25D table post removal/repair

[Chuck K.]

New (to me) 25D owner with a question about the table post. Mine was frozen in the base, so soaked it with penetrating spray and applied a pipe wrench in an attempt to loosen it. Well, it loosened, but it was the base that broke free of the sole, not the post from the base. Now the table post is loose in the sole, but still cannot be removed because the base is still stuck to the post, below the sole. It also is not usable to support the table top, because the post wobbles too much in the sole. Other than removing the sole to get access to the base, is there a way to solve this problem?

[Dean Abramson]

I hate to see a man get zero responses on this forum. So here is a REAL long shot.

Hang your head down into the bilge opening with a flashlight (maybe you will need a mirror too) and look forward and see if you can see the base for the table leg under the cabin sole. I honestly have no idea if it is visible, because there is probably a structural member in the way. But IF you can see it, it might gave you some ideas.

Here is the long shot. Keep applying PB Blaster (I really believe in this brand) on a daily basis, and tap the leg down low with a hammer each time. Cut about an 18" square piece of plywood, with a hole in the center big enough so you can drop it over the post. After a week or two, wear some sticky rubber gloves and stand on the plywood with your feet close on each side of the hole, and jerk straight up on the post. Your weight on the plywood should keep the cockpit sole from wanting to lift up. If you can free the leg this way, then move the socket aside if you can, and you can proceed to Step 2...

Some background. My 25D had a table socket in the cockpit too; the PO must have put it there. It was a heavy metal piece with a flange, and the flange was on top of the cockpit sole. The flange did not stick up much, and was no tripping hazard. Maybe I can find a photo somewhere if you are interested.

Step 2: You procure a socket like this, and you measure how big a hole needs to be cut in order for it to be inserted; this will be slightly bigger than your existing hole. You take a hole saw or sabre saw and cut a new hole in your cabin sole around and concentric to the old hole. In my fantasy, this then enables you to remove the old socket; if not, you put a blob of sealant on it to keep it from becoming the Cabin Rattle From Hell, and shove it aside and hope it stays put. Now, you sink the new socket with flange into the hole and secure it with sealant. The flange hides your carpentry. And you are in business.

Chuck, I feel for you. I loved the table arrangement in our 25D, loved the fact that we could use it in the cockpit too, and the way the whole thing stows so well. It's a great design. There is a solution. Keep staring at it and thinking about it, and apply the Blaster for a while before you try to jerk it up.

It's just an idea. Good luck.

Dean

[Michael Abramson]

Isn't the socket in the cabin sole just a metal cup? Why couldn't you remove the table top, and with a long drift or dowel, go down the center of the table tube and hammer on the dowel while pulling up on the tube, perhaps with a chain or strap wrench to give more grip on the tube?

I don't recall the cup setup in Dean's boat that well, but I know it was not the big flanged "manhole cover" that was in the cockpit.

[Dean Abramson]

I think my Big Bro is on to something here. It may depend on whether there is any space to knock the cup down into; but all you need is a fraction of an inch to loosen it. Have your biggest NFL lineman friend pull up on the post while you stick a rod down the tube, and Whack! I think Michael is right.

Dean

[Chuck K.]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, but it looks like a hopless case. I tried a pipe down the post, that punched out the bottom of the cup. I've soaked it over a week with penetrant, and still can't budge it. Looks like I'll cut it off with a cutting wheel in the Dremel, and replace it with a new post and socket.

[Dean Abramson]

Bummer. Sorry to hear that.

Post a photo of your new rig when it's done. Good luck!

Dean