Saloon table . Do you have one ?

[LONG_KEELER]

I'm thinking of doing away with mine as it is rather intrusive for a small boat.

Being mostly single handed I tend to read and plan full stretch on a quarter berth . I tend to eat on my lap in the cabin or alfresco.

What is your setup ? Perhaps an easy fold away might be an answer.

 

[Channel Sailor]

On my 29ft yacht the table top comes off and is stowed on the aft cabin bunk, or carefully in the cockpit locker. Table support post then lifts out and is stowed in the fwd cabin area. The table is then set up for meals only if two or three on board, then it is very useful to have. With it stowed there is loads of room in the saloon for moving about and spinnaker packing. On my previous 24ft yacht the table was always in the way, so I took the table off the boat completely and stowed in my garage. With yachts where the table can be repositioned upwards to stow high up against the saloon ceiling, I was forever banging my head on it so that was a silly idea.

On bigger yachts I have owned there was room for the table and for crew to move around easily. So it was of course useful to have it there, especially with a small family on board. If strongly constructed then it is something to hang onto at sea while moving around the open space of a wide saloon. Though proper handholds would be better for that.

 

[neil_s]

I sympathise. I can't do anything about the table in my own boat - she is a lift keeler with the keel box under the table. A previous boat had a table that pivoted on the mast strut - when stowed away, it turned into a sort of side-board along the end of the stbd saloon.

 

[Yngmar]

Met a guy with a 40ft-ish Malö two years ago who had ripped his table out and replaced it with a big bed (including the settee), where he slept, as he was rather tall and said the other cabin beds were all too short for him. Of course that meant he had nowhere to entertain people other than the cockpit tent, which was chilly in winter!

Depends on your priorities I guess. Maybe remove it in a way that lets you put it back in if you change your mind later, plan to sell the boat or find some crew

 

[Poignard]

I have a table that folds up flat against the bulkhead when not in use. I don't have any photos but if you can find a Twister built by Uphams near you, ask her owner to let you see the folding table.

 

[lw395]

The Lightwave 395 had a neat table which folded in half and folded up on to the bulkhead.

 

[Lightwave395]

The Lightwave 395 had a neat table which folded in half and folded up on to the bulkhead.

You beat me to it !
It's perfect, large dining area when lowered and large sail handling area / floor space when up with wine rack and glass storage behind:

 

[Praxinoscope]

The table on my Sadler 25 is use for chart work and ‘fine dining’ (if only) but it can drop down to form a double bunk. My last boat an Invicta 26 had a foldaway saloon table which stowed away in the forward cabin, but I think I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I used it.

 

[johnalison]

Where else can you play Scrabble?

 

[LadyInBed]

For small boats, I like the Virgo Voyager idea

Table out of the way at the top of the pole

 

[AndrewB]

I made one for my Kingfisher 26 - just a sheet of plywood really. It stowed against a bulkhead, and could be used either in the cabin or in the cockpit. It was held up by one folding leg and two eyes on the rear edge which slotted onto hooks.

 

[Poey50]

I removed the heavy fold-out teak table that dominated the centre of our Sadler 32 cabin and replaced it with a smaller table top mounted on a Lagun leg. It can be rotated to any angle and fixed out of the way over an unused bunk on passage. We have another mount in the cockpit so table top and leg can be moved there when we can be bothered. This has given us a lot more space and makes it easier to get across the cabin in a seaway without colliding with the damn thing.

 

[vyv_cox]

I removed the heavy fold-out teak table that dominated the centre of our Sadler 32 cabin .......

Just the opposite for me. The original table had very short leaves that gave us back-ache when eating at it. I had a new wider top made by a man who had a business building harps on the Wrexham Industrial Estate. We use it a lot and don't find it obtrusive at all.
20 years old now, hence the sun bleaching of the top, even though the saloon is almost always shaded.

 

[Refueler]

Yes ... but its the old double bunk base idea.

Dropped down it joins the two seats to make the double bed. Up it provides the dining table between the seats. I must admit that usually when on a jaunt - it stays down as I like the double bed !!

I have a cockpit mountable table that swivels ... I can have as a central table for cockpit benches to serve ... or swivelled to port side cabin bulkhead as chart table ...

 

[Hydrozoan]

I removed the heavy fold-out teak table that dominated the centre of our Sadler 32 cabin and replaced it with a smaller table top mounted on a Lagun leg. It can be rotated to any angle and fixed out of the way over an unused bunk on passage. We have another mount in the cockpit so table top and leg can be moved there when we can be bothered. This has given us a lot more space and makes it easier to get across the cabin in a seaway without colliding with the damn thing.

Ours - not built by Sadlers - never had a saloon table, at the first owner’s choice. I made one, but used a chunky Zwardvis pedestal. When the table leaf is dropped, and a shorter pedestal leg substituted, the table becomes the base of a double bunk. Because the leaf size is limited, we do have the reach problem Vyv mentions, but only on the starboard side and that’s not a problem for us. And as with your arrangement, it makes the cabin very much easier to traverse.

IMO, all this discussion shows the need in making any changes to think carefully about one's needs and relative priorities - and, as I did, to make a mock-up in cheap ply before committing in teak.

 

[steveeasy]

Hi,
I have a Twister 28. the original set up was a real pain. silly pole and you had to mess arround fitting the table to it. then it was impossible to get round. I forked out and fitted one of these. not cheap, but is perfect. the table can be swivelled in all directions. you can add a bracket in cockpit and use the table in the same fashion.. dearest table leg ill ever buy but probally the best thing ive bought for the boat.



Steveeasy

 

[doug748]

....

IMO, all this discussion shows the need in making any changes to think carefully about one's needs and relative priorities - and, as I did, to make a mock-up in cheap ply before committing in teak.

I think that's true. As I am mainly on my own, or with just one other, the massive table that could seat 6+ was never used. I substituted something much smaller:



This means the c shaped dinette is much easier to use for drinks etc, esp for visitors. It still makes a double with a simple bar across for added support.
As the boat can't be raced in class without the original table in place, swapping back is simple.

 

[Thistle]

Ours was always removeable: a rail on a bulkhead and a folding leg with a bolt in the end which slots into a hole in the cabin sole. We took it off and stowed it a few years ago and haven't missed it.

 

[Refueler]

Hi,
I have a Twister 28. the original set up was a real pain. silly pole and you had to mess arround fitting the table to it. then it was impossible to get round. I forked out and fitted one of these. not cheap, but is perfect. the table can be swivelled in all directions. you can add a bracket in cockpit and use the table in the same fashion.. dearest table leg ill ever buy but probally the best thing ive bought for the boat.

View attachment 82083

Steveeasy

That's what I have in my cockpit ... unmounted sits up fwd ...

Only trouble - its bl***y heavy to carry through the cabin and pain to mount / unmount !

But it certainly does the job.

 

[john_morris_uk]

I have a table that folds up flat against the bulkhead when not in use. I don't have any photos but if you can find a Twister built by Uphams near you, ask her owner to let you see the folding table.

Similar to the original design in a SCOD.