mounting electronics at the helm

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mike cunningham
Posts: 489
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:21 am
Location: Jacqueline, F30 #3, Discovery Bay, California

mounting electronics at the helm

Post by mike cunningham »

Hi,

I am planning to purchase and mount an 8 inch chart plotter at the helm of my F30. I will connect this to standard horizon matrix VHF/AIS radio I will also purchase to replace my ICOM DSC (which I purchased two years ago - drat shortening the technology evolution cycle).

I have toyed with the idea of installing a full class B AIS transponder but decided, for simplicity sake I'll go with receive only. It seems to me the Standard Horizon kills a few birds with one stone by adding AIS receive without having to add additional VHF antennas to the boat and without having to add any sketchy antenna splitters external to the radio itself. Of course once I do this an integrated VHF radio/class b transponder will emerge to, again, render my set up obsolete. But I digress.

My question is, does anyone have a good recommendation for a chart plotter pod mount I could hang on my existing standard pedestal guard which is 45 inches high? I am loathe to buy one of those gawky bent over and extended 58 inch pedestal guards partly because I will remove the chart plotter between cruises and partly because I don't want more high things in my way during single handed line handling. I don't need the plotter for short jaunts and its a open invite to thieves if its permanently installed.

I would appreciate any ideas or thoughts.

Mike
Mike Cunningham
Freedom 30 (Mull) Hull #3
Build date...June, 1986 . Freedom Yachts USA, sloop, shoal keel
Gun Mount and pole retrofitted (purchased from a Hoyt Freedom 32)
Yanmar 2gm20F , 1600 hrs fixed two blade prop
e-rud and ocean racing equipment

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rvivian
Posts: 210
Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2010 2:08 pm

Re: mounting electronics at the helm

Post by rvivian »

Mike -

First the batteries, now the Matrix, Mike we apparently think alike -- my matrix /AIS radio (replacing my Spectrum DSC radio) should have arrived on Friday (I'm at the boat this weekend).

I have a Raymarine C-80 display radar, and a stern mast to mount my radar. But I have not yet settled on where to mount the display on my F-30. Although everyone seems to mount the display on the pedestal guard, the literature says 3-feet clearance to the compass on the binnacle is required; .

I'm looking into mounting the display in the combing above the propane locker. On my previous boat I mounted a GPS plotter on a 12" Bomar inspection port plate. I bought a second plate and could remove the GPS plotter for inside storage and fill the open port with the second filler plate while I was away from the boat. Worked pretty well and saved the cost of a Navpod.

I'm wondering if a radar display on the combing will work as well.
Heart's Desire
Freedom 30
Shelton, WA

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mike cunningham
Posts: 489
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:21 am
Location: Jacqueline, F30 #3, Discovery Bay, California

Re: mounting electronics at the helm

Post by mike cunningham »

Ha Ha, maybe we can find some unsuspecting souls to pawn our old DSC VHFs off on.

The combing is an interesting thought and, believe me, I am all for saving money on pods. Having said this, I'm not crazy about cutting a hole in the boat and I'm clumsy so I fear I would put my foot through the screen if it was mounted that low. I will scope it out though.

Regardless, you got me to thinking about non traditional install locations. I currently fly my anemometer on an 8 foot removable pole lashed to the stern rail ( I really like to take all this stuff down when I'm not cruising). I had planned to replace the current PVC pole with a more robust and more seamanlike carbon fiber pole that I have left over from an old windsurfer 2 part mast. This may sound a little flaky but it is actually pretty robust. I use the thing as an extra handhold from time to time.

Perhaps I can mount the display on the lower part of the pole. This would put the display caddy corner to my line of sight but, heck, we're only doing 5-6 Kts so no biggie.
Mike Cunningham
Freedom 30 (Mull) Hull #3
Build date...June, 1986 . Freedom Yachts USA, sloop, shoal keel
Gun Mount and pole retrofitted (purchased from a Hoyt Freedom 32)
Yanmar 2gm20F , 1600 hrs fixed two blade prop
e-rud and ocean racing equipment

wcwcwc
Posts: 94
Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2008 12:00 pm
Location: F36 Padanaram, MA

Re: mounting electronics at the helm

Post by wcwcwc »

On my F36 I mounted a small Garmin GPS/plotter about 3" above the compass without any effect on the compass. I would hook up your new plotter and hold it up where you want to mount it. Move it around while watching for deviation on different headings. When I was researching this approach I spoke to a Garmin Tech who quoted the standard 3' rule but said many people do as I described above.

For the mount a friend of mine took two pieces of teak about 3/4" thick and routed out a horseshoe shaped grove (half in each piece) that fit over the existing standard pedestal guard and clamps together with machine screws countersunk into the wood. A slot cut in from the bottom of the teak up to the pedestal guard allows the required wire connections to emerge from the bottom and connect to the Garmin and the autopilot control head. The varnished teak adds a nice touch to the look and the plotter is right where you want it.
Bill Cormack
Formerly Sailing F-36 "Hard Earned" out of New Bedford Yacht Club, Padanaram, MA. Now a member of Pelagic Sailing Club a New England based club whose members are about half boat owners and half crew.

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rvivian
Posts: 210
Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2010 2:08 pm

Re: mounting electronics at the helm

Post by rvivian »

Mike -

Here is a pedestal mount I ran across on the Ericson list today.

Have you decided what to do yet?

RWV
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A pedestal mount from the Ericson list
A pedestal mount from the Ericson list
Loren's pedestal mount.jpg (38.55 KiB) Viewed 18090 times
Heart's Desire
Freedom 30
Shelton, WA

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GeoffSchultz
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Location: BlueJacket: Guatemala
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Re: mounting electronics at the helm

Post by GeoffSchultz »

Here's my setup. The RayMarine C80 is in a POD enclosure and the NorthStar is exposed to the elements. I strongly suggest an enclosure. I have the dual systems for redundancy. The C80 is the primary system and I prefer it over the NorthStar. I used to be a big NorthStar fan, but they don't have a common software code base between platforms, and functionality doesn't track between units. (A feature that you have in one unit isn't available in a different unit.) When I got the replaced an older NorthStar 961 unit with the one pictured below (6200i), I was aghast to find that functionality that I had come to really enjoy on my 961 wasn't present in the 6200i.

Image

-- Geoff
BlueJacket
1997 Freedom 40/40
http://www.GeoffSchultz.org

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mike cunningham
Posts: 489
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:21 am
Location: Jacqueline, F30 #3, Discovery Bay, California

Re: mounting electronics at the helm

Post by mike cunningham »

Thanks for the ideas, I think the side mount of Geoff's is the answer. The clearance between binnacle and guard is too tight for a spanning pad mount. I have seen one of these pad mounts offered by Edson (for an astonishing $200.00!! ouch) and was about to buy but decided against it after running down to the boat and checking measurements.

Mike
Mike Cunningham
Freedom 30 (Mull) Hull #3
Build date...June, 1986 . Freedom Yachts USA, sloop, shoal keel
Gun Mount and pole retrofitted (purchased from a Hoyt Freedom 32)
Yanmar 2gm20F , 1600 hrs fixed two blade prop
e-rud and ocean racing equipment

Richard Abbinanti
Posts: 47
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 8:41 am

Re: mounting electronics at the helm

Post by Richard Abbinanti »

Geoff

I am looking to install a C80 on my 36 Freedom, can you tell me the parts and how you ran the wire? My last boat was a Cape Dory and I replaced the posts and drilled a wire and installed a pod. I like the way you did it.
Richard

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