Pedestal

Abstract

A pedestal for receiving and fixing a shaft having a main body that has an upper reception portion and a lower base portion. The upper reception portion includes at least one side wall which defines a reception cavity for receiving the shaft. The side wall of the upper reception portion includes a gap which extends axially and a first and a second web positioned to opposite sides of the gap and on an interior surface of the side wall. The side wall includes a through-hole extending from the interior surface of the side wall and opening out an exterior surface of the side wall. The pedestal further includes a gap closing member which is supported by at least one of the webs and extends across the gap and is accessible by way of the through-hole such as via one end of the closing member. Preferably, an upper end of the upper reception portion is defined by a flange member extending inwardly from the exterior surface of the side wall so as to define a shaft reception opening having a common peripheral shape and essentially common peripheral cross-sectional area as a shaft to be inserted in the reception cavity. The invention also features a pedestal assembly that includes the pedestal, an attachment unit such as a boat, and a stem such as a boat seat, or the stem and pedestal alone.