On 02/01/2023 08:57 NZDT Giorgio Ardrizzi <giorgio.ardrizzi@...> wrote:

 

 

Hi Bill

It was an option that Amel offered at the time of purchase.  There are many SM with desks.

Someone instead prefers the berth to have more comfort with the boat heeling to the right.

Happy New Year!

Giorgio Ardrizzi
sy Saudade III

Marin - Martinica


   

Il Dom 1 Gen 2023, 15:29 Bill Schwanitz <billschwanitz@...> ha scritto:

Hi Everyone,

I've noticed that some SMs have a desk in the aft cabin and others do not. As my partner is going to continue working once we move aboard, we'd prefer to buy an SM that has that desk.

Does anyone know why some have that desk and others not? Was it an option, or maybe it was standard in certain years and not in others?

Of course there are MANY other items to consider when comparing one boat to another, but as someone on this forum stated a few months back "a happy wife=a happy life".

Cheers,
Bill

 

 

On 03/01/2023 03:00 NZDT Bill Kinney <cruisingconsulting@...> wrote:

 

 

Danny,

The folding table in the forward cabin has been on every SM I have seen, so I am guessing it was standard equipment installed on every one.

I find it at least as comfortable a workspace as the aft cabin table.

Bill Kinney
SM160, Harmonie
Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe
http://www.cruisingconsulting.com

Bill, I’ve been living on our SM2K in the Mediterranean while running my accounting practice since June. We have the two bed aft cabin layout; originally I had thought like you do that we would need to get the desk layout option, but the boat we found which was otherwise perfect for us had the two berth option instead, so we figured we would find a way to make it work. My comments from my experience using different desk options is as follows:

- the largest and best desk to work at without any other considerations is the saloon table. However most of the time this is boat school for our two young girls so not available for me to work at!

- the cockpit table is great in the summer, given adequate shade from the sun. But less useful in the winter when cold and raining!

- the pull up table in the aft cabin is a good size to work on a laptop with. This hides against the bulkhead and is accessible when the port side bed is single sized only. In this state there is plenty of floor space. You can sit on the port side bunk, but for working more than a short period a chair is helpful. I’ve found the IKEA Gunde folding chair surprisingly comfortable, super cheap and will fit folded up against the aft bulkhead of the aft cabin hanging locker

- the only downside of using this desk is that you can’t access it while the bunk is expanded to double size. It’s not too hard to break down the bunk, but if it’s something you will need to do every day it gets to be a pain

- when I need a quick table in the cabin and don’t want to break down the bunk, I’ve been using a plastic bed desk from Amazon which folds flat and stows along with the chair in the aft cabin hanging locker. I place this on the two bunks, and sit in my chair between the beds. The position is actually pretty good, but because the desk is supported by the soft mattresses it leans as you put weight on it, which is not ideal 

- im now planning to install a Lagun swivel table which will fit to the side of the starboard bunk, next to the drawer. I’ve sourced a piece of mahogany to allow the fitting bracket to stand off enough that the desk will clear the overhang of the bunk above. If you’re interested I can share pictures once we have installed. The table support and the table top we’ve ordered are linked below:

https://www.svb24.com/en/lagun-lagun-table-leg.html

https://www.svb24.com/en/roca-foldable-teak-table-top.html

once this is fitted we should hopefully have a desk that is much larger than the standard fitted desk, but can be folded and swung out of the way over the starboard berth in a moment when not needed, or dismounted and stowed in the hanging locker in a few minutes to allow the berth to be used, leaving just a small plate permanently fitted

- im not sure at this point that the fixed desk would have actually been a better option for working at, for more than short periods. I did look at boats with this layout, but the desk is fairly small, and is fiddled which may not be very ergonomic for typing on, at least without making some modification. Also the stool would not be great for sitting at through a long work day, so would need to be looked at. 

Neil Meyrick
SM390 Revelation
Valencia, Spain

Wow Paul that really does look fantastic! We’re trying to keep any changes easily reversible for now but might try something like that if what we’re doing now doesn’t do what we need 

thanks 
Neil

On 10 Apr 2023, at 14:23, Neil Meyrick <Nmeyrick@...> wrote:

I'm coming back to this thread with an update as we have now finally had the Lagun table and folding teak table top fitted in our aft cabin by the carpenters at Varadero Valencia. It's not as fancy as what Paul did on his A54 but I think it looks good, while meeting our goal of interfering minimally with the structure of the boat. Additionally it is completely isolated from the saloon by closing the aft cabin door, which is important for us when I have client calls and our girls have school in the saloon!

With the table fully extended there is enough room to sit comfortably at my portable dual monitor set up (MacBook Air and iPad on stands) which I could not do with the original fold up desk. When not in use the desk easily folds in half then swings out of the way above the starboard passage berth. And for passages the whole support dismounts and attaches to the back of the table top, which then all fits against the bulkhead in the aft cabin locker. At this point the only remaining part is the mahogany block which brings out the mounting bracket to be flush with the top of the passage berth, and the use of the berth is entirely unaffected. The block rests on the cabin sole for support, and is through bolted through the bulkhead behind it with a marine ply backing plate to distribute the load. 

I'm really happy how this has turned out; when we first saw Revelation the only thing that was not on our "perfect" boat list was the aft cabin layout, when we had hoped for the side desk option.  Now with this set up I believe we have a workspace which is larger and more ergonomic than the aft vanity, while still keeping the use of the starboard sea berth to give us the best of both worlds.  

All that is left is to attach the table top and to treat it - I'm thinking teak oil but would welcome any alternative suggestions? 
Neil Meyrick
Revelation SM390
Valencia, Spain