Fitting a chartplotter.

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pbeard

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I am about to fit a Raymarine C120 radarplotter to our new aquisition and never having had one before would like views on whether the team thinks it better to have the screen at the helm or at the chart table? Down below you can do your passage/pilotage planning in comfort with your paper backups, cup of tea etc - but at the helm on a dark night/misty approach etc you have your guide at your fingertips so to speak. The ultimate I suppose is a repeater at the helm, but it is all at a cost! Comments please.
 
I have a C120 mounted under the sprayhood. It's visible from the helm, and it's easy to use in the cockpit whilst under autopilot in poor conditions. When you really need it, you'll want it in the cockpit.

From a planning point of view, you'll find the C120 is very easy to use. Setting up routes is quick and simple. I haven't found that doing this in the cockpit is a chore.
 
Down below is the best IMHO.

Its dry, easier to operate and look at in some comfort. As is a radar screen. I can see mine reasonably clearly from the cockpit if needed.

You don't need to be looking at the thing all of the time, I have a wired in hand held in a bracket for minute to minute navigation if needed.

The only passage where I really wanted to see it all of the time was between New Grimsby Harbour and St Mary's where the course takes you between underwater rocks etc. I conned the boat fom below telling the wife where to go!! (Don't get that chance very often)


regards
 
Difficult call as it's not waterproof. I was on the verge of buying a Standard horizon, but decided that I definitely wanted my plotter at the helm. I also wanted it to swivel so it could be seen from the front of the cockpit on autopilot.

Bought a Lowrance 3600i and the yard made a swivel for me.

Two handed from Bayona to Lagos, with the autopilot out of action, it was worth its' weight in gold.

If you are commited to the C120, I think you should at least try and have it in the cockpit.
 
Put it at the helm - I have a C65 installed at the chart table and am thinking of moving it to the helm. I understand they are meant to be waterproof, though ultimately nothing is really waterproof.
 
At the helm. On a dark night, when you are standing watch alone, having it at the helm is the only place for me. I have a 435, which is a bit small for passage planning but I do my passage planning on a notebook down below in comfort and then transfer the route/waypoints on CF card to the plotter.

Alan.
 
Visible from the helm is the most important point - doesnt actually need to be there if you can see it inside the cabin (i.e. short boat, good eyesight), but the ability to see it when on the helm, and or whereever you keep your watch from (e.g. under sprayhood)
 
as i want to reference what I can see with the mk 1 eyeball to my plotter / radar screen visible from the helm/cockpit would be the key requirement.

as to whether to actually mount it at the helm or in the bulkhead - that's goign to be down to the options available to you with you particular boat. with a screen that size I think I would favour flush mounted in the bulkhead for weatherproofing and keeping it out of the way of flying bodies and other objects. if it was a small high definition unit like the Lowrance 3500 I would have it at the helm (er well I do have one at my helm; in my face, with the radar screen next to it and the compass behind and between them /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Visible from but not at the helm. Under the sprayhood works for us, so that you can use it when sheltering with autopilot engaged.

Wouldn't advise twin positions for C or E series. There are too many plugs (power, radar, nmea, hsb, seatalk etc) which weren't designed for frequent connect/disconnects and will get damaged

We have one on deck and a master below. The master takes the chart cartridge and all connections so that the one on deck only has 2 connections - power and network. Even so, we have fitted an expensive mil connector which is used to disconnect so that the Raymarine connectors stay permanently made

I don't like instruments at the helm
 
I think you need your plotter at the chart table and visible from the cockpit.
I am trying to devise some sort of swinging arm mounting so I don't have to disconnect cables but it's not easy.
 
At the helm, definately IMHO. But, as it is Raymarine, you should be able to get a cheap LCD ( mono ) display (RL70 etc) with HSB capability which you could place below and do your passage planning from there....
 
Chartpotter possition

I'd agree with it being visable from the helm - personally I don't like the ones on pods infront of the wheel as this then stops the rest of the crew being able to see the data - but then it has to be close enough to see and operate - 6 of 1 and half dozen of the other ...

I'm looking for a small LCD screen to act as a repeater for the laptop - this will then (hopefully) fit under the sprayhood
 
Under the sprayhood - then everybody can see it. It gets protected from stray sheets, rain, spray.

Even in a fairly longish cockpit I can stand in front of the wheel and push buttons on the plotter.

Donald
 
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