Pedestal rebuild to pole mount

[Sheppie62]

Thought I would show my plans to rebuild the pedestal base to a pole type and move it back 8” and up 9”. I have hinged the seat to allow a higher sitting position and make up for the 8” setback of the pedestal. , and also allow seat to return to original position as well to allow laying across back while anchored/ in slip.

[Inquisitor]

Thought I would show my plans to rebuild the pedestal base to a pole type and move it back 8” and up 9”. I have hinged the seat to allow a higher sitting position and make up for the 8” setback of the pedestal. , and also allow seat to return to original position as well to allow laying across back while anchored/ in slip.
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This is on an X? Doesn't the main sheet go to the top of the pedestal? To move it that much... what do you have to do in the floor's fiberglass to support those kind of loads being transferred? Rough estimate depending on boom location, force of wind, you might have 200 pounds of force at the top and roughly 600 foot-pounds of moment at the bottom. I would guess there is some substantial floor build up in the old position to react that.

[Sheppie62]

Yes that is being considered thank you. It is bolted in the same location with a bigger foot print. I will be lowering the sail attachment point to original level. The pedestal it’s self will be much stronger than the fiberglass base it’s replacing.

[Inquisitor]

I like your ideas... especially the two-way seat. The M's is not too friendly in that regard. Do you see a possible way of folding down the console altogether? Maybe under the seat. Linkage might be a bear, but I've been trying to figure a way to make my cockpit into a double sleeping berth.

Good luck with your project.

[Sheppie62]

I was thinking same thing about folding the pedestal down for the same reason. I think if another 1/2 circle of aluminum tube was welded solid up to bottom of cushion level it would work, but square would be easier to pivot from and stronger laterally.

[OverEasy]

Looks to be a really nice modification!
It should clear up the cockpit floor path compared to the original MAC26X version that we have to contend with. We find we are having to shuffle our way past is a bit awkward. Even a couple extra inches would be welcome (especially with my mobility, dexterity and grace ).

This is where your pedestal rebuild to a pole mount might be something we can consider “while we’re at it”.

Keep us posted as you progress with this nice work!

[OverEasy]

On a not directly related note ....

We have unbolted our pedestal to clean up and add a pair of 12VDC Outlets for navigation/sonar power and for IPad or cell phone charging. We have contemplated all the extra space in the existing pedestal and keep thinking there has to be a way to make better use of it (and thinking we can’t be the first to think of that ). Just what we can do with the odd space is still somewhat elusive at the moment. Open to suggestions...

Our power quadrant is mounted on the starboard side plastic panel. We have noticed in heavy rain there is some minor water leakage down the cables where they penetrate over the aft berth. We are adding some water proof sealant foam as a temporary fix. Would like to do something more robust. Open to suggestions.....

[svscott]

I've got my pedestal open right now also and after I clean the debris from the floor in there, I will be looking at ways to waterproof the cable entry into the pvc down tube. Using what I've got on hand, I'm considering cutting open an old bicycle tire inner tube to tightly wrap the pipe and cables just like you would dress a wire nut, and then I'll secure the wrap with electrical tape. I know it won't be fully waterproof but it should help a bunch.

[OverEasy]

I Ike the inner tube idea but the local kids aren’t going to be too keen on “loaning” me one....

The expanding waterproofing foam seems to hold up reasonably well but I only have a short (3 month) experience with it in SC.

The brand is ‘GreatStuff’ and it is one of their specialty products for gap filling and setting pond rocks. Color choice is black.

I did a test sample (A) where I just filled a 1” dia pvc pipe to make a 2” long plug. It stuck like it never wanted to leave...ever.
It expanded to fill the diameter very nicely. ( a little goes a long way). I flipped the pipe over after 30 minutes and filled it with water. Weeks on and it hasn’t leaked. I attempted to push out the sample (A) plug but it wasn’t budging.

So I did another test sample (B) where I sprayed silicone lube in and on the 1” dia pvc pipe, let it ‘dry’ for 10 minutes then filled the pipe like before to make a 2” long plug. Again waited 30 minutes then flipped the pipe over and filled it with water. Again no leaks. After a couple days I drained the water out and was able to neatly push out the 2” long plug intact.

The results of the sample (B) test gives me some level of confidence that I can seal something up and have it conform to shape while still being able to cleanly remove it when needed.

The sample (A) test is a kinda permanent approach of sorts as the foam adheres to a clean dry surface very well....at least within a limited timeframe that is.


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[Be Free]

If you want to make a removable plug with it, put a plastic bag inside the tube first and then add the foam.

[OverEasy]

Good IDEA!
Actually hadn’t thought of that as I was too focused on seeing how it would conform, how it would stick or not to smooth PVC, would it really hold back water and then how difficult it was to remove.
The plastic bag is a nice idea!

[OverEasy]

One thing we found we could do with all that space inside the pedestal is to use it to neatly gather up all the excess wire lengths that had bee cluttering up the after berth area!

We carefully pulled the extra lengths up, then coiled them and finally tie wrapped them to the exposed bolt threads that hold the power quadrant onto the starboard pedestal Lexan. Originally we were somewhat miffed about the extra 2-1/2” of bolt threads from the three quadrant mount bolts. Then we added a short piece of small diameter tubing over the threads and added SST fender washer-lock washer-nut to each so they could hold the surplus cables without damaging them!

This did a nice job of clearing the aft berth of unwanted clutter and of putting to use some of the space inside the pedestal!

The next thing is to find an easier way to remove the pedestal in the future ( the first time was a two person operation with a wrench and a flat bladed screwdriver that kept slipping out of the bolt slot. We are going to thread the brackets to 1/2-13 thread and use socket head cap bolts until I can get shallow socket head pan heads. We will add a keeper nylons nut to backstop the bolts.

Following that we are needing to find a better method of holding the side Lexan panels in place. We found many of the screws must have backed off and gone AWOL during our road trip down to SC from NH. There are several holes stripped out in the fiberglass of the pedestal as well. For the starboard quadrant side we can see using SST screws, washers and nylock nuts. For the port side we are considering possibly using 1/4 turn fasteners or something along those lines to give easier access to the interior of the pedestal space for cleanups and potential space usage.

Stiil thinking of what we could use all that space for..........and any suggestions.....

[Be Free]

I replaced all the screws on the port side with rivetnuts and machine screws. It's a piece of cake to take off now if I need to access any of the wiring inside. The starboard side still has the lock nuts and screws since it does not come off often.

[OverEasy]

What a nice idea. The RIC it’s would be a great solution!

Thank you for sharing that!

[Sheppie62]

Two pass weld on post bottom, grind then add gussets. Will do similar to top of post/plate.