[Andy A.]

95 welds were it seems to make sense, usually to reduce weight or to simplify a structure. It's not our first pick, but sometimes it solves a lot of problems. But we have a really good welder, and work in a welding training shop. Without those resources I don't think we could justify the time and risk of having welding done by a 3rd party.

We rarely use rivets, though. The basic frame elements are generally put together with screws and captive threaded inserts like rivnuts and pemnuts. We really like the easy serviceability screws give us at competition and during testing. There's also a comfort factor in the relative strength of machine screws.

Installing the inserts has a significant upfront investment in tools materials and time, and probably a measurable cumulative weight penalty. But I think it pays off over the course of a season.