is measured by the ID. 1.5" Tube will be (within a variance) 1.5" on the outside regardless of thickness. Pipe is different and the OD will vary depending on thickness.

I only say this to warn that if you call up a place that sells Aluminum stock and ask for 1.5" diameter tubing it will be different then asking for 1.5" pipe. In everyday use those pipe and tube are exchangeable, but in this case they are two very different things. Pipe is for transporting liquids and gases and tubing is for structural use.

The more you know and all that... :D
 
#27 ·
Marks husband, that is pretty broad statement that all speed rail are 1.9 . I guess the ones l have that are 1.66 must have not been created. And l never specified tube or pipe because l did not want to start this dumbness conversation. I said 1.5 inch aluminum with an OD Of 1.66 inches. And for the record l know the difference between pipe and tubing. Thanks though.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top