MacGregorSailors.com

Hi All,

The previous owner turned the pedestal of my into swiss cheese.
Holes everywhere for equipment that was removed. Its ugly!

I'd like to remove the pedestal and reglass all the holes and generally fix it up in the comfort of my shop.

I removed the bolts but its either glued or glassed to the deck.
Since it is so well attached I'm thinking I might just patch it in place.

But
...if someone has removed one before I'd love to hear about your experience before I decide what to do next.

Thanks,
Rob

Mine is only held in place with four bolts, and the holes are a little oversized so the pedestal moves a bit. Sounds like yours was modified.

I have a 2002 26x. The pedestal on my boatl is attached only by the four bolts.

Maybe there is some sealant under the pedestal, I put sealant under mine as I was getting water into the rear berth when the boat was on the trailer and that was the only place the water could get in

A bit off topic, but water can get into the stern berth via the fuel lockers, through a seam somewhere in there. Or so I've read on this forum. Worth looking into at least.

Tomfoolery wrote:A bit off topic, but water can get into the stern berth via the fuel lockers, through a seam somewhere in there. Or so I've read on this forum. Worth looking into at least.

Thanks I will have a look at that

Hi Everyone
On our 2002X inside the pedestal there is a collar about 60mm high around the hole where the cables go through the cockpit floor
This stops water from getting down below but if there is too much water it can get through.
I have also been thinking if it would be possible to hinge the pedestal so when moored it could be swung out of the way to create better access.
Does anyone know if this had been done before ?
Thanks Len

Lucky Drifter wrote:Hi Everyone
On our 2002X inside the pedestal there is a collar about 60mm high around the hole where the cables go through the cockpit floor
This stops water from getting down below but if there is too much water it can get through.
I have also been thinking if it would be possible to hinge the pedestal so when moored it could be swung out of the way to create better access.
Does anyone know if this had been done before ?
Thanks Len

Hi Len,

I'm not sure if that's such a good idea. There are significant amounts of force caused by the tension from the mainsheet between the boom and the pedestal, especially when gybing in strong winds. Should you make the pedestal hinged, make sure that it's securely fixed to the cockpit floor on all corners when sailing.

I'm not sure if that's such a good idea. There are significant amounts of force caused by the tension from the mainsheet between the boom and the pedestal, especially when gybing in strong winds. Should you make the pedestal hinged, make sure that it's securely fixed to the cockpit floor on all corners when sailing.

Agreed. Another option would be move to move the mainsheet point off of the pedestal. Double mainsheets to padeyes on the roof or genoa tracks give your more boom control similar to a traveler.

I had the pedestal off a few times moving it around and resizing it. I cut the sides down so the pedestal was about half its original footprint. You can see the wood deck patch where the dog dish is, that is how much floor space was opened up by narrowing the pedestal. I also wanted to stand at the wheel so raised the pedestal. I bolted 4" aluminum square tube to the cockpit floor under the pedestal as a spacer.

Wow Seapup love the timber floor it looks great

Well it is definitely glued down. Bolts removed but won't budge.

I might try chiseling around the edges to see if it loosens but will probably do more damage.
I especially don't want to gouge the deck.

In another post I read some European models had the battery in the pedestal. (if my memory is correct)
I think that would be an interesting mod. Engine battery in the pedestal, house batteries below.

Thanks for the input...my learning journey continues!

Geraghtyr wrote: In another post I read some European models had the battery in the pedestal. (if my memory is correct)
I think that would be an interesting mod. Engine battery in the pedestal, house batteries below.

That's correct. I have my battery in the pedestal. In fact, it's the only battery I have, an Optima Yellow Top YTS 5.5 75 AH, positioned vertically. It starts the motor, runs the fridge, the LED lights and the navigation tablet and It's charged by either the engine or 2 50 watt solar panels in parallel through an MPPT charger. I hardly ever need shore power.

Any chance you can post a photo of it? I'd love to see the setup.
Thanks!

UPDATE:

I finally did this a few months ago...
(click on pic for larger image)




PS. ignore the temporary trickle charger wires on the bottom.