A saloon table doubles up in the cockpit
Issue 81 : Nov/Dec 2011
We have a large mahogany drop-leaf table in the main cabin on Delphinus. When we’re belowdecks it is always the center of activity. We use it for meals and snacks, when we’re using our laptops, and when playing chess. During the summer months, we don’t spend much time in the cabin, and I had wished for years we had a similar table that we could use in the cockpit. However, storing it would be a problem, and I never came up with a practical solution. Then, one day I thought, “Why a similar table? Why not our cabin table?”
So, our cabin table now does double duty.
The table can be removed from the two round pedestal legs that support it in the cabin. With these pedestal legs stowed out of the way, we move the tabletop to the cockpit. Although we could have installed pedestal sockets in the cockpit sole, I rebelled against that idea as they would have presented a tripping hazard (I envisioned turned ankles and other problems). Instead, we have H-shaped legs made of aluminum tubing that fit into sockets fastened to the underside of the table.
Our 24-inch teak steering wheel is held on the steering shaft with a large, knurled, Edson “quick release” knob. When we’re at anchor and want to use the table in the cockpit, I remove the steering wheel and lock the the aft set of table legs onto the steering shaft using this same Edson nut. This prevents the table from tipping over even when the boat is rocked by the most severe wakes.
On sunny days, whether we are at a marina or anchored out, our cockpit table has become the center of activity — for games, hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and meals — and we haven’t compromised our cockpit sole.
Don Launer , a Good Old Boat contributing editor, built his two-masted schooner, Delphinus, from a bare hull and has held a USCG captain’s license for more than 36 years. He has written five books, including The Galley: How Things Work and Navigation Through the Ages, and frequently gives talks on the history of navigation.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
