Dinette Table, 1985-A27SC

[jhgullett]

I have some questions regarding maintenance and parts for our 1985 27' SC.

One thing missing on our new (to us) boat is the dinette table.

Any thoughts on where to find one, or drawings for making one or source for the fittings ?

Thanks,

[whwells]

JHGULLETT: Well, i see you got the posting out there. Likely, you will hear soon from one of the other 27' Classic Owner's. We have friends with a 27' who keep it back east and are doing the Great Loop. They are excellent Marine crafts people and always helpful. J & M are currently skiing in the Serria's (don't know how because there hardly any snow this season for us). I will get an email out and ask they check your posting for a response. They have done so for others.
These are two who built and sailed their own vessel to Hawaii and back so great people to start with. Be patient and i will run them down. They are members of our PNW AOG. Have now sent Jim & Maragret an email re your inquiry. You should hear from them soon.
whwells "Howard"
2006 35TE SPORTFISHER/FLYBRIDGE CONV.
2004 OSPREY PILOTHOUSE 22

[Jay Knoll]

Hi

I just made a new table for my 27FC, don't know if the interior space is the same. Not a big deal, 3/4" ply, put some laminate on it and mill some new fiddles. My table is 42" on the forward edge, 47 1/2" on the aft edge. The port side is square, the starboard side slanted. Table is 19" wide. I don't know if you need a new base, I've attached a few pics of the base and the manufacturer's name.

Good luck

[Jay Knoll]

Forgot a pic of the table

[whwells]

Jay: Nice job. Howard

[don123]

I'm assuming the '85 model used a table similar to our '84 model?

Our dinette table unclips from the wall, you fold up the single leg and it exactly fits into the space between the Vee berth and the dinette seat when you want/need to convert it to a sleeping space. The dinette seat has a bottom cushion and a backrest cushion and the latter fits the dinette table when it's lowered into position to form a berth

To build a new table, take measurements from what it would take to fit the space between the Vee berth and the dinette seat and you should be all set

Don

[jhgullett]

Hello Jay,

Thank you for this ! That is beautiful craftsmanship !
Does your table drop down to bunk height to become part of the berth ?

The table that was in my sport cruiser has two tabs on the hull end that go into sockets on the hull,
and removable or folding legs on the inside end so it can drop down. Then the seat back is used to make another
cushion for the bed. When the table is dropped, it rests on ledges for support. The tabs and sockets seem to be
the same as the ones for the helm seat above.

A table example is seen briefly in the youtube segment here <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqJROts-zn0> where there is a brief gllmpse of the table (not my boat but one like it, only much cleaner).

I'm attaching some screen grabs of the table in that video.

Thank you again for this example of what I might do to replicate a table if I do not find one in need of a home.

John Gullett

[jhgullett]

Hi Don,

Thank you for responding.

Your post came just as I was uploading my admiration of Jay's workmanship.
Yes, you have the same thing I think as I had on the 1985. The photos in my
previous responses should confirm.

If I need to build a replacement, I'd hope to find the hardware that you have to
fit the existing brackets.

If you or anyone have any ideas about sources for hardware, please let me know.

John

[Jay Knoll]

Thanks everyone!

Don, the base on my table has a hi/lo adjustment, you loosen a knob and push the table down to bunk height. There aren't any brackets on the hull. We decided that this will strictly be a two person boat when we're cruising so we 86ed the cushion on the bulkhead which would have doubled as a bunk filler. We thought that it made the settee uncomfortable. We'll have a bunch of throw pillows to provide back support/comfort as needed.

I made new settee fiddles out of cherry, the old ones were too beat up to spend time refinishing, and I took out the ledge. You'll see pics of this, eventually, on the Better Days refit thread. The main cabin is a bit torn up right now.............

Jay

[Tahoma]

1. Thank you Howard for the introduction,

2. Isn't this a great forum when one can ask a question and get great assistance as all the above postings show?

3. I agree wlth all the above postings and all that I can add is that our table is attached on the outboard end with fittings that look a lot like the West Marine Model # 317495 brackets and have a folding leg on the inboard side.

P.S. Don, as the owner of a similar year owner with the Nissan diesel, if you have the Nissan engine, I encourage you to see the discussion on the Nissan exhaust elbow and the aftermarket replacement as the factory cast iron elbow is a significant weak link on the Nissan engine.

Jim

[hetek]

My dinette table is fastened to the cabin wall with the stainless L shaped table brackets mentioned earlier. The single original equipment folding leg looks like a semi-custom item to me, but there is a solution...

If I were making a table from scratch I would build it to fit the recess it would sit in in its "bunk" position. Fasten it to the wall with the L-brackets at a comfortable height. For the leg I would use a section of 7/8 or 1" stainless tubing with a rubber tip on bottom (chair leg tip - looks like a crutch rubber foot) and a railing stanchion base screwed into the bottom of the table as a socket. If you leave the stanchion base set screw loose, you can easily remove the leg when time to set up for sleeping. The weight of the table will hold the leg in place when its set up for dining. The rubber tip on the bottom will keep it quiet and protect the floor.

Another thing I found is that the single leg arrangement makes the table want to hop out of the L-bracket sockets when someone (like my wife) leans on it. To keep them secured I drilled a 1/4" hole through each of the brackets and put a 1/4" clevis pin through to pin it in place. The best part is the L bracket's sockets already have a 1/4" hole in them - use them as a guide for drilling the hole though the L bracket itself. When it's time to lower the table, simply pull the pins out and the L brackets will release.

The table doesn't go anywhere now!

Make sense?

[jhgullett]

Dear Jim and Jon B.

1. Thank you so much for the helpful info. I pursued the WestMarine brackets and found them to be $59.00 made of chrome plated brass.

Also found while surfing in table hardware while looking for Zwaardvis (Swordfish) stuff, a set of brackets #221320-1 which, on google searching, are found to be stainless #304 and available from many sources at prices down to 14.99 (but with $9.94 shipping). I am attaching a picture of this item and dimensions.

I am feeling like the stainless is the way to go, but does anyone feel otherwise, and that the chromed brass would be better ? I'm going to compare measurements next time at the boat to see if they are close.

The Clevis pin idea is pure brilliance !

2. Don and Jon B, I would love to learm the dimensions of your tables and learn if you were building anew, would you change anything ? Longer, shorter, thicker ?

3. On the exhaust elbow, I have a custom made elbow I am told, as the original Nissan replacement was unobtainable. I'll look up the topic which certainly applies to me as well with my 78 hp Nissan LD28.

Many thanks !
John G.
1985 A27SC
Nissan LD28

PS: Sorry for brief absence; due to a spot of eye surgery. Much better now.

[jhgullett]

better image of dimensions I hope:
D 2-3/4"
C 1-3/4"
B 3-3/8"
A 2-1/8"

big15228_SDL_221320_PPD.jpg

[don123]

My table looks pretty much like the one in your pictures, but I'm 90% sure it's not the original one - Mine is formica covered plywood but it doesn't have the fiddles like the one in your pictures. Mine is an inch thick, 20 1/2 inches wide, about 40 inches on the long side and about 28 inches on the short side

The stainless brackets you found look to be the same ones that are on my table. I would go with them over the West Marine chromed brass ones because 1.) Anything West Marine sells for $60 can be had for half that somewhere else, so you're automatically paying 100% too much, and 2.) You may find when you go to install your table that the brackets may need to be bent slightly to work correctly and you can easily bend the stainless ones, whereas bending the chromed brass ones would likely crack or break them

If you need a source of quality stainless hardware at rock bottom prices, check out http://www.marinepartdepot.com
I have no affiliation with them, but I have bought many items from them and always felt I got my money's worth

Don

[hetek]

I'm with don123 on the stainless brackets. I bought some at my local marine supply. I think they were "Sea Fit" brand. No need for chromed brass IMO. They're all a standard size too, it seems. See those 1/4" holes I was talking about?

I recall there were some slight change in the interior between '84 and '85 models. The changes involved the addition of the drawer under the aft cabin steps, a lighter eggshell white vinyl headliner material (instead of the tan color), a fold up backrest/shelf for the v-berth area for use while sitting at the table and the, you guessed it, dinette table itself. I believe Albin went to the single large telescoping piston type mount, rather than the "clips to the wall with the single leg" type my '84 has.

I would look at the wall area and the floor for evidence of mounting methods and old screw holes to determine which it was. My '84 has a slight lip in the wall liner that the L-brackets mount to, to give the brackets a vertical surface to screw to. Also, I have no holes in the floor. The single leg my table uses has a plastic foot and is not fastened down. Gravity is enough.

Evidently, Albin made these changes to add some creature comforts to the 27's basic utilitarian interior. A backrest? Who would have thought you needed that?!

Changes? I've heard people actually shorten the table a few inches (8" or so) to make it easier to access the V berth area. I'm OK with the full size table, myself. My table does have the teak fiddles, too.

My boat is snug as a bug for the winter right now. I'll see if I can get up under the cover for some photos. Might explain better.

- Jon B.