Salon Table

[scgunner]

Tim,

That is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. I also toyed with the idea of a small cocktail table hinged to the mast that flips up or down. There are numerous different ways to go depending on your needs and what works for you. If you regularly have sit down meals down below then some kind of table is in order. On my boat we have most meals in the cockpit and almost never on the dining table below. While I was trying different size and shape modifications, pulling out this one, installing that one it dawned on me the simplest solution for my boat was no table at all. If you're set on a table start with a cheap piece of plywood the size of the table then you can cut it down until you find the size and shape you like, then build a keeper out of your material of choice.

[TortolaTim]

Kevin, I actually removed the table today and couldn't believe how much space it opened up. I think my wife still would want a table down there as we do use it from time to time, sometimes just bringing pizza out to the marina and hanging out with the kids. I like your idea of starting with some cheap lumber and trying out different ideas. I think I'll start there before I butcher a nice piece of wood!

[Noah]

If you get rid of your table entirely, let us know what you did/do about the hole in the floor.

[scgunner]

Noah,

I made a plug for mine. It consists of two pieces of wood, one is an 1/8" piece of finish plywood circular cut large enough to cover the screw holes, the second is a 3/8" piece of plywood cut to fit in the big hole. The two pieces were glued together to make the plug and finished with Varathane.

[Noah]

Gunner,
So you have a 1/8in. rise in the floor there, not flush to the floor, correct?

[scgunner]

Yes, that is correct. I imagine you could make a new floorboard and eliminate the holes altogether but the plug is barely noticeable and leaves the option to replace the table if so desired.