Got tired of holding up the chart table on my boat while searching for stuff underneath it. Based on another post, I decided to make a prop for the table using one of those high-pressure gas springs.
I got the parts over the web from McMaster-Carr. They arrived the day after I placed he order. McMaster has the springs in both carbon steel and stainless; I decided to try carbon steel for a few reasons: a) I thought the below-decks location didn't require stainless, b) the CST parts are considerably cheaper, and c) I wasn't entirely sure if the gas spring would work.
I picked a 9416K351 gas spring with 15lb force, 15.6" extension and 6.3" stroke. To this I added two each 9416K86 ball socket ends, a 9512K97 ball bracket, and a 9512K92 ball bracket. The total cost including tax and shipping was less than $25.
The attached photos show the parts and the finished assembly. I had to play around with the location of the brackets to get the lift force right, but once I got it dialed in the system worked great. It easily holds the door up while not requiring much force to close. The gas spring and brackets do take up a little room in the chart table, but overall, I'm very pleased with the result..
I got the parts over the web from McMaster-Carr. They arrived the day after I placed he order. McMaster has the springs in both carbon steel and stainless; I decided to try carbon steel for a few reasons: a) I thought the below-decks location didn't require stainless, b) the CST parts are considerably cheaper, and c) I wasn't entirely sure if the gas spring would work.
I picked a 9416K351 gas spring with 15lb force, 15.6" extension and 6.3" stroke. To this I added two each 9416K86 ball socket ends, a 9512K97 ball bracket, and a 9512K92 ball bracket. The total cost including tax and shipping was less than $25.
The attached photos show the parts and the finished assembly. I had to play around with the location of the brackets to get the lift force right, but once I got it dialed in the system worked great. It easily holds the door up while not requiring much force to close. The gas spring and brackets do take up a little room in the chart table, but overall, I'm very pleased with the result..
