Soave ( NS 33 ) has a Zwaardvis dining pedestal. Yesterday I removed Soave’s waste tank to access her keel bolts. Removing her floor boards, I got a closeup look at the pedestal.
Her pedestal has always been set to table height but should be adjustable to bunk height to convert Soave’s dining area to a third berth. I figured it would be easier to handle the floor board with the pedestal retracted, but it seems stuck in the up position. When I loosen the knob the shaft will spin but not move up our down. Before I mess with it,
does anyone has a similar pedestal, and perhaps a maintenance manual ?
I’ll attach a few photos.
The tank removal went pretty smoothly, I now understand why it was abandoned, the lower fitting was corroded, otherwise it is in pretty good condition. Also very impressed by Soave’s build quality… when you take stuff apart you get to see some of the hidden craftsmanship.
One disappointment is that with Soave’s wishbone stored on her deck, clearance required to remove the tank from the cabin is very tight. One of the supports for her shrink-wrap frame partially blocks her companionway. Maybe I’ll round up a second set of hands to get the tank on deck. For now the tank lives in her galley.
Corroded Tank Fitting
Next up keel bolts. The bolts all look new, but the washers used to distribute load are rusted.
Can it be that they didn’t use stainless ?
Anyone have a good source for stainless washers or possibly proper backing plates? The bilge looks a little irregular like maybe the plate would need to be bedded and cured before torquing the bolts ?
Also the lighting ground from her mast is attached with a stainless hose clamp. Anyone have a better approach ?
Rob Cohen
s/v SOAVE
NS33 #009
Cedar Point YC
Westport, CT
I don’t have any experience with the Zwaardvis pedestal although I have a small amount of experience with a similar looking system. I did a bit of internet searching and could not find a manual for your pedestal. You could try contacting the manufacturer to see if they can offer any insight. This should be a link to their contact page: https://www.zwaardvis.com/en/contact.php
Unless someone in the group has abetter idea I would suggest contacting the company first.
I may sound obvious but when you turned the hand screw did the bolt turn as well. Sometimes the hand cover will slip and the bolt does not turn. If the bolt is turning, back it all of the way out. There might be a shallow grove in the pipe. If you back the bolt out partway the pipe may turn but the bolt will continue to block the inner pipe from lifting.
If it were me I would unbolt the pedestal from the sole board and look at the bottom pedestal from the bottom. Check to see if it is a simple pipe to pipe friction system or if there is anything more complex. From the photos it looks like it is a simple system with one pipe simply sliding inside another. If that is the case you could consider squirting a bit of PB blaster or similar solvent around the pipe to help free it up. My only caution is that if there is a nylon or plastic bushing between the pipes you don’t want to use anything that will damage the bushing. Once the bolt is out and the solvent applied I would use a heat gun to warm the outer pipe. I would not use a blow torch. If that doe not free the inner pipe you could consider a piece of 2x4 across the top of the pipe and taping on the wood to see if that will move it. You need to first make sure there is nothing blocking the inner pipe from moving. down. You can also make a constrictor type wrench out of nylon webbing, similar to an oil filter wrench. Place that around the inner pipe , tighten it up and twist and pull at the same time. Mark the joint between the two pipe with a magic marker so you can see if the pipes are moving at all. Twisting and lift has the advantage that it does not lower that table height without having the pipes free enough so that you can lift it back up.
I think in some instances the washers used on the keel bolts maybe made from a different grade of stainless that the bolts. The washers are more prone to rust but if they are a lower grade of steel they can act as sacrificial anodes if there is any stray current in the bilge. Some of the Rule float switches for bilge pumps can start to fail after two or three years. In some instances during the failure period they will operate intermittently and start to leak current. If there is salt water in the bilge the current will travel through the water and into the keel bolt. If the washers are a lower grade stainless they will corrode before the bolts. If you check the float switch by lifting it. If it only works intermittently, it is a sign the switch is failing. If you have an area on the keel where the paint keeps coming off it is possible the stray current is traveling through the keel and out into the water breaking the bond between the paint and the keel. You can also use a multi meter to check for stray current.
The lighting ground strap is an issue. When I got La Reina the wire was held to a keel bolt with a hose clamp. The surveyor said to change it. I bought a lead clamp that looked like a battery post clamp but that was big enough for the keep bolt. I put that on and then connected the ground wire to the “battery clamp”. I don’t have any photos.
Soave was known as Prime Meridian in her earlier years and was renamed by her prior owner. We like that Soave has enough ambiguity to keep folks guessing… so we kept it.
The actual basis is a comic opera by Mozart, Cosi Fan Tutte
Soave sia il vento,
tranquilla sia l’onda,
ed ogni elemento
benigno risponda
ai nostri desir.
Translation. …
May the wind be gentle,
and the waves be calm,
and may every element
benignly answer
to our wishes.
Seems fitting for our “retirement” boat.
Rob
s/v SOAVE
NS33 #009
Cedar Point YC
Westport, CT
I have the same or very much similar tableclothon my N33 which I purchased in 2018.
The table seemed stuck in the position until a day 2 years ago when I began my project to remove & replace the mid water tank.
My determination to put it in the lowest position was frustrated until I put my full weight on the table top. Only then did it break free and descend to the low point. Now it goes down & up as it was designed. Apparently it only need to see who was boss and feel the full weight of my 185 pounds.
Ed Strazzini
PELICAN, N33#36
Deltaville, VA
Just a quick update, temps warmed up enough this week to work on Soave for more than a few hours at a time. I was able to take a second look at her table pedestal.
Ed S had it right, it needed a little nudge to break free and now it is working as it should.
As an aside, I don’t think I’ll be using the waste tank that I removed because Soave’s PO already converted her to a use a composting toilet, plus with the tank out, I like having easy access to her bilge and keel bolts. The lower port is a 1 1/2" threaded flange welded to the tank. The flange is badly corroded and needs to be replaced, but otherwise the tank is in good shape. Before I send it off to be recycled I thought I’d offer it to anyone interested in repairing it. It’s currently in Norwalk, CT and I remove Soave’s shrink wrap, I’ll be moving it to my Garage in Poughquag, NY. Free !
Thanks,
Rob
s/v SOAVE
NS33 #009
Cedar Point YC
Westport, CT