Simplicity Is
The Ultimate
Sophistication
Leonardo da Vinci
The assembly of your Klepper magically converts two
closet-fitting bags into an ocean-going adventure seeking
kayak. The assembly record is well under two minutes, owners
casually assemble their boats in 10-15 minutes, first-time
assembly takes longer as the frame parts take on their
natural curves. Disassembly typically takes half of the
assembly time.
A unique patented Slide 'n Snap fitting ( illustration )
makes Klepper Kayaks the easiest and fastest to assemble and
disassemble. Every Klepper has between 28-32 of these Slide
'n Snap fittings for fast and easy assembly, even under the
most adverse conditions and from the arctic to the tropics.
Klepper Owner Comments about
Assembly
No Lubrication Necessary
Wow!
No Small or Loose Parts
Huh!
No Frame Seize-Up
Cool!
No Mud or Sand Problem
Great!
No Tools Required
Super!
No Force Necessary
A Snap!
Klepper Aerius Two-Seater
(27 wooden parts, 2 seats, 2 backrests)
A Klepper Aerius is of simple, mature design, and is very
easy to assemble. Looking at a framework below, you can see
the general arrangement of parts. The framework will be
assembled in two halves, each one is then inserted into the
hull. All parts marked with red color will make the front
half, all parts marked with blue color will make the rear
half of the boat frame. Exception: 7 ribs are used in
numerical order (l through 7).
Assembly of Front Half of Frame (7 parts with red markings
and rib 1 and 2) Unfold the keelboard. Insert the wooden
bow piece (b) at the twin-headed rivet into the slot at
forward end of keelboard. Spread the keelboard fork, using
both hands, guiding with both thumbs, to let the bowpiece
pins snap into the holes in wood (1). From below, insert the
two rods (with red caps) with hooks into fitting (d) of wood
bow-piece.
Mounting two gunwales: Left and right gunwales are
interchangeable (f). Near the front end are red letters
(Vorne-Bow), flat woodplates face the inside of boat. Lift a
gunwale with both hands, insert curved metalfitting into slot
on wood-bow (2). Now insert the second gunwale on the other
side.
Find deckbar (e) with red cap. On wood bow, lift up metal
track, slide red fitting into slot on bow, holding deckbar
slightly lifted, then press down metal track.
Take two rods (no color marks) with sliding sleeves, insert
the plain female end over the male ends of the rods already
in place. Sliding sleeves point toward center of boat. Take
crossrib 1, place it on keelboard at #1 location. All numbers
on all ribs always have to match keelboard numbers, and be
visible together. Snaplocks slide over tongues (click). Take
rib 2, place on keelboard in spot #2, engage locks. Fasten
locks on side of ribs to gunwales, then press rods into black
rodholders, located on bottom side of ribs. Finally, engage
tongue at end of deckbar to snaplock on top of rib 2. Front
half of frame is assembled.
Assembly of Rear Half of Frame (7 parts with blue
markings and rib 6 and 7) Rear half has parts which look
almost like front parts, but rear half of boat is
wide. Connect rear keelboard to rear stern piece, using both
hands. Insert 2 blue rods with hooks, attach 2 blue gunwales,
add blue deckbar. Place rib 7 in location #7, place rib 6 in
location #6. Lock up deckbar on top of rib 6.
Remember: number on rib always matches and faces
number on keelboard.
Place Frame into Boathull:
Always look for a favorable level place, such as
grass, a planking pier. Lay out boathull all the way, 17 feet
long. Hull is larger than woodwork, thus no forcing needed.
Rear end of hull has a metal rudder bracket. Lift up front
half (about 15 lbs.) and slide gently (to avoid damaging the
air sponson pockets) into front half of hull, watching that
sponson pockets rest evenly along the gunwales. Lift up rear
half (about 14 lbs.) and slide gently through large cockpit
opening towards the rear of boathull, again, watch sponsons.
In center of cockpit, wooden parts will overlap. Lift up
sections of keelboard (3),and
connect wooden tongue with metal horseshoe. Place your flat
hand on the joint, and press down with feeling - then hold
down to avoid popping up. Gunwales are hinging inward,
connect wood tongue to horseshoe, press outward with flat
hand: pull filler tubes of sponsons through wood structure to
avoid squeeze.
Now find the last two rods (51 in.), on one end slide female
over male sleeve, in the center pull sliding sleeve over
short male, and locate head of screw to be visible, in
order to avoid screw from rubbing on boathulls. Finally,
place ribs 4, 5 and 3 in that sequence.
Placement of Cockpit Coaming:
Coaming consists of folded wood parts (k, 4) and a metal
mastbracket with masthole. Look under mastbracket, see
T-fitting. On deck is a grommet, through the grommet you
should see a rectangular hole, with a little pulling. Hold
coaming at a 90 degree angle to the boat axis, and
insert T-fitting into hole. With feeling, swing coaming
(horizontally!) to settle over cockpit of boat. Spread
coaming apart. At location of ribs 3 and 4, T-fittings are
now pushed through grommets, to rest exactly in top excenter
levers. Lock down excenter levers (5).
Swing rear sections of coaming towards cockpit, attach
T-fittings to top of rib 5, and join rear-end fitting to hook
on top of rib 6. When all T-fittings of coaming are attached,
push (press) from above thick edge of deck into groove of
coaming starting at the mastbracket and going back on both
sides.
Sternpiece of Coaming (Boomerang):
Side with 4 screwheads has to face cockpit. Push one end
downward into track, until screwhead settles into notch. Hook
up 4 grommets over 4 screwheads, then press other end into
track, settle screwhead into notch (6).
Safety Features
Full-Length Perimeter-Mounted Air
Sponsons
I-Beam and T-Beam Frame
Construction
Open V-Shape Design
How the Air Sponsons
Work
Deflated Air
Sponsons
Allow for fast and easy
assembly of boat frame inside slack boat
skin.
Inflated Air
Sponsons (85-160
quarts)
Allow for effortless
tensioning of boat skin after frame is
assembled.
Safety Feature
No. 1: High Initial
Stability
Benefit :
Easy to Kayak and
Sail
Here is How it
Works:
Open V-Shape design assures
high initial stability. High initial stability
gives beginners an instant feeling of safety,
and allows for activities such as hunting,
fishing, filming, diving, navigation, and
watching and observing nature.
Safety Feature
No. 2:Level Flotation when
Swamped
Benefits : Easy Re-entry, Sufficient Flotation after
Re-entry
Here is How it
Works:
Full-length air sponsons at
the perimeter of the boat assure level and
stable flotation of swamped boat for unassisted
fast re-entry.
Air volume of inflated air
sponsons (58-156 quarts) provides sufficient
flotation to keep the swamped boat and
person(s) afloat.
Safety Feature
No. 3:
Shock and
Energy-Absorbent
Skin and Frame
Benefit : Reduces Skin Puncture
and
Frame Damage, absorbs Wave Energy and
makes Boat more
stable and
faster
Here is How it
Works:
Air pressure in the air
sponsons tightens the skin and acts as a shock
absorber to protect the skin against
puncture.
Also, a flexible skin absorbs more wave
energy, thus making the kayak less susceptible
to hydraulic forces.
Air pressure in the air
sponsons compresses the boat frame, and turns
the frame into a very strong, flexible "air
plane fuselage", thus making the frame more
damage resistant to impact while retaining
its energy-absorbing characteristics.
