Can a table post be shortened?

ZZ13

ZZ13

Well-Known Member
Nov 25, 2009
5,330
Lady's Island, SC
Boat Info
2001 400 Sedan Bridge
Engines
Cummins 450 Diamond
After 10 years of using we’ve decided our dinette table is unnaturally too high. Never liked that. I need to short the post by a few inches. It’s tapered so cutting off the ends doesn’t appear to be an option. Only idea I have is to cut it at the center and slide both ends over a wood pole of the same o.d. as the i.d. of the support pole. Has anyone attempted to shorten one of these?
IMG_6911.jpeg
 
Bill,

In your photo.....the bottom piece looks like it engages the taper all the way into the floor fitting. The top looks like it engages just part of the taper ......is that right or am I missing something?


In regards to cutting it.....I would probably sort our the top taper and cut a 2-3" section below it and weld the taper and column back together to make a shorter column with the weld being just under the table.

I have a Mig Welder that does aluminum but any weld shop can do it and make it look great.

Also ......one other thought. You may be able to cut the top taper off say a 1" below the table and secure it into the tube after you remove a couple of inches of the non-tapered section. Using inside and outside calipers would give you the tolerances for a slip fit and the taper bottom will go into the tube. You could use screws (bolts and nuts would be better) to hold it in place instead of welding.
 
I took a different path with the cockpit table, which is where we eat 99.9% of the time. The salon table typically becomes a serving buffet.
I replaced the whole setup with an adjustable stand. Two reasons. First we like the ability to dial in the height for who is at the table, and second, we had to eliminate the slingshot effect of the skinny stand. One push in the old setup, and wine/food/etc. would launch all over everything. We used the existing table top, and beefed up the underneath to eliminate the flex. This may not be an issue in the salon, but it sure was in the cockpit!
Based on the carpet in the cockpit, I must have done this 15 years ago. I got the stand at a local Marine Surplus store.

newcockpitpedestal1.JPG
newcockpitpedestal2.JPG
newcockpitpedestal4.JPG
 
PlayDate said:
Bill,

In your photo.....the bottom piece looks like it engages the taper all the way into the floor fitting. The top looks like it engages just part of the taper ......is that right or am I missing something?


In regards to cutting it.....I would probably sort our the top taper and cut a 2-3" section below it and weld the taper and column back together to make a shorter column with the weld being just under the table.

I have a Mig Welder that does aluminum but any weld shop can do it and make it look great.

Also ......one other thought. You may be able to cut the top taper off say a 1" below the table and secure it into the tube after you remove a couple of inches of the non-tapered section. Using inside and outside calipers would give you the tolerances for a slip fit and the taper bottom will go into the tube. You could use screws (bolts and nuts would be better) to hold it in place instead of welding.
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Thanks. That helps a lot. Tapers on both ends extend the same distance about an inch or so below the fitting. I’ll study it more closely and take some measurements.
 
Before you go down the route of simply cutting the top and bottom off... which has a good chance of actually not working very well since you change the amount of post that gets inserted into the mount... meaning, you might end up with an unstable setup...

You might want to check with your local dealer as those posts are, for the most part, still available. I don't recall them being too expensive, either. You (or your dealer) just needs to find a post from another boat that is the length you want. There's a bunch of different lengths out there.

Or... get booster seats for the two of you :)
 
Lazy Daze said:
Before you go down the route of simply cutting the top and bottom off... which has a good chance of actually not working very well since you change the amount of post that gets inserted into the mount... meaning, you might end up with an unstable setup...

You might want to check with your local dealer as those posts are, for the most part, still available. I don't recall them being too expensive, either. You (or your dealer) just needs to find a post from another boat that is the length you want. There's a bunch of different lengths out there.

Or... get booster seats for the two of you :)
Click to expand...
Cutting the top and or bottom off was not what Bill or I was suggesting. What I was suggesting is only altering one end and reusing the taper.

If there are any available in the correct height that would be an even better idea.....if you could find one.
 
PlayDate said:
Cutting the top and or bottom off was not what Bill or I was suggesting. What I was suggesting is only altering one end and reusing the taper.

If there are any available in the correct height that would be an even better idea.....if you could find one
Click to expand...
I have three of this length. Ha! I removed the salon table and ran the vinyl flooring over the pedestal base hole. Exact same length pole. And I removed the bridge table. Exact same length pole. Sea Ray didn’t help me out there.
 
Lazy Daze said:
Before you go down the route of simply cutting the top and bottom off... which has a good chance of actually not working very well since you change the amount of post that gets inserted into the mount... meaning, you might end up with an unstable setup...

You might want to check with your local dealer as those posts are, for the most part, still available. I don't recall them being too expensive, either. You (or your dealer) just needs to find a post from another boat that is the length you want. There's a bunch of different lengths out there.

Or... get booster seats for the two of you :)
Click to expand...
I like the booster seat idea. My granddaughter has several of them at the house from when she was younger. The seat bench is definitely lower than a normal seat.
 
ZZ13 said:
I have three of this length. Ha! I removed the salon table and ran the vinyl flooring over the pedestal base hole. Exact same length pole. And I removed the bridge table. Exact same length pole. Sea Ray didn’t help me out there.
Click to expand...
I am positive there are different lengths out there - I've seen them - whether those other lengths are correct for your setup remains to be seen, though. The big question becomes what boat model uses a table with the correct length post that you want. That's where you need to get friendly with the parts guy and let him do his thing :)
 
JayhawkCurtis said:
what is the overall length of the post you have?
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The pole is 27”. I checked online and most replacement fixed length pole and base kits are 27” or 29”. An RV/Marine company called ITC sells a 25.5” (as well as a 27 and 29).
 
Can one of you do me a favor and measure the distance from the top of a chair cushion to the top of your dining room table so I can see what height I should be at. We are on the boat for a few days at the Megadock in Charleston. Got cold out this morning. Side note - I think I am the smallest boat here by a lot.
 
ZZ13 said:
The pole is 27”. I checked online and most replacement fixed length pole and base kits are 27” or 29”. An RV/Marine company called ITC sells a 25.5” (as well as a 27 and 29).
Click to expand...
Have you checked Flounder Pounder? I recall seeing the posts on their site.
 
I suspect welding would be challenging as that material is very thin, the corrugated shape, and it is anodized. Plus, any corrosion at all will not weld - it will just blow through. I just don't know how you'd get a TIG torch through all of that. If you have a couple of the posts then I'd try cutting and crimping the end back down for the taper fit. Shape a wooden block to fit the inside diameter and cut a V into the block then with a blunt chisel form the tube corrugations into the V. That'll shrink the tube end down.
 
ZZ13 said:
The pole is 27”. I checked online and most replacement fixed length pole and base kits are 27” or 29”. An RV/Marine company called ITC sells a 25.5” (as well as a 27 and 29).
Click to expand...
I have a 25 I’d trade you out if the 2” is enough to help
 
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