New pedestal guard for F38 is trickier than anticipated
Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 10:51 am
After pricing it out a few weeks ago, I decided to pull the trigger on replacing the original Datamarine instruments on my boat. They all work just fine, but they're more than 30 years old, and I wanted to bring my boat into the 21st century. More importantly, they're installed in two gigantic Edson pods that take up more than a foot on either side of the steering pedestal. Removing the pod apparatus would free up a ton of cockpit space, and generally make it easier to get by the pedestal.
For the new guard, I went with the NavPod single bend AngleGuard, as Edson's was pricier. I decided to upgrade to 1.25" tubing, rather than sticking with the 1". It required a new top plate ($141 on Defender), but I decided that the additional expense was worth it after checking out a neighbor's 1.25" guard. It looks better in my opinion, and grabbing onto it just feels right.
So last weekend, after removing all of the old instruments and pods from the pedestal, we fitted the top plate with the included gaskets and attempted to put the new guard in place so that we could drill holes for the feet. Guess what? It didn't fit! Despite being made for the Edson 335 pedestal, the stainless steel top plate I ordered was the wrong size. Specifically, the 2" riser that's molded into the cockpit sole obstructs where the feet on the 335 would normally go, so Freedom asked Edson to make them a custom bracket (the "C238") that places the guard forward about 2.5". I had actually always liked that little riser under the pedestal, but at the time I was cursing Gary Mull’s name for designing it. Why couldn’t he just make it like everyone else’s boat!? (Oh wait…) Unfortunately, Ken at Edson confirmed that they never made a version of the C238 with 1.25" holes. It seems my only option is a custom-fabricated part. I’m in the process of pricing this out at the moment, so any recommendations of machine shops that do laser/waterjet cutting in the Boston area would be appreciated. The plan is to just make a copy of the NavPod top plate’s design, which is laser cut from 3/16” stainless plate, and then has two short pieces of tubing added to reinforce where the guard goes through it. Shouldn’t be too tricky, right? Ocean Equipment has graciously sent me the cad file for their top plate, which should make the design process fairly simple.
Updates to follow!
PS: Anyone interested in the old Datamarine units or the pod housings?
I decided to go with a set of Raymarine instruments, as they could connect with my older Raymarine autopilot. Also, the i70s is nice and compact, and could take the place of all three Datamarine units. I was originally looking at a Navpod GP1300 for the pedestal guard, which would house just the i70s and the autopilot (I use an iPad as my primary chartplotter), but then I found the Scanstrut Helm Pod SPH-3i, and I much preferred the design. It attaches to the pedestal guard via U-bolts, rather than requiring that you drill and tap mounting holes for it in the stainless tubing. The only holes you need to drill in the guard are for the wire runs, and those don't have to be perfectly aligned or tapped.For the new guard, I went with the NavPod single bend AngleGuard, as Edson's was pricier. I decided to upgrade to 1.25" tubing, rather than sticking with the 1". It required a new top plate ($141 on Defender), but I decided that the additional expense was worth it after checking out a neighbor's 1.25" guard. It looks better in my opinion, and grabbing onto it just feels right.
So last weekend, after removing all of the old instruments and pods from the pedestal, we fitted the top plate with the included gaskets and attempted to put the new guard in place so that we could drill holes for the feet. Guess what? It didn't fit! Despite being made for the Edson 335 pedestal, the stainless steel top plate I ordered was the wrong size. Specifically, the 2" riser that's molded into the cockpit sole obstructs where the feet on the 335 would normally go, so Freedom asked Edson to make them a custom bracket (the "C238") that places the guard forward about 2.5". I had actually always liked that little riser under the pedestal, but at the time I was cursing Gary Mull’s name for designing it. Why couldn’t he just make it like everyone else’s boat!? (Oh wait…) Unfortunately, Ken at Edson confirmed that they never made a version of the C238 with 1.25" holes. It seems my only option is a custom-fabricated part. I’m in the process of pricing this out at the moment, so any recommendations of machine shops that do laser/waterjet cutting in the Boston area would be appreciated. The plan is to just make a copy of the NavPod top plate’s design, which is laser cut from 3/16” stainless plate, and then has two short pieces of tubing added to reinforce where the guard goes through it. Shouldn’t be too tricky, right? Ocean Equipment has graciously sent me the cad file for their top plate, which should make the design process fairly simple.
Updates to follow!
PS: Anyone interested in the old Datamarine units or the pod housings?