Our CNC pre cut boat kits utilize the Tab-n-Lock system
The Tab-n-lock system uses a uniquely engineered, interlocking joint that can only be cut with a precision CNC machines. They are the backbone of many of our easy-to-build skiff designs.
The Tab-n'-Lock system allows our skiffs to be built without the need for a strongback/building jig for construction making the boat very quick, easy, and accurate to build. Tab-n'-lock uses mortise-tenon-type joinery between the bulkheads or frames of the skiff interior and the side panels of the boat. The tabs on the bulkheads and frames engage slots that are pre-cut into the side panels. My system is only possible with 3D computer modeling and precision CNC cutting, some of the traits that make Chase Small Craft kits unique. To hold the bulkheads and frames tight to the hull sides, small shop-cut wedges are used. After the gluing of the hull is complete, the tabs are cut flush with the sides of the hull, sealed, and painted over. They are not visible from the inside of the hull, which can be varnished.
Tab-n'-lock is also used as a way to join bulkheads and strongback parts on larger boats requiring a building jig. This "3D puzzle" allows the interior structure to be locked together in the building jig, a major convenience, and creates a rigid interlocking structure over which the hull is planked. These tabs and slots are a big part of what makes what used to be an advanced build something a beginning boatbuilder can tackle.
What you see inside the boat is the frame properly placed (above/left). From the outside (below/right) you see the tab locked by the wedge until the epoxy cures. The tab is sawn flush and sanded smooth and painted over.
“I have been pleasantly surprised how well the project has gone. The parts go together surprisingly accurately. The locator tabs pay back the price of the kit. They position everything very well and hold things in place during otherwise difficult operations”.”