H26/260 owners have a love/hate relationship with the H26/260 table. It can be very versatile. Here is a variety of table mods. Credit goes to Michael Scott, Mikee Harms Chris Haake, Calvin Smith, Jimmy Harrell, Ruedi Ross and George Kobernus. Some are more complicated than others but they all work for the owners involved. The H260 table is huge - great for all night poker games and map reading, but it weighs a ton and gets in the way sometimes. You can reduce the amount of space it takes up by swinging it around to extend the V-birth - very clever, but it usually takes two people. Its size allows you to spread out maps and you can accommodate a good number of people around it without feeling crowded. Its shape also allows you to swing it out of the way to make more room in the cabin. If you prop it up out of the way, you end up with a huge space that makes the boat seem twice as large. The large support does not allow the table to drop down to make a bed. Owners have tried several fixes. The most common approach is to cut a few inches off the table to make it lighter, but it still wont drop down all the way. Another approach is to cut the support off and reduce the table by about half. Then the table drops down and is easier to handle. the cut-off piece then is stored in the V-birth until needed. Using a router you can continue the groove along the edge of the table thus allowing the edging to go back on. A couple of owners have fashioned a removable support so they have the best of both worlds - a big bed and a stable table. You can make the support out of plywood or any other material such as starboard. Once you get the table down you can use existing cushions and fill in the gaps with towels or make custom cushions for the space. One quick way to get the table up out of the way is to drill another hole for the table support pin near the top of the compression post. Then you can raise the table up out of the way. The compression post metal is very hard and you have to make sure you dont damage the keel uphaul line. Using a strap to keep it up is easier. Heres some pictures that get you thinking about the ultimate solution: The most common objection to table is to just cut it down to make it lighter. The cabin table is shortened by approximately 14 inches. The plastic edge on the table was re-inserted after routing a new channel in the wide end of the table. The wide edge of the piece cut off was used as a template for the new table edge.

Two cup holders, identical to the cup holders on the stern rails seats, were installed at the narrow end of the table.

Using the cut off piece as a templet, a filler board to span the space between the table and the berth is cut to extend the V-berth for sleeping. It fits perfectly into the groove of the berth and rests a couple of inches over the top of the table edge. It is stored under the V-berth cushions.

The table is shown in the up position against the cabin roof. Cutting the table down has made it considerably lighter and easier to manage. It also allows for more headroom when the table is in the up position.

Heres some other variations of cutting the table down.





Once you remove the Hunter designed base youll need to craft a removable support as shown here.

Heres another approach that does not involve two pieces. The table is supported by removable table legs with rubber tips.







Heres another custom cushion. Before making custom cushions, check with Hunter as they probably still have some upholstery material that matches the original.

How about this idea: Completely remove the old table and build one with folding leaves. A 2 piece stainless bracket bolts together around the compression post and table rests on it. Its about 18 shorter than stock and lowers to make a berth. The folded down leaves make it a lot more convenient to get to the storage areas. Here ya go, George. Sorry it didnt come out better. you can see the stainless bracket and the 2 braces that swing out to support the leaves. To make the bracket, I welded a piece of 2.5 pipe thru a piece of 1/4 X 8 stainless strap about 20 long and cut it in half on a band saw. I made the bushing out of nylon stock on a lathe and cut it 3 ways to make 6 pieces. The bushing ID is a little tricky, the compression post is not the same diameter in all places. The pivot bolts for the braces are 5/16 flathead machine screws thru the ss plate and tacked in place.





A much simpler approach is to leave the table as it is but raise it up to the ceiling with a stick and use a strap to keep it from swaying from side to side.







Here is some examples of devices used to support the table





The table was cut down. A bracket was cut from a piece of high density polyethylene and holds the table a lot firmer than it was before.





Table leaf is attached with continuous hinge and two brackets to hold it in the upright position.