Chartplotter - Flushmount v Cradle

[steveeasy]

Don't cut anything. I mounted my chartplotter in a cradle to avoid cutting a hole. did not like it. So I made a wooden box angled to house the chartplotter. rounded the edges and flow coated it. It mounts on small stainess steel drop locks and ss brackets, so I can remove it when ive finished. no pics, but ive got a nice angle to view the plotter. it takes no time to mount and just connect the cable.

Steveeasy

 

[doug748]

I had a Raymarine C120 plotter mounted under the sprayhood on my last boat. Always unplugged it and stored it below when I left the boat. I put the plug ends of the cables in a plastic bag with a rubber band around it. No corrosion issues in around 10 years of doing this.

Same here, the shade under the hood helps.



With a tiller steered boat it is right on your eye line and under three feet from your nose most of the time. Does not get in the way either, I have found this the perfect solution for me.

 

[Stemar]

I built a similar box for all my instruments that drops into clips on the companionway hatch. All the wires go back into the saloon and, when I leave the boat, I take everything below and leave it out of sight. I haven't got a chart plotter - yet, but my GPS is about 15 years old, so I may be shopping for one in a few days!

 

[Sea Devil]

This is my swinging arm arrangement, using three hinges it doesn't obstruct the hatchway and sits flush inside and out or you can angle it.
View attachment 77033

Back in the day of those big Seafarer echo sounders they all seemed to be mounted on a stainless swinging bracket in the hatch area. You could swing them back into the cabin when in port and swing them out into the entrance area. I used to have one on my Moody 36 Bambola. Excellent bit of kit and sturdy enough to hold a modern small chart plotter/radar.
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i wonder if they are still available?

 

[coveman]

Thanks for all the input - very interesting the various methods that have been discussed. I am now tempted to make up some sort of swinging bracket or a wooden box mount. I may be able to use the SS frame of the spray hood so will do a bit more measuring! The RAM brackets look good so I may e able to incorporate them

The echomap is wifi enabled so it would be possible to use a tablet but am not sure whether I would do that in practice - probably one too many technical gadgets on a small boat ?

Thanks again

 

[alan_d]

The trouble with many of the swinging mount arrangements is that you have to have the washboards or companionway doors open to see the instrument(s) from the cockpit. In difficult conditions you then have to decide whether it is more dangerous not to be able to see them or to risk downflooding.