May 18, 2015
Up until we left on this cruise, we’d never had a chartplotter in the cockpit. When we bought this one, we were faced for the first time with the challenge of how to mount it. I looked at most available mounts and found them expensive, and kind of bulky. Time was running out so I simply bolted the cheap aluminum bracket that came with the chartplotter to the top of the stainless guard in front of our steering pedestal. I could do better later.
During the three years we used it this way, it worked OK. One nice thing about it was that I could easily unscrew the chartplotter and face it the other way so I could see it while lounging in the cockpit. Another nice thing was that I could easily remove it and store it inside the boat, away from the elements and any potential thieves, when in port.
One of the last projects we did before leaving Sydney was to improve on the mount. Now that we’ve used the new configuration for a passage, I’m so glad we did it.
We had a small, stainless plate welded to the top of the guard rail with a hole through the center.
And a stainless bracket made with a threaded stud on the bottom. We had the bracket made high and wide enough for the next generation of chartplotters, so that when it’s time to replace ours, the new plotter will still fit the bracket.
The net result: We can easily pivot the screen to face any angle. Perfect for lounging in the cockpit while on a passage.
By the way, the cost of having this made was about $400 US. It should/could have been less but they spent way too much time polishing it. Not a bad price considering how expensive the pre-made mounts are – most around $1000. -Rich
Update: It turns out that the ethernet cable Simrad uses is just standard household Cat5 wire – untinned, solid core and not at all suitable for marine use. My cable failed at the connector. I installed a new one and this time, added a piece of split hose and routed it to remove any strain at the connector when the chartplotter moves about on it’s nifty-keen swivel.
(Why yes, those white spots on the nameplate are corrosion. Nice marinization, Simrad!)
