Telescope-Mounting Hardware-Apertura Performance Saddle for Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi

Upgrade Your Star Adventurer GTi Saddle with the Apertura Performance Saddle!

Get ready for an attachment solution from Apertura that will protect your dovetail plates from dents and mars when connecting it to the popular Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi Mount. Meant as an upgrade to the factory supplied saddle clamp included with the mount, the Apertura Performance Saddle provides all you’ll need to replace and elevate your Vixen style dovetail connections!

The Performance Saddle from Apertura measures 2.5″ (64 mm) and utilizes a high-quality CNC machined design and a brass clamping block to secure V-series dovetail plates to the Star Adventurer GTi mount. While the factory provided clamp is known to cause damage to your dovetails, the Apertura Performance Saddle eliminates that worry and provides an attachment method you can trust to not only connect your equipment securely, but also safely. Replacing the factory clamp with this modernized saddle is easy, and Apertura has included all the hardware, including a saddle plate adapter and hex keys, right out of the box! Check out the steps outlined below for installation, or you can download the Apertura Performance Saddle Installation Manual in the “Product Attachments” tab above.

Installation Instructions

To install the Apertura Performance Saddle onto the Star Adventurer GTi, you will need to use the included 3 mm hex key to loosen and remove the four caphead screws on the mount. These secure the factory GRi saddle. Make sure to keep the fasteners, as you will need to use them later. Next, loosen the black clutch ring and rotate the declination shaft by about 45 degrees. This will put one of the fasteners at the top and one at the bottom. Accuracy here is not critical, so approximation will suffice. Then, place the included saddle adapter plate onto the mount. Using the factory screws, loosely install all four. Once they are all in place, you can tighten the four screws so that the adapter plate is secure. Once the plate is in place, you can position the V-series saddle on the adapter. Start with the four 1/4-20 screws. Do not tighten these until all four have been started by a few turns. Use the included 3/16″ hex key to tighten these.

Note: As always, we recommend the use of safety stops on dovetail bars. A safety stop is often a simple caphead screw threaded into the bottom of a dovetail bar. This screw prevents the scope from fully sliding out of the saddle when installing the scope on the mount. It also serves as a safety for a loose or improperly clamped scope, reducing the chance of any damage to the equipment.

Modernizing Your Saddle Clamp

Replacing the factory provided clamp on the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi mount, this Apertura Performance Saddle provides a modern solution to keeping your dovetail plates free of damage while giving you a secure way of attaching your dovetail bar to your mount. Learn more about the Apertura Performance Saddle and it’s high-quality build below.

Secure and Safe Saddle Option for Your Dovetails
Apertura has designed the Performance V-Series saddle to replace the factory clamp that comes with the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi Mounts. With this Apertura upgrade, you can modernize your clamp and minimize the chances of damaging yourdovetail plate when attaching it to the Star Adventurer GTi. Designed with a modern wide compression style dovetail clamp, the Performance Saddle bolts to the adapter with four 14/-20 cap-head screws. Once installed, the beautifully machined brass clamp secures the telescope’s dovetail bar to the saddle clamp using a friction method common with larger telescope mounts.

High-Quality Build from Apertura
The Performance saddle from Apertura is CNC machined out of 6061 aluminum and has a black oxide finish. In addition to it’s sturdy construction, it utilizes a brass clamping block that holds the dovetail bar in place using friction. The included adapter, also CNC machined and black oxide finished to match, replaces the cast aluminum that comes factory installed on the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi mount, ultimately resulting in a secure solution for attaching V-series dovetails to the GTi mount.

Comes with the Apertura Absolute Warranty!
The Apertura Absolute Warranty provides two years of coverage against product defects. After the initial two-year warranty expires, this product qualifies for Apertura’s Three-Year Accident Replacement Program. In addition, the Apertura Absolute Warranty is transferrable! Download a copy of the Apertura Absolute Warranty for more information on this program, how to make a claim, and why it is important to keep your original receipt and the product’s original boxes & packaging!