Clearblue NAPALI - Manual (Page 7)

33. Insert the rear deck rod (part 5, with blue bands) into the pivot unit on the stern end frame. Rotate the rod
90 degrees to lock in place and snap the tube into the upper recesses in the small cross rib. Note that the upper
recess on the small cross ribs are very flexible and are designed to flex to the required angle to accommodate
the deck rods.
34. Slide the connector unit on the cockpit end of the rear deck rod forward slightly and push the rod down
until the connector unit fits into place in the rear large cross rib.
35. Locate the rear skin tightening strap. This can be found attached to the skin at one end of the large cross
rib. Take this strap across the top of the large rear cross rib, through the plastic ring attached to the other side of
the skin and back across the top of the rib. Pull it tight and clip into the side release buckles – see figure 13.
36. Repeat steps 34 and 35 for the front large cross rib.
37. Check that side seams of the skin at the chine are close to equal height relative to the Kevlar tubes. In other
words, the line where the hull joins the deck should be at similar height on both sides of the kayak. If the skin is
off centre, correct this before proceeding. To achieve this, loosen off the skin tension straps, pin the skin to the
ground with one hand and slide the structure sideways relative to the skin to correctly centre the skin relative to
the
frame. Then re-tighten the tensioning straps. If the ends of the kayak appear twisted to one side, the adjustment
of the skin relative to the large and small frames can correct this.
38. Insert the recommended tapered dry/storage bags into both ends of the kayak and position the pack. Figure
14 shows a Napali kayak with a tapered dry bag and a larger dry back in the aft compartment. If the
compression struts are used then the dry bag will have to be pushed aft to allow insertion of the compression
struts (see below).
39. Install the footrest. Pass the webbing that runs through the footrest tube around one or more Kevlar tubes
to control the lateral position. Initially we suggest you pass the webbing round the blue and yellow rods on both
sides (these are the middle two rods on each side of the boat) however this can be varied to give a higher or
lower footrest position if required. The fore and aft position of the footrest is controlled by the longer webbings
which run between the large forward cross rib and the skin, and attach to the seat with cam-locks (Figure 15,
16).
40. Install the two bracing rods (part 19) by placing the rear (without string) end between the seat and the rear
large cross rib. Place the forward end of the rod into the recess in the front large cross rib so that it is 1 to 2
inches above the cleat. Connect the webbing and side release buckle around the frame. The exact height of the
bracing rods can be controlled by inserting the cord into the cleat on the frame (Fig 16). To lower the height of
the rods, pull the string down though the cleat and then pull the string towards the stern to hold the rod at that
position. Note that the bracing rods must sit inside the cavity of the aft central frame (Fig 17); they must NOT
be placed between the frame and the kayak skin