Cockpit Table Leg

[laika]

When I bought my boat it had no leg on the cockpit table. 2 years on it still doesn't. The table is quite long (almost a metre?) and folds down against a whitlock pedestal. It's nice and solid and I don't want to replace it but I'm having difficulty deciding on a way of propping it up.

The "official" whitlock support is designed for a much smaller, lighter table so as well as being expensive is inappropriate. I thought about some more robust custom solution connecting to the pedestal but suspect the table might be too long for that to be structurally sound (maybe not...)

I was thinking about a telescopic leg (so it could hold the table level with and without the teak grating underneath), rubber foot and some mechanism to lock it perpendicular to the table, but letting it collapse against the table when folded away. Unfortunately much asking at boat shows and googling has drawn a blank. Any suggestions? I personally have no abilities at fabrication. This was a "low priority" task but the cumulative inconvenience of eating dinner of our laps is adding up...

 

[Poignard]

Anything here?

http://www.rainbowconversions.co.uk/Equipment/Tables/tables.htm

 

[Mirror Painter]

I have a wood turning lathe but have not progressed much further than making long thin things, e.g. Seed dibber, lead filled truncheon ( ! ), simple toys.

If a turned piece or pieces of wood each up to about 0.5M will help you let me know. I would relish the chance of helping someone by making something they actually wanted

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I had a solid teak table with two opening leafs at least a metre long quite heavy that used the proprietary Whitlock fixing with no problems at all providing I guess that you don't want to stand on it, certainly adequate for six to eat off. I had a similar table on a previous boat that had a hinge mechanism wit a draw pin similar to the Whitlock but without the support mechanism and used a one inch stainless tube with a small wooden boss or foot at the bottom end and a fitting that took the top end of the tube screwed to the underside of the table. Struggling to think of a name for it but it was a flange with screw holes and a bit of tube with a one inch ID welded to it I am pretty sure it is a standard stainless fitting.

 

[chewi]

would this help?
http://www.kjhowells.com/ISO01

 

[laika]

The swing out mount chewi suggested is not what I'm after: I'm happy with the fold-down table as it is (just need a support). Interested to know if this is the mounting petehb was referring to: Looks a little flimsy for a big solid table: the one that "officially" goes with it is quite light and short. Thanks to Moxon for the engineering offer, but there'd still be some engineering design work in there that undoubtedly would take me another year. Parsifal's suggestion certainly warrants further investigation. Thanks all

 

[prv]

My saloon table is hinged at one end much like the cockpit tables on wheel pedestals that I've seen. It's solid sapele, with folding leaves and big fiddles (2" or so) when closed up, so it's relatively heavy.

It's supported with a simple angled wooden strut from the outer end to the compression post it's mounted on, strut meeting post about halfway down between table and cabin sole. Seems sturdy enough to me.

Pete

 

[billcole]

I wonder if a chunky photographic monopod might suit. Some have quick release plates that stay on the camera, maybe you could use one of that type and keep the plate on the underside of the table (replacing the short bolt that would screw into the camera base with a woodscrew)

 

[Fr J Hackett]

The swing out mount chewi suggested is not what I'm after: I'm happy with the fold-down table as it is (just need a support). Interested to know if this is the mounting petehb was referring to: Looks a little flimsy for a big solid table: the one that "officially" goes with it is quite light and short. Thanks to Moxon for the engineering offer, but there'd still be some engineering design work in there that undoubtedly would take me another year. Parsifal's suggestion certainly warrants further investigation. Thanks all

Yes that's the one don't think I paid quite as much as that but it wasn't cheap 8 years ago