I'm thinking of fitting a Gas Strut to my Chart Table Lid; I saw this (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271071839506) on eBay.
Dimensions of the lid are 400mm x 700mm, hinge along the long side. Weight of lid is 2.4kg.
Has anyone done the same?
Nice idea; doesn't your lid have the bendy spring holdy-uppy thing in it?
Quote from: MarkTheBike on November 10 2014, 19:10
Nice idea; doesn't your lid have the bendy spring holdy-uppy thing in it?
No, it has the bendy spring nearly holdy-uppy unless I knock it thing
Like this idea Nigel, post a photo when complete, I took my holdy upy thing off and put it on the fridge as one spring tends to drop lid one my head when in the bottom of fridge. 2 springs work well, no headache now!!
Odysseus
Bav 38
Quote from: Nigel on November 10 2014, 19:41
Quote from: MarkTheBike on November 10 2014, 19:10
Nice idea; doesn't your lid have the bendy spring holdy-uppy thing in it?
No, it has the bendy spring nearly holdy-uppy unless I knock it thing
Ah, yes. I was offered one of those on Cut-Price Special Offer Day, but fought back the urge to buy and settled for an ordinary one. How empty has my life been since.... :(
QuoteI'm thinking of fitting a Gas Strut to my Chart Table Lid ...
Dimensions of the lid are 400mm x 700mm, hinge along the long side. Weight of lid is 2.4kg.
[Update]
I've made a mock-up at home, same weight and depth (different width, but irrelevant). The calculators I've seen for various gas struts say that for a "door" of this size, a 120N strut is required. As the lid is being held almost vertical, rather than horizontal, I've found that a strut of 50N is more than enough, I think 30N would do. However the extra capacity will prevent it dropping in choppy conditions.
With 50N it self-opens from about 45°. With the chamber pivot mounted 240mm from the hinge, the piston pivot at 80mm, I get 100° opening, and a 3mm gap when closed.
However, note that I've found a new source of gas struts (http://moderix.co.uk/index.php/furniture-hardware/gas-struts.html), they also sell on eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40%7CR40%7CR40%7CR40%7CR40%7CR40&_nkw=Gas&_in_kw=1&_ex_kw=&_sacat=0&_udlo=&_udhi=&_ftrt=901&_ftrv=1&_sabdlo=&_sabdhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=15&_stpos=&_sargn=-1%26saslc%3D1&_salic=3&_fss=1&_fsradio=%26LH_SpecificSeller%3D1&_saslop=1&_sasl=moderix&_sop=1&_dmd=1&_ipg=50)
Looks good Nigel, I will be going this way, I take it your chart table is about the same as mine, photo attached.
Any photos would be good.
Odysseus
Bav 38
I have a bavaria 42 and I used a piece of dowel with a swivel fitting attached to the lid. The dowle pivits down into a hole drilled into the bottom of the chart table. Advantages. You can adjust the hieght by trimming the the length of the dowel. The dowel method is fool proof and solid
I took Nigel's tip and bought a gas strut to replace the bendy spring device. The strut works brilliantly! Good investment of £1.89 too!
Well done Nigel I have mine ready to fit.
Odysseus
Bav 38
What size did you both get?
I got a 60N strut.
I got 60 as well.
Odysseus
did you use a 60 on fridge too , im gonna miss getting my head bashed especially with chart table .
anyone any tips for opening lockers with circa 2003 push button catches , got a couple in forepeak whilst push in and out, locker wont open , discovered that nylon inside swells slightly with moisture , and trouble arose after last winter when i didnt dehumidify , praps the dehumidifier will get em working again this winter , any thoughts , experience .
cheers
Hi singlefish
Spooky coincidence - I've just spent the afternoon taking my push-button catches to pieces and unsticking them. It's the 3 in the centre of the table and there was some rainwater in the bilge just underneath so moisture causing them to stick. A judicious thump will unlatch them if required then, if you unscrew the body, the button just pulls through the hole. Get a medium flat screwdriver and prise the nylon backplate out then take the innards out, clean them up with kitchen tissue, and grease all moving surfaces. Stick them back together (not forgetting the spring) and you'll be amazed at how smooth they become, just like new.
This leads me on to a problem that is linked (i.e. why I took them off) but is slightly off-thread. Over the 14 months we've had the boat, the top drawer has always slightly snagged on the underside of the table top. This hasn't stopped the drawer latching and the 2 lower drawers have remained free. However, over the last month or so, the top drawer now is a 'wallop' fit and doesn't latch, neither do the two below. It's almost as though the table sides are collapsing (or the boat's bending in half!). Anybody got any idea what's causing it and how to fix it, short of taking a spoke-shave to all the edges. I'm baffled. ???
Just fitted one on the chart table (50N) and it works great. Not only does it hold the table up and help it lifts, if you work it out right it holds it shut too. Great mod. I have bought some stronger ones for the cockpit locker lids. These things really are cheap as chips now.
What strength are the cockpit locker struts?
Quote from: Moodymike on January 22 2015, 16:13
What strength are the cockpit locker struts?
I bought a couple of 150n short ones to test as these were the strongest they had. Going to test then before fitting to see how they cope with the weight.
Quote from: Ripster on January 22 2015, 14:32
... Not only does it hold the table up and help it lifts, if you work it out right it holds it shut too...
I couldn't get mine to close without a bang, despite experimenting on the mock-up.
Quote from: Nigel on January 28 2015, 18:31
Quote from: Ripster on January 22 2015, 14:32
... Not only does it hold the table up and help it lifts, if you work it out right it holds it shut too...
I couldn't get mine to close without a bang, despite experimenting on the mock-up.
I messed about for ages trying to get it right. I found that the base mount had to be as high as it would go. That way, once it gets to about 3 inches open it pulls it shut.
Can you post a photo please, I have mine to fit.
Odysseus
Bav 38
Quote from: Odysseus on February 08 2015, 19:27
Can you post a photo please, I have mine to fit.
Odysseus
Bav 38
See my pic in reply #8 - the base mount needs to be as high as possible.
Quote from: tiger79 on February 08 2015, 21:48
Quote from: Odysseus on February 08 2015, 19:27
Can you post a photo please, I have mine to fit.
Odysseus
Bav 38
See my pic in reply #8 - the base mount needs to be as high as possible.
Sorry just seen this! Don't have any pics at the mo, but it looks virtually identical to Tiger79's. When I do the cockpit lockers, I will be sure to post up some pics.
Tiger many thanks for the info and picture, I ordered my gas strut this week which has just arrived and will install in my nav desk next week, great idea and no more squashed fingers when attempting to remove a chart.
Thank you tiger, job done fitted 80 nts gas strut.
Cockpit lockers next.
Odysseus
Bav 38
Your chart table is scarily tidy Odysseus - can you come and tidy mine please? Like the gas strut though, at only £1.89, I must have one and then look to the cockpit lockers and fridge.
I bought two and fitted one to the chart table on the B36 it works a treat.
i would go for 80 newton ,60 newts requires chart table to be cleared of all stuff to stay open
The gas spring idea was great! I just added one on both cabin bench lids.
Works great! Now the content can be sorted easily when the lids stays open without hold!!
Used gas spring 317mm x 200N and stroke 121mm. 200 N because the mattress resists quit a lot during opening and the other hand, the head of piston had to locate quite low as it would work with 121mm stroke. Meaning more force needed too. With this installation the spring specification was perfect.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/wQM90w5gVBHwK5xRPL41vulcxl2jZzgFNfN32JwKCws=w554-h660-no)
Anyone know a supplier in UK that does 200n with fittings as per Kairos item above.
You may find gas spring form car spare part shops.
The problem what I met was that the spare parts was announced by vehicle models etc., not by dimensions.
Mine springs were for tractor doors of old Ursus and Zetor :)
Here in Finland was very hard to find the fasteners and ordered them from Denmark who sell the gas springs as well (link bellow), but their price for gas springs were quit high.
I think I paid some 20+ ? / pcs from local sapare part store.
The fasteners arrived in 2-3 days from link bellow. On the site, there is also a calculator for spring sizes.
Take care the stroke won't be longer than gas spring does, meaning the max destination from lid hinges no more than the stroke.
Gas springs: http://www.industrial-springs.com/
Good luck :)
To attach the fasteners I used dome head screws 5x15 with 2,5mm drillings.
Dimensions something like this:
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-rLnUE8eEDEM/VbhqPfF1grI/AAAAAAAACzY/2kV85WG2k6I/w804-h570-no/Penkkilaatikon%2Bkaasujouset.JPG)
Quote from: Moodymike on July 28 2015, 11:46
Anyone know a supplier in UK that does 200n with fittings as per Kairos item above.
Yes, I typed in "200n Gas Strut" into the eBay search engine and plenty came up to chose from, including several designed for agricultural use.
Yes but none seem to come with universal fittings
Look here ---> http://www.svb24.com/en/gas-springs.html
They have a 180n (180 or 200, who cares) and many different mounts. Shipment to UK no prob.
I want to fix one to the cockpit locker lid. Any one done that?? Quite tricky due to the curved shape.
:sick H E L P :sick
BTW, SVB now also sells original Bavaria Parts, unfortunately no price list. Info only per request. Some were looking for driver seat, they should have it.
Pls, could you put a photo, sounds very interesting!
I think there is very good idea to bend the head of piston for a problematic assemblies...!
My suspicion is the head of piston has been curved "manually" between jaws of vise from a standard spring strut.
Edit:
Uuuh sorry, my misunderstanding. I thought the head of piston were the curved one, but it was the bench lid :)
But, a curved piston between stroke in and head might be a good solution somewhere...
Anyway, there were also people suffering for a solution for a curved bench lid.., so the photo!
Quote from: Kairos on July 29 2015, 17:34
Edit:
Uuuh sorry, my misunderstanding. I thought the head of piston were the curved one, but it was the bench lid :)
But, a curved piston between stroke in and head might be a good solution somewhere...
Anyway, there were also people suffering for a solution for a curved bench lid.., so the photo!
Hey Kairos.
In case you were talking to me, here's the link to my post regarding a gas spring for Bav. 38 cockpit locker lid.
--> http://www.bavariayacht.info/forum/index.php/topic,972.msg5116.html#msg5116
My next job is to replace the failed struts on my companionway. I've got identical replacements, but I'd quite like it to open a bit higher. No instructions, so I'll be winging it.
Hi,
Was the length of the struts used 160mm please?
Has anyone changed the companion way struts as well cause I need to change mine. Does anyone know which model I should buy for my Bavaria 38 from 2007 please?
Thanks
Jesmond
You should be able to find the rating of the struts on a label on them. The struts on the companionway steps of my 2014 Cruiser 37 are 350N.
Reading back through this thread with Mrs Impavidus ...........
Odysseus.
My good lady pointed out the Dyno tape machine in the chart table picture and said Quote "Ah, hes got OCD too! (cheeky mare) Everything in a place and a place for everything... With a label" ;D ;D ;D
Great tool reminds visitors and lovely wife's where things go.
Best regards
Ant.
Odysseus,
Nice work - Congrats.
Would it be possible for you to please post the measurements where to drill the holes for the struts. I bought the strut but am not a handy person, so I am afraid that I will drill a number of holes before I get the installation right.
Thanks
Jes
Have you looked on page 1 of this thread? I am not on boat until end of this month, its in France. There is plenty of tolerances go play with, easy to do.
Odysseus
Bav 38
On my B32 my bendy strut on the chart table does not work. I have found that if you open the locker above the chart table, then the chart table lid is held open by the lock mechanism on the locker lid. This works really well until I get round to fitting a proper strut.