How to Mount NavPod

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1

Posted by ajlorman (ajlorman@…>)

I’ve bought a NavPod instrument pod for the ST-60s I bought to
replace the original instruments on my F-30. The rear of the pod has
indentations for the pedestal guard tubing. In additionm to drilling
and tapping for the mounting screrws, NavPod suggests drilling a 7/8"
hole in the pedestal guard to run the variuos cables into the pod. I
have two concerns/questions. Won’t drilling a 7/8" hole in 1" tubing
seriously weaken the tubing? I’ve never had much luck drilling
stainless. How the heck do you drill a 7/8" hole? Or is there some
other weay to mount this that I’m missing? I’ve consisdered cutting
the pedstal guard on both sides and inserting stainless T’s as used
on solid railings, which would leave an opening for the wires. All
suggestions appreciated.

Al Lorman

2

Posted by macks011 (macks04@…>)

I just finished installing a navpod on my friends boat.He had the
new 1.24 inch tubes, but I only drilled a 5/8" hole to run the wires
(2). For 1" pipe, I would suggest going with 2 or 3 smaller holes
depending on the # of wires and the size of the connectors. If the
connectors can be removed and reattached, so much the better. As for
drilling and tapping the pedestal guard, several things are required.

  1. a hearty center punch
  2. brand new drill bits, cobalt, 135 degree split points (Travers,
    McMaster Carr, Grainger)
  3. Aerosol cutting fluid
  4. steady pressure
  5. moderate speed
  6. do not over heat the tool or the work piece.

Taping stainless tubing

  1. don’t
  2. use a rivet

If you must,

  1. get a good quality tap vise with a notched base for centering on
    pipe

  2. use plenty of cutting fluid

  3. advance the tap no more than an 1/8 turn at a time.

  4. back out the tap a 1/2 turn after every advance.

  5. listen to the tool. the chips will crackle as you are cutting. As
    soon as you hear a crackle, back the tool 1/2 turn and re advance,
    flushing with cutting fluid.





    — In freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com, “ajlorman” <ajlorman@y…>
    wrote:

I’ve bought a NavPod instrument pod for the ST-60s I bought to
replace the original instruments on my F-30. The rear of the pod
has
indentations for the pedestal guard tubing. In additionm to
drilling
and tapping for the mounting screrws, NavPod suggests drilling a
7/8"
hole in the pedestal guard to run the variuos cables into the pod.
I
have two concerns/questions. Won’t drilling a 7/8" hole in 1"
tubing
seriously weaken the tubing? I’ve never had much luck drilling
stainless. How the heck do you drill a 7/8" hole? Or is there
some
other weay to mount this that I’m missing? I’ve consisdered
cutting
the pedstal guard on both sides and inserting stainless T’s as
used
on solid railings, which would leave an opening for the wires. All
suggestions appreciated.

Al Lorman

3

Posted by ajlorman (ajlorman@…>)

Well, you’ve certainly convinced me that I should have gone with my
first choice: building an instrument pod over the companionway. I
have had one somewhat out of the box idea as to mounting the NavPod
on the pedestal: using a tubing cutter, cut both sides of the
pedstal guard at the point I want to attach the pod, then insert cast
stainless T’s like the kind used on hard railings. The T will fit
into the hole in the NavPod with a little enlargmnent, and I won’t
have to drill any holes in the pedestal guard for wires. I thought I
might just attach the pod to the guard (from inside the pod) with
epoxy or 5200. I’ve wondered whether this would unduly weaken the
pedestal guard. Any other fatal flaws I’ve overlooked?

Al

— In freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com, “macks011” <macks04@o…>
wrote:

I just finished installing a navpod on my friends boat.He had the
new 1.24 inch tubes, but I only drilled a 5/8" hole to run the
wires
(2). For 1" pipe, I would suggest going with 2 or 3 smaller holes
depending on the # of wires and the size of the connectors. If the
connectors can be removed and reattached, so much the better. As
for
drilling and tapping the pedestal guard, several things are
required.

  1. a hearty center punch
  2. brand new drill bits, cobalt, 135 degree split points (Travers,
    McMaster Carr, Grainger)
  3. Aerosol cutting fluid
  4. steady pressure
  5. moderate speed
  6. do not over heat the tool or the work piece.

Taping stainless tubing

  1. don’t
  2. use a rivet

If you must,

  1. get a good quality tap vise with a notched base for centering on
    pipe

  2. use plenty of cutting fluid

  3. advance the tap no more than an 1/8 turn at a time.

  4. back out the tap a 1/2 turn after every advance.

  5. listen to the tool. the chips will crackle as you are cutting.
    As
    soon as you hear a crackle, back the tool 1/2 turn and re advance,
    flushing with cutting fluid.

— In freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com, “ajlorman”
<ajlorman@y…>
wrote:

I’ve bought a NavPod instrument pod for the ST-60s I bought to
replace the original instruments on my F-30. The rear of the pod
has
indentations for the pedestal guard tubing. In additionm to
drilling
and tapping for the mounting screrws, NavPod suggests drilling a
7/8"
hole in the pedestal guard to run the variuos cables into the
pod.
I
have two concerns/questions. Won’t drilling a 7/8" hole in 1"
tubing
seriously weaken the tubing? I’ve never had much luck drilling
stainless. How the heck do you drill a 7/8" hole? Or is there
some
other weay to mount this that I’m missing? I’ve consisdered
cutting
the pedstal guard on both sides and inserting stainless T’s as
used
on solid railings, which would leave an opening for the wires.
All
suggestions appreciated.

Al Lorman

4

Posted by Bergeron (mbergero@…>)

I am just completing the installation of two NavPods on a new 1.25" SS
guard. Although SS is not the easiest metal to work with, I was able to
drill and tap all the necessary holes with new but not exotic bits and a
drill press. The drill bit and tap that comes with the NavPod work quite
well for the screw holes. The key is to go slow (speed and advancement),
use plenty of cutting oil and make sure to start on the center of the tube.
For your 1" tubing, you may want to consider a slightly smaller hole for the
wires, making sure you still have plenty of space for all. You may want to
drill smaller holes on both sides and divide up the wires. Regarding the
weakening of the tube, SS is pretty strong stuff. If you use smaller holes
and don’t approach the lateral walls of the tube, you should be fine. Just
don’t use the guard for any life-preserving function (ie: don’t tie off your
jacklines to it). Remember, the NavPod is also anchored on both sides of
the large hole, thus further securing it. If you are considering replacing
your guard with a larger one, you will also have to replace or have bored
your pedestal top plate to accommodate the size difference. Have fun.
----- Original Message -----
From: “ajlorman” <ajlorman@…>
To: <freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2004 10:25 AM
Subject: [freedomyachts2003] How to Mount NavPod

\

I’ve bought a NavPod instrument pod for the ST-60s I bought to
replace the original instruments on my F-30. The rear of the pod has
indentations for the pedestal guard tubing. In additionm to drilling
and tapping for the mounting screrws, NavPod suggests drilling a 7/8"
hole in the pedestal guard to run the variuos cables into the pod. I
have two concerns/questions. Won’t drilling a 7/8" hole in 1" tubing
seriously weaken the tubing? I’ve never had much luck drilling
stainless. How the heck do you drill a 7/8" hole? Or is there some
other weay to mount this that I’m missing? I’ve consisdered cutting
the pedstal guard on both sides and inserting stainless T’s as used
on solid railings, which would leave an opening for the wires. All
suggestions appreciated.

Al Lorman

Yahoo! Groups Links

5

Posted by ajlorman (ajlorman@…>)

Thanks for sharing your experience with me. I did a little
practicing last night on some scrap SS tubing and found, much to my
surprise, that the easiest way for me to drill it was to use my
Stanley hand drill (the one that looks like a mixer). It rotates
slowly enough so as not to work harden the steel but still manages to
cut. I had not planned to replace my pedestal guard, but I’m
beginning to think that it would all be a lot easier if the holes
could be drilled while the guard is in my shop instead of in the
cockpit. (With 4 ST-60s, I will need to run five cables into the pod,
two of which are sizeable.) NavPod makes a 1" offset guard so I would
not have to deal with enlarging or replacing the Edson top plate.

Al Lorman

– In freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com, “Bergeron” <mbergero@m…>
wrote:

I am just completing the installation of two NavPods on a new 1.25"
SS
guard. Although SS is not the easiest metal to work with, I was
able to
drill and tap all the necessary holes with new but not exotic bits
and a
drill press. The drill bit and tap that comes with the NavPod work
quite
well for the screw holes. The key is to go slow (speed and
advancement),
use plenty of cutting oil and make sure to start on the center of
the tube.
For your 1" tubing, you may want to consider a slightly smaller
hole for the
wires, making sure you still have plenty of space for all. You may
want to
drill smaller holes on both sides and divide up the wires.
Regarding the
weakening of the tube, SS is pretty strong stuff. If you use
smaller holes
and don’t approach the lateral walls of the tube, you should be
fine. Just
don’t use the guard for any life-preserving function (ie: don’t tie
off your
jacklines to it). Remember, the NavPod is also anchored on both
sides of
the large hole, thus further securing it. If you are considering
replacing
your guard with a larger one, you will also have to replace or have
bored
your pedestal top plate to accommodate the size difference. Have
fun.
----- Original Message -----
From: “ajlorman” <ajlorman@y…>
To: <freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2004 10:25 AM
Subject: [freedomyachts2003] How to Mount NavPod

I’ve bought a NavPod instrument pod for the ST-60s I bought to
replace the original instruments on my F-30. The rear of the pod
has
indentations for the pedestal guard tubing. In additionm to
drilling
and tapping for the mounting screrws, NavPod suggests drilling a
7/8"
hole in the pedestal guard to run the variuos cables into the
pod. I
have two concerns/questions. Won’t drilling a 7/8" hole in 1"
tubing
seriously weaken the tubing? I’ve never had much luck drilling
stainless. How the heck do you drill a 7/8" hole? Or is there
some
other weay to mount this that I’m missing? I’ve consisdered
cutting
the pedstal guard on both sides and inserting stainless T’s as
used
on solid railings, which would leave an opening for the wires. All
suggestions appreciated.

Al Lorman

Yahoo! Groups Links