Saloon Tables

The original saloon table in my Down East 45 schooner was a single heavy sheet of 3/4in laminated plywood, 27in wide by 57in long. It was supported on two substantial aluminum pedestals locking into a set of large round collars screwed to the sole.

There were two annoying problems with this “structure.” First, it was permanently mounted on the port side of the saloon in such a way that people sitting on the starboard settee couldn’t reach it. Second, it was difficult to squeeze in and out at the aft end, because of the chart table bulkhead being in the way. The result was a very substantial but also very impractical arrangement—impractical enough that I eventually decided to build myself a new, more versatile table from scratch, one that could, among things, seat more than three people.

My new design would have a narrow fixed center section, with hinged