Helm pedestal bent. Suggestions?

[PatrickS]

I recently bought a 2001 X and have noticed, after installing
the BWY grab rail, that the helm pedestal is slightly bent
to starboard.

I suspect that the previous owner had a mishap, perhaps an
accidental jibe, with the boom flying across to starboard and
yanking hard on the pedestal.

However it happened, I'm wondering how best to fix it. The
bend isn't terribly bad. The mast cradle roller is perhaps 2-3"
to starboard off from center. Still, it's noticable, and I'd like
to fix it. I'm hesitant to try a brute force approach and attempt
to bend it back the other way.

Suggestions?

[Retcoastie]

Been there, done that!

I installed the table and sure enough, the pedestal looks tilted to starboard. I think it must be a factory thing.

I believe the only way to fix it would be to completely remove the pedestal and sand the bottom level to a vertical pedestal. So far that has seemed more trouble than it is worth. I'll live with it this season.

[Frank C]

Neither approach (bending it back or trying to sand the bottom) are likely to be successful.

My 2000 X has some pretty substantial angle brackets bolting it down. Before trying to repair it, you need to look inside and discover exactly what issues are causing the stb tilt. Remove the portside plexiglas cover to see how the pedestal mounts to the cockpit sole, and what might now be tweaked, the brackets or the fiberglass itself.

Removing the pedestal might be an ordeal. You'll need to remove the engine control and steering cables that have it effectively tied to the deck.

[Francis]

when I took my boat out for the winter I noticed my pedestel rocked just a little bit, so I took off the sides and checked the bolts that held it to the deck. I noticed that a couple of them were a little loose, so I just tightened them up. Now it's back to being sturdy again. Maybe one side of your pedestal is loose and the bolt is slipping up. Something to check.

[PatrickS]

when I took my boat out for the winter I noticed my pedestel rocked just a little bit, so I took off the sides and checked the bolts that held it to the deck. I noticed that a couple of them were a little loose, so I just tightened them up. Now it's back to being sturdy again. Maybe one side of your pedestal is loose and the bolt is slipping up. Something to check.

It's mounted solidly, just not straight. Taking a further look, I may
simply try to add some nylon spacers under the starboard brackets
to adjust the angle back to center. Need to see how hard things are
to access under the deck, though...

[Retcoastie]

Actually, the hard part of removing the pedestal would be the steering. The engine controls come off with the starboard panel, no sweat.

The spacer idea might work. I may try that myself if I get a couple free "nice" days before we leave at Christmas.

Although, now that I think about it, It seems that the top of my pedestal is level with the rest of the boat. Adding spacers or sanding the bottom would bring the pedestal vertical but make all my insturments tilted to port.

Ahhhhh, what to do?