Gripfast Nails

[Don Hayes]

I can not seem to find gripfast nails in the USA is there a source here or do we have to order from overseas? Conversely can they be replaced with galvanized screws instead? Thanks for the info.

[Björn]

I would recommend using stainless wood screws and use a drill and a torx drill bit.

[boatsmith]

You can purchase bronze and stainless ring shank nails from Jamestown distributors. They're online. David www.boatsmithfl.com

[Don Hayes]

Thanks for the heads up on those nails.

[George Ray]

From their website:
Jamestown Distributors has been an industry leader in marine and building supplies for over 30 years. We pride ourselves in offering the best selection of products available, a first-class technical support staff, an extensive library of how-to documents and the largest collection of marine and building how-to videos in the world. Our facility has over 40,000 sq ft of warehouse space (yes, we stock your products!), a call center and a workshop facility for product testing and training. Jamestown Distributors is located in Bristol, Rhode Island. We are proud to be located in the heart of the Rhode Island boatbuilding community.
Thank you so much for visiting us. Please let us know what we can do better.

[Tom]

I couldn't find gripfast nails where I am either...no monel at all. For most of the building, I've used steel screws for clamping preasure, and then removed them. What a pain.

But, I found a really cool nail! It is made out of plastic by a company named Raptor. They are in Texas, in the USA. They make several types and sizes of nail. The 1 5/8 " nails I've been using are strong enough to clamp 1 3/4" x 1 1/4" soft woods even while they are being bent to tight, kerfed curves. And, they fit in my nail gun which makes life too easy. You can drive them with a hammer too. Oh yeah, you can also sand them :)

Check them out at http://www.raptornails.com/raptornails.html if you are interested. They are pretty cheap by the box.

[Bob Bois]

Hi Tom,
Thanks for the info on the Raptor nails and the link. I am definitely going to try them out.
Happy building.