Comparison Pics: Radian vs. Nautilus crotch buckle depth

Just to dispel some of the concern over the crotch buckle room in the Graco Nautilus- I measured and took a picture. I am also showing the Radian's crotch depth photo. FWIW,(and someone can check) from what I remember the Decathlon had even less depth. I am just showing this to ease some of the worry that sight unseen people are deciding against it for this reason. I know boys are built differently, but that being said, the actual measurement is here for the looking.
Nautilus: inner- 6" outer-7"
Radian: inner-3.5 middle- 5.5; outer-6.5"

I don't own a Nautilus so I don't know if it makes a difference where your measuring tape was, but it appears to be angled quite a bit on the Nautilus seat, no?

When I straightened the tape, I got 5.5 inches to the first slot, and 6.5-6.75 to the second....pretty much the same as the Radian...won't know for sure till I actually OWN it, of course. Hopefully BRUs will have it in stock soon...I want the grey one.

I just measured one of our Nautiluses and got 7" on the dot.

My FPSVD (same shell as DC) gives 6" crotch buckle depth.

ZephyrBlue said:

I just measured one of our Nautiluses and got 7" on the dot.

My FPSVD (same shell as DC) gives 6" crotch buckle depth.

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I agree- I measured it in several spots -very taut and then took the picture w/out straightening it. Under the cover, the slot is actually exactly 7" (even with seat cover ON, just peeking thru the opening) It is a roomy seat, IMO. The only one roomier that I have owned is the Regent. The DC was very tight on my DD and she used to get very upset about it which is why we sold it even before she outgrew the harness height.

Do you think part of the problem people are having with the crotch area is due to the fact that the Radian has a curved well where the butt goes and the Nautilus appears just straight up and down?

In other words, even though the Radian's crotch area appears smaller, the rounded back where the bum sits allows the butt to fit in the seat differently, whereas the Nautilus pushes the butt further out into the seat area.

Make sense?

I have a nautilus and I think its a DEEP seat. When its installed its almost like it requires they sit WAY back. Almost too far back. Its so high up and the front end and just gets lower and lower the farther back their tushies scoot. Causes his knees to be higher than his bum.



The crotch strap is also much longer than the FPSVDs.
In those pics if u look at how his legs are you can see that hte GN makes him sit deeper in the back of the seat.

sanctareparata said:

Do you think part of the problem people are having with the crotch area is due to the fact that the Radian has a curved well where the butt goes and the Nautilus appears just straight up and down?

In other words, even though the Radian's crotch area appears smaller, the rounded back where the bum sits allows the butt to fit in the seat differently, whereas the Nautilus pushes the butt further out into the seat area.

Make sense?

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The Radian, IMO, has a very flat seating area, definitely not a "curved well" at all. The Nautilus is more angled downward, and especially if you use the recline mode, the child sits very far back in the seat, like the PP also said, causing the knees to be higher than the tush. The child would not be pushing forward at all unless they slouched and slid down as most kids tend to do on occasion. I am not arguing- I merely wanted people to have more opinions than just go with the "rumors" about it being a tight fit. My child is a 42 lb girl who wears a size 6 pants and is almost 5 years old. She is not petite at all, and she has lots of room in the Nautilus- all around. I imagine, if she were a boy (and I did have a little boy once but he grew up into a young man, LOL) she would still have plenty of room. :twocents:

I just bought the Nautilus. We also have the Radian seats. Thanks for posting these photos and measurements. I hadn't measured because Karley doesn't have a problem with them. It's nice to see this info though. :thumbsup:

yoshiandluke said:

The Radian, IMO, has a very flat seating area, definitely not a "curved well" at all. The Nautilus is more angled downward, and especially if you use the recline mode, the child sits very far back in the seat, like the PP also said, causing the knees to be higher than the tush. The child would not be pushing forward at all unless they slouched and slid down as most kids tend to do on occasion. I am not arguing- I merely wanted people to have more opinions than just go with the "rumors" about it being a tight fit. My child is a 42 lb girl who wears a size 6 pants and is almost 5 years old. She is not petite at all, and she has lots of room in the Nautilus- all around. I imagine, if she were a boy (and I did have a little boy once but he grew up into a young man, LOL) she would still have plenty of room. :twocents:

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No...I don't think I'm coming across right. I know the Radian doesn't have a curved well.... wrong way to explain it. I meant that it seems that the Nautilus, from the pics, is very much at a 90 degree angle where the seat back meets the seat. Leaving no room for butt cheeks, forcing the butt more forward in the seat. Whereas the Radian seems to have a little more space where the seat back meets the seat that allows for the butt cheeks, allowing the rump to sit further back.

But of course, I'm only guessing and surmising since others are saying the crotch area is seemingly small in the Nautilus...this is why I need to see a Nautilus before I comment on it! Ha ha ha!

My son is tiny. He is 30 lbs 37 inches. I have tried the Radian and GN. The crotch belt is underneath him in both seats. Neither of the seats have much room in the seat for him in my opinion. He complained about both seats. I am going to order a Regent and hope that I can get it to fit in my Odyssey.

twinsplusone said:

My son is tiny. He is 30 lbs 37 inches. I have tried the Radian and GN. The crotch belt is underneath him in both seats. Neither of the seats have much room in the seat for him in my opinion. He complained about both seats. I am going to order a Regent and hope that I can get it to fit in my Odyssey.

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Was the crotch buckle at the innermost spot in he GN on display? Because that is how they are shipped. He would have more room at the outermost setting. The Regent definitely has more room, though.

yoshiandluke said:

Was the crotch buckle at the innermost spot in he GN on display? Because that is how they are shipped. He would have more room at the outermost setting. The Regent definitely has more room, though.

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I actually bought the GN, put the crotch belt at the outermost setting and it was way unde rmy son's bottom. I returned the seat. I am getting so frustrated about car seats. He absolutely needs a new seat since he has outgrown his Roundabout. However, I ahve read so many things about Regents being hard to install in Odyssey minivans.

twinsplusone said:

I actually bought the GN, put the crotch belt at the outermost setting and it was way unde rmy son's bottom. I returned the seat. I am getting so frustrated about car seats. He absolutely needs a new seat since he has outgrown his Roundabout. However, I ahve read so many things about Regents being hard to install in Odyssey minivans.

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Ok, I am going to try very hard to help you make sense of this.

The roundabout you have has the furtherest out crotch position of all the britax convertable by a long shot. Why Britax would put the furtherest crotch position on the 40 lb convertable is beyond me completely (makes no sense, none) So you are used to quite alot of crotch strap room.

I am not sure if you are familiar with me but I have tried and owned alot of seats, so I am telling you this from personal experience.

Its seems to be a deal breaker for you to have a seat that the buckle is not under your son. You only have two options if he is over the nautilus and radian furtherest crotch position.

THe Evenflo Triumph Advance measures 8.5-9 ins at the furtherest crotch positon.

However, the Regent has by far the most room of any other seat readily available on the market.

The Frontier we know nothing about yet, it would make sense to have lots of crotch strap room in an 80 lb seat but look at their convertables so really no telling.

You have two options as I can see it: Get a regent now and find a good tech with experience to install it in your Odessey and you learn how to get it in yourself and all about the install methods OR you get an EFTA as a temporary fix. He should have quite a bit of growing room in the true 17 in top slots, lots of leg room and crotch room. Then you wait to see what the Frontier will be.

I am sorry thats all I can think of for you. Good LUck.