Teak drink holder for Edson Pedestal

[SeaFever]

I recently made a drink holder using teak to fit my Edson pedestal. I thought I would share with the good people of this forum.

Background:

• I was already opening up the pedestal to add the clutch control and hence removing the compass and the engine control assy
• I was also going to be putting in a new cable to the clutch control since the old one for the A4 was too thick and unnecessary

Given that I was doing the above and would have to make the adjustments for the clutch and throttle levers, I thought it was a good time to make the drink holder.

Location:

I did not have any fixed drink holders in the cockpit, this drink holder that would fit just below the engine control assy would be a good addition. It would be out of the way from the traffic in the cockpit and reasonably close for the crew not to mention the helmsperson.

Fabrication:

I used a 3/4 teak wood. Here are the high level steps I followed, more or less in the right sequence:

1. Having decided that I would have 4 holes, 2 on each side and based on the size of my steering wheel, I decided to keep the total width of the holder to about 24"
2. I traced the bottom of the engine control assy in the center so as to know where to drill and mill.
3. I used the diameter of a beer bottle and a soft drink can as a sample and decided the size of the holes. Smaller one on the outside.
4. I used a scrolling jigsaw to cut the center portion. This was difficult and needed a lot of creativity
5. I used holesaws to cut the holes for the drinks
6. Since I did not want to keep the whole 3/4" of width of the teak (worried that it would mess with the distance available for the engine controls), I decided to mill the center portion down to 1/2". This was very difficult to do with the tools in my garage. I don't have a router so I put the router bit I had on a benchtop drillpress and used that to mill the center portion.
7. I oversized the holes for the 4 engine control mounting bolts so that they could allow for slight discrepancy in the measurements.
8. I used another curved router bit on my drill press and curved the edges of the drink holder. Caution: This is tricky. I will suggest caution and rather that people use a proper router, or just do it by hand. We don't need too much of a curve here, just enough to take the edge off, in my opinion
9. For the bails I used a 1/8" solid brass rod and bent it to the required shape using a simple benchtop vise. The bails I fixed to the underside using a simple SS screw and a SS flat washer. Before fitting the bails I used a Dremel type rotary tool to create small groove so the end of the bail where the screw was attached would stay put and not slide from side to side. the bails were finally attached after varnish was done and complete.
10. After the drink holder was structurally complete, I sanded it nicely and applied 5 coats of Ephiphanes varnish. People can use any varnish they are used to. I have used Epiphanes on my combing and like the finish it provides on the teak.
11. Once the varnish was complete and dry, I attached the bails on the underside.
12. The drink holder was fitted first on the pedestal, then went the engine control assy ( the cylindrical white thingy that holds the control levers), then went the 1/4-20 screws. Since I had replaced my old engine control assy with a new one (slightly bigger height), and the added 1/2" of width for the drink holder, I had to use longer screws. In my case I went for 4" screws. These I got from Svendsens. You can easily get them from a HW store. You will need to use SS screws of course.
13. Then followed the connections of the engine control cable, cable holder, and their adjustments. The adjustment instructions are provided by Edson and are quite detailed. That is a topic of another note, so I will not details those here in the drink holder fabrication section.
14. Lastly I fitted the compass and the compass cover. Since I had the compass out (and also because I dropped the light bulb in the pedestal!) I opted to go for the newer Led lights. I got those from Richtie, through Svendsens.

Sorry I was able to attach only one photo given the 150KB limit.

I really love how the drink holder turned out. Let me have your comments and also questions if any. Cheers.

[Ken Juul]

Beautifully done

For it's intended purpose (cans & bottles) it will work well.  A friend of mine has Edson holders of a similiar design.  The Admirals hate them because they will not hold a wine glass or glasses with a diameter smaller than the can/bottle.  The problem is made worse because the bail is just snapped in so it will swing slightly side to side, a problem you won't have.  I was tinkering with a solution, but gave up before I got it perfected.  The concept was snapping a bottom onto the bail to give the glass a better platform to sit on.  something like this.  Maybe you can get it to work.

[SeaFever]

Hi Ken,

Thanks! It is always good when a project turns out right. Attached is another photo of the drink holder.

Yes, your idea can work well for the wine glasses. In fact if one can make such a support from say 1/2" closed cell foam that is stiff enough then, one can have a easily removable base for the wine glasses. One can cut a thin slit on the sides where the support can slide/snap on the bails and will stay there to support the glass. Two issues though with that idea - first, not sure how this will hold up on the sailboat were the inclination keeps changing (heel!), second, this won't provide support for the thin stem of the traditional wine glass. However if you can use the standard shaped plastic glass for wine, this holder will work. Even without the support we have discussed. You know the plastic transparent glasses that are the disposable types? If you are flexible with your use of 'china' it may work. What do you think?

I'd love to know more about the Edson one that your friend has. Is it teak or white Teflon type? Would you know how much your friend paid for the same? I am curious.

Keep the comments coming. I learn more from the comments from you than by the making...:-)

[Ken Juul]

I think the best solution is to mold a removable insert about the size of a drink huggie to slide into the holder for non standard size glasses.  Solid sides and base should keep the glass in place.  Here is a picture of the one Edison sells.  $119.

[Ron Hill]

Guys, Susan and D.Gill : Many years ago I took a stock teak glass holder (3 hole) and added two larger holders - one on each end.  The larger holders are simple 3" PVC end caps glued to a 3" high piece of 3" dia. PVC pipe.  They will hold a soda can in a koozy or a bottle of wine.

Look in the early 1990's Mainsheet tech notes or in projects (back stay adjuster).  Easy and cheap to make, they do a great job of holding items larger than the standard cup holder that attaches to the Edson pedestal guard.  A thought