Pedestal guard “leathering” project

[Jim Walsh]

Since replacing my broken 1” pedestal guard with a 1 1/4” replacement I’ve been meaning to leather the top bow to afford a positive hold when grasping it. I ordered two square feet of 4.5 oz. pearl grey cowhide from Sailrite and cut a strip to the exact width and a little long. I have an old hole punch which I acquired in the distant, foggy, past but I didn’t have a marking wheel which I’ve seen in use by leathercrafters which allow you to precisely mark the hole locations to be punched….my holes were done by eye.
I used a strip of two-sided tape over the crown of the guardrail to hold the leather in place while I was lacing it and it also acts to keep the leather from twisting over time. I used waxed whipping thread and one of my sail needles to lace it in place and trimmed the length as I neared the end.
Since I was looking for things to keep busy while I was at Great Salt Pond last week I also leathered the port and starboard hand holds on my dodger. On those I used a heavier waxed sailmakers thread which was much preferred. It was easier to work with and seems to be more durable….time will tell. It would be easy enough to replace the lacing on the pedestal guard if desired.
This is one of those “ if I can do it, anybody can do it” projects.

[Jim Walsh]

Additional project photos

[tjr818]

What a great idea. I wonder if i might already have enough leather? Thanks Jim, for the inspiration.

[Steve Laume]

Very nice. I think about doing that whenever it is cold while I am sailing. I try to hold my hand in the exact same place so it warms up one spot and doesn't suck quite as much heat away.
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I have never seen that stitch before with the twist in the cross over.

Nice way to spend a bit of time in the cockpit, Steve.