salon table stability

[trailertrawlerkismet]

On our R27 we have the single pedestal adjustable dining table. The problem I'm having is that I've adjusted and tightened the two handles on the pedestal as much as is possible, checked to make sure the thru floor and table top bolts are tight and yet the table top wobbles back and forth (up on one side, down on the other) about an inch. Short of installing an L bracket on either side onto the bottom of the table top and onto the wood rub rail attached to the port side wall to keep the table top from moving fore and aft does or has anyone had this problem and corrected in a different way?

 

[knotflying]

Jim,

Are you sure the table is raised all the way up? If it is not all the way up and has no pressure from the wood blocks it will rock considerably more. Also check to make sure all of the screws are in place on the collars that have the clamps. I also would suggest that when trailering the boat that the table be pushed down to the sleeping position. I believe that the rocking and swaying while trailering puts considerable stress on the table and this can also cause premature failure of the parts.

Mike Rizzo

 

[Newtugnut]

We have had the same issues on our Ranger 31. On warrantee, some adjustments were made but there still is a wobble and the table drift down over time. My solution (hopefully by the summer) is.

1./ A large stainless steel hose clamp on the pedestal, to prevent downward drift.

2./ A bookshelf against the bulkhead under the table - with some removable cleats that the underside of the table rests against.

3./ If necessary, epoxy into the underside of the table a flat metal plate with a threaded hole, so the table can be bolted from underneath so the table can't flip up from the cleats installed in 2./

If this turns out, I will put up another post with pics.

Sincerely,

Frank & Dawn-Marie

Blue Horizons R-31

 

[j&lgray]

Jim;

We had the same issue with the Laurie Ann and the table design was the similar. My fix was straight forward: thru bolting a 1/2 inch deep by 1-1/2"" wide cleat, that ran nearly the length of the table to the wall that the top rested on. This made the table dead-solid. To lower it, the table was lifted up and off the pedestal, then re-attached when it was below the cleat. The inconvenience was minimal and not noticed as the table is up 99.99999% of the time.

This has not been issue on our R-29.

 

[fishheadbarandgrill]

Starting to think about how to solve my table wobble issue. Our, new to us R29, has a severe case of the table wobbles. My first inspection makes me think the plastic collars simply aren’t strong enough. Did RT make any design changes after 2011?

 

[knotflying]

I am not sure if the 29 was changed, but the 27 table was changed to a different post that allowed the table to also fold up and expose a hand rail and cup holders. We never use our table for sleeping, so I fixed the end at the port side to the wall using two small ell brackets. If I ever need to lower the table I can always unscrew the bracket from the wall. The brackets made a significant improvement in stability.

 

[DBBRanger]

Short of installing an L bracket .... onto the bottom of the table top

That's how I fixed mine. Works great especially since I never lower my table.

 

[fishheadbarandgrill]

After more investigation, it seems the primary source of the wobble are the sliding tracks. I think if I remove the tracks the table will be a lot more stable.

 

[NorthernFocus]

I think I can scratch my plans to update to the later model table design. We use the salon berth like a sofa. And in foul weather as a berth for anchor watch. So the table gets broken down every evening and set back up every morning. I thought the old design is a PITA but when I read this thread it sounds like it is working just fine as is.

 

[ixlr8]

I think I can scratch my plans to update to the later model table design. When I read this thread it sounds like the old one is working just fine.

It does seem like their "new and improved" tables are less and less steady. I found the "improved" berth table in my 27OB to be so unstable it was unusable and I had my dealer install the 'old' style table mount. Our cockpit table has only been up twice, both times installed by the dealer, both times it fell over after being bumped into. Others have found the cockpit table so unstable they have installed a different mount which has made the table now usable.