Pull-out nav table

zoidberg

zoidberg

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There's no adequate space in my 'project' lean 27-footer for a conventional fixed nav table. I've mulled over various ideas for a fold-down arrangement and/or a Yeoman Sport Plotter - even this....

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One idea I've seen in pics seems to offer some merit, which is a tabletop that pulls out from the roof of a quarter berth, and slides easily away.

Has anyone experience of such an arrangement, and useful perspective to offer?
 
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My lean 28-ft Twister has a metre square fixed chart table with chart locker under and below that is a trotter box.
She has 4 bunks, heads, galley, coat locker.

A 5 berth version was designed, with a quarter berth. The drawings show a "portable" chart table with fiddles and that would be placed on top of the exposed quarter berth mattress. How it was secured isn't shown but it wouldn't be difficult to devise something. There is no provision for stowing charts and finding room for it in port when all the bunks were occupied might be a problem but I suppose it could be pushed under the quarter berth mattress.

Five adults on a Twister must have required a great deal of tolerance and cooperation! We never sail with more than the two of us and we often get in each other's way. ?
 
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Not quite
I have used a fold down off the bulkhead
Better , in a boat without a main bulkhead , was a cranked stainless steel arm that let an extra section of table swivel out from covering the galley and could stop centrally or, better, a full 180 degrees took it to act as a trotter box top over the v berth. Bit of bungee cord looped around it and the pencil ?and chart?stayed nicely put
Perhaps some ‘fudge’ on those two might stir your creative brain a bit ? (Nice job on the galley btw)

the problem I have always encountered with quarterberths is they aren’t very high to start with …
But a clip on small chart table could be secured out of use vertically in the q-berth perhaps
 
I have a chart table on my Fulmar, but I rarely use it for its intended purpose - more a dumping place. Frequently I use the cabin table for route planning as it is larger. I could happily do without a chart table as chart plotters have made such an impact on navigating. So do you really need one zoidberg?
 
Concerto said:
So do you really need one zoidberg?
Click to expand...

Do I 'need' one? The chart table in the 'office' I used for 2 x 3 years folded down , and was not much larger than the fold-down tray shelf fitted on the rear of seats on Ryanair flights. Other similar 'offices' I used now and then required me to run a 'log on chart' plot on a mini clipboard strapped onto my right knee.

A Yeoman Sport Plotter would be a considerable advance on that.... So no, I don't 'need' one to get along. But it would please me - I LIKE plotting nav stuff.
 
When I was looking a boats sometime last century I saw one 27' boat that I quite liked that had the sort of set up you mention. The chart table slid out from above the pilot berth with (IIRC) a cord up to the cabin top to support it. I think it was as good an arrangement as I saw in any boat of its size.
 
My boat has a chart table plenty big enough for Admiralty Folio charts and 6 berths. I've no intention of more than 2 or 3 people sleeping on the boat. Adequate chart table is a priority. No reason it can't be the dining table though?
 
Sabre 27 had such an arrangement and the quarter berth has a removable section so that you could sit at the head while working.
 
My old Mirage 28 had a nice folding chart table. I specifically, sought out a boat with a proper navigation station when I replaced her.

The nav station gives me space to think, store charts, write up the log, somewhere I can sit and make telephone calls, write up lists, use the laptop when on a mooring or at anchor and enjoy a dram while reading a book.
 
We have a decent sized chart table, takes half an Admiralty chart and it has a similarly sized drawer (for the charts). We have repeaters for the instruments on a fascia above the chart table.

I prefer the saloon table as I can have a full chart open and the saloon table is not much used at sea except (strangely) for breakfast. Most meals are taken on deck on watch. I prefer the saloon table because its bigger, all the instruments, or data from the instruments, are available on an iPad (WiFi) - but importantly I can look out of the windows (and for coastal passage counting lighthouses is sure way to know where you are :) ). Thus I can have a full chart, log book, iPad, Breton Plotter, dividers, pencils - and watch the, watery, world go by.

A rolling log on my right knee would be very uncomfortable for me - I'm left handed

What's wrong with the saloon table?

Take care, stay safe
 
One thing I loved about Rustler is the proper chart table . I had an iMac , portable printer , Wacom tablet, wireless keyboard , usb powered scanner all on or in it comfortably when in port . Best office yet!
 
There's a trick to folding charts so that one's whole route and annotations are accessible; the resultant 'Aid To Navigation' would fit into a calf-pocket of a Nomex flight suit.

Not much use to a Harrier pilot..... no spare room after two booted feet are inserted in the very tight space. They learned to do a low, slow flyby and read the road signs!

One laid-back Canberra pilot I knew would filch a copy of The Telegraph and fold it as above to provide him with the daily crossword.....
 
zoidberg said:
One idea I've seen in pics seems to offer some merit, which is a tabletop that pulls out from the roof of a quarter berth, and slides easily away.

Has anyone experience of such an arrangement, and useful perspective to offer?
Click to expand...

My Fisher 25 had something very similar: a chart table that pulled out from under the side deck, above the visible part of the quarter berth. As these things go, it was an entirely workable solution.

BTW I recognise that handiwork in your photo. A certain Fjord MS33 if I’m not mistaken!
 
zoidberg said:
There's a trick to folding charts so that one's whole route and annotations are accessible; the resultant 'Aid To Navigation' would fit into a calf-pocket of a Nomex flight suit.

Not much use to a Harrier pilot..... no spare room after two booted feet are inserted in the very tight space. They learned to do a low, slow flyby and read the road signs!

One laid-back Canberra pilot I knew would filch a copy of The Telegraph and fold it as above to provide him with the daily crossword.....
Click to expand...

My father when making a cross country navigation exercise got lost. He landed in a field next to a road and stopped the next car that came past. The car happened to be a Roller - the owner then helped Dad turn the plane, Tiger Moth, round so as he could return to the exercise. I don't know how they started the engine again - maybe he left it in idle.

In the early 80's I was travelling in China, twin propped Russian plane. I asked the hostess why we did not travel in a straight line and we seemed to be weaving all over the sky.

She replied 'don't be silly rivers and railway lines are not straight - we follow them'

Jonathan.
 
Neeves said:
My father when making a cross country navigation exercise got lost. He landed in a field next to a road and stopped the next car that came past. The car happened to be a Roller - the owner then helped Dad turn the plane, Tiger Moth, round so as he could return to the exercise. I don't know how they started the engine again - maybe he left it in idle.

In the early 80's I was travelling in China, twin propped Russian plane. I asked the hostess why we did not travel in a straight line and we seemed to be weaving all over the sky.

She replied 'don't be silly rivers and railway lines are not straight - we follow them'

Jonathan.
Click to expand...
 
On my first Stella I cut 2 holes in the cabin bunk sides, opposite each other, so I could stuff stores below the bunks without lifting the cushions. I would put the items in & to one side of the holes & nothing ever fell out due to the shape of the hull & the ribs.
To cover the holes I placed 9mm ply flaps, hinged along the top edge. Each flap was half the width of the gap between the bunks. So when they were open they met in the middle. I had 2 spare pieces of aluminium channel that fitted along the edges & held them as a stiff single shelf. The height was a bit low as it was the same height as the top of the bunk sides. However, I made the flaps longer than the holes they covered - about 30 inches from memory. The gap between the bunks would have been about 24 inches. That made the flaps 30 * 12 - giving a 30*24 table & the bunks sides were about 13 inches high.
This gave me a work surface that I could sit on the bunk to one side but forward & use. If cooking I could stand aft, in front of the stove & put plates etc on it. I could then use it as a low level table as the Stella had no room for a table. The size was big enough to lay a section of chart out for passage planning, long before GPS etc came along.
I did think about turning them right up as a sort of lee board for the bunks in emergency, but never carried that through.
 
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