April 2014
Computer Table – April 2014.
Our boat has a fold down bulkhead table, which is great for opening up the salon area. However, you could never use the table while at sea, and we don’t pull the table down much in the slip or at anchor (mostly because the life raft is in the way). So I wanted some sort of small table to eat at while at sea or to use as a small computer table.
I saw a simple design for a hinged table (hinged on the back of the sink island) using a piece of line to hold it in the up position. However, I wanted something more elegant and more versatile. It needed to be high enough so that Marya could use it to set dishes, food, etc., on while making food or doing the dishes. But it also needed to be low enough to be useful as a table while sitting on the settee. I wanted it to fold away while not in use, and to tilt when heeled so that stuff would sit relatively horizontal. I wanted everything.
I went around and around with designs until I settled on something fairly simple. For the table itself I started with a multi-wood cutting board that my Dad had made for us as a Christmas present. We wanted to bring it with us but had no room. What better way than to make it a permanent part of the boat? I had to reshape it to fit, but otherwise it was almost the perfect size. I added removable fiddles and attachments for the leg.
Next was the leg, which is really just a 1” stainless tube that I cut and welded into an L. Lastly, I made a mounting block for the leg, and some backing plates for mounting. After varnishing everything, I mounted the block, drilled the leg for the 3 positions (table, counter extension, and folded away). A small pin holds the table in place. To tilt the table when heeled, I installed wing nuts on the leg clamps under the table top.
In practical use, we tend to use the table as a computer desk most of the time. It fits our 14" laptop with just enough room for a mini-mouse perfectly. We put it away when we sail.
Our boat has a fold down bulkhead table, which is great for opening up the salon area. However, you could never use the table while at sea, and we don’t pull the table down much in the slip or at anchor (mostly because the life raft is in the way). So I wanted some sort of small table to eat at while at sea or to use as a small computer table.
I saw a simple design for a hinged table (hinged on the back of the sink island) using a piece of line to hold it in the up position. However, I wanted something more elegant and more versatile. It needed to be high enough so that Marya could use it to set dishes, food, etc., on while making food or doing the dishes. But it also needed to be low enough to be useful as a table while sitting on the settee. I wanted it to fold away while not in use, and to tilt when heeled so that stuff would sit relatively horizontal. I wanted everything.
I went around and around with designs until I settled on something fairly simple. For the table itself I started with a multi-wood cutting board that my Dad had made for us as a Christmas present. We wanted to bring it with us but had no room. What better way than to make it a permanent part of the boat? I had to reshape it to fit, but otherwise it was almost the perfect size. I added removable fiddles and attachments for the leg.
Next was the leg, which is really just a 1” stainless tube that I cut and welded into an L. Lastly, I made a mounting block for the leg, and some backing plates for mounting. After varnishing everything, I mounted the block, drilled the leg for the 3 positions (table, counter extension, and folded away). A small pin holds the table in place. To tilt the table when heeled, I installed wing nuts on the leg clamps under the table top.
In practical use, we tend to use the table as a computer desk most of the time. It fits our 14" laptop with just enough room for a mini-mouse perfectly. We put it away when we sail.
