GPS installation project - finally finished

[wes]

Some photos of the just-completed installation of Bella's new Garmin 546 chartplotter. I couldn't find a bracket that would work, and didn't want to make one from wood. Since I work in the audio/video installation business, I used a dual arm articulating wall mount meant for a flat panel computer monitor (Chief K2W100B), removed the upper head that normally bolts to the back of the monitor, and modified the upper knuckle to accept a 5/16" bolt which holds the Garmin's yoke bracket. The height was established to allow the sliding hatch to close above it. The dual arm folds up inside the cabin for trailering or when the drop board is inserted. It can continue to operate inside the cabin for plotting a course during heavy weather, or to keep an eye on anchor dragging overnight. Very solid and stable - these arm mounts are designed to hold video monitors much heavier than the little Garmin GPS.

Wes

[Salty19]

Very nice!  Looks very strong.

Curious if you looked at the ram mounts and compared them to what you're using.

P.S.  How did you get your ports so shiny?  Ketchup?? Polish?

[Shawn]

Wes,

Looks good. One suggestion... tie wrap the wire to the mount arm. As it is if the boat pitched it could accidentally be grabbed as a hand hold.

Shawn

[Bob23]

Very nice, Wes. Holy Smokes! Dems is some shiney portlights, mon! And I see you have a floating winch hande. I have the same one but haven't tested it's floatiness yet.
Let us know how you like the 546. I don't know too much about them. I have an old Garmin black and white that a powerboating friend gave me. It still has all his fishing hot spots in it! I primarily use it just for speed although it did get me home in some thick and sudden  fog a while back.
Bob23

[wes]

Folks - I really like the Garmin 546 a lot. I almost choked on the cost difference between the 546 and 541, which are identical except for display resolution. Finally decided to go for the good stuff, although honestly the 541 is a much better value. What can I say, I'm a video guy so I had to have the high res screen.. So far, so good. Extremely easy to use (it's a Garmin product, 'nuff said) and the screen refresh when you scroll the cursor around is very fast. If I stuck to lake sailing I probably wouldn't have bought it. But I have been venturing to the NC coast (Oriental, New Bern, Pamlico Sound area) where the terrain is unfamiliar and the water is prone to get very shallow in a hurry. Weirdly ironic that my local lake is 35 feet deep in many areas, but out in the middle of the might Neuse River (5 miles wide) it's often 4 to 8 feet.  I was more interested in anticipating shoal areas than in navigating per se.

I bought the Lewmar floating winch handle based on Reverse Murphy's Law, which says that anything having a special feature for which you paid extra will never be exposed to the conditions that would make that feature necessary. Meaning the best way to guarantee you will never drop the winch handle into the water is to buy a floating winch handle. So far, this has proven to be true.

The winter of 2010/11 was cold, rainy, very unpleasant in NC. I mean by NC standards of course. I had just bought the boat but it was too nasty outside to work on her in the driveway. So I occupied myself for a couple of months with tiller refinishing and those damn portlights. I pulled them off the boat, diassembled them down to the tiniest pieces, and used a fine bronze wire wheel on my bench grinder to take off 23 years of tarnish, followed by cotton buffing wheel with two grades of polishing compound. The round glass lights were clouded from delamination, so I got my local glass shop to make me four new ones from laminated safety glass (could have gotten tempered glass instead, but it was 4x the price). Reassembled and rebedded them. No more leaks! They are already tarnishing, though, so I either have to let nature take it's course, or stay after them with polish, or find some kind of good anti-tarnish treatment. I hope to never do that particular project again.

Wes

[Salty19]

That's right, I remember you pulling them off now. Your boat is looking pretty darn awesome..you have done a great job restoring her. More to come, I'm sure.

Your reverse murphy principle is sooo true.  I'm hoping Neptune will presume the inflatable life vest will be such an example of that law. I better keep up on the recharge kit refill dates!!

[MacGyver]

Wes,

I wonder if you had them clear coated at a body shop or something after all clean if they would stay nice.....
Nice setup by the way, I cant let my wife see the pics though, will enable too much work for me and I already have enough! LOL

A few other items you have in the pics make me think of some ideas for my boat on placement........