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Chartplotters on cabin tops


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I would like to see your photos of yours please! 

 

Looking for examples of chart plotters mounted on some type of swivel plate thingimebob on top of cabin / under dodger somewhere..

 

I've got an idea of what I want to create but hey, why re-invent the wheel if there is a good example I can copy

 

 

Cheers

 

Matt

 

Ps, first post :)

 

 

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Swivel on cabin top? What for - to change the angle for a dual helm or a cat?

 

The standard U shaped bracket can be used with a single bolt through the centre so it can be turned.

 

Or - are you thinking of a companionway mount that can fold back inside when not in  use?

 

PS. Welcome to crew.org.nz :-)

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You are pretty much on the money - u shaped bracket with a bolt through the centre, but the cabin top is a quite heavily sloped at the spot - so I want to build a little platform to counter the slope and level out the plotter a bit,

 

and you hardly want the u bracket scratching up the gelcoat, so there must be some sort of teflon pad or something in there too.

 

Its a single helm (tiller) on a 33ft mono - so no need for massive swivel, but when I'm standing at the tiller I would want it on a slightly different angle than when im sitting tucked up under the dodger right next to the plotter.

 

I'm thinking of a plywood circle, cut on an angle for the slope, glassed and gelcoated in place, with a teflon / chopping board on top of that, then u bracket.

 Bolted through the center

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Winter, ok, no problem.

With a modern plotter - like the B&G Zeus2 Series, there is no need to change the angle. The small difference in viewing angle from the two locations wont make much difference to the image. This is because the new LCD screens have a much wider viewing angles, are WAY brighter, and because there is no longer a glass front, then a small gap in  front of the actual screen. The LCD is bonded directly to the front glass - which also completely eliminates fogging :-). And the bracket you need comes in the box.

The down side of a bracket mount is that the screens can reasonably easily be stolen, as only the two thumb screws and the cables need to be removed to free it. If it is to be left there, it is a good idea to replace the two thumb screws with anti tamper screws to make it harder to remove.

Send me a PM or give me a call - 0221539176 if you'd like a quote or to discuss.

Cheers

Matt

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We made up a little alloy bracket, started with a flat strip of allow, bent it at the dimensions we needed and cut out nice slots for the chart plotter screw threads on each side to slide into. Ours is mounted on the cabin bulk head, but off to one side, so the bracket is made so the chart plotter faces into the center of the cockpit a little bit.

 

The base is screwed into the bulkhead, good and secure underway. It is quick and easy to remove said chart plotter for security reasons, and to keep it out of the weather.

 

KM, our chart plotter repeats all sorts of speed, heading and wind info, so about as useful as tits on a bull downstairs. Down stairs is where we keep the paper charts  :wtf:

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IT, I just so happen to have the Zeus2. It is not so much the bracket - i'll use the one in the box, but the flat (+ level )smooth surface to mount that to. 

It's going to have a bolt through the centre - so by default, it can swivel around a little.  You are right, the good screen means it's not going to make a lick of difference for viewing, but I still want it to be able to turn a little - if only to make fondling it from the seat up under the dodger nicer.

 

 KM the plotter will also be my biggest and wind display - and I like to be able to see the charted depths of the area infront of me as i'm motoring around an anchorage.  Downstairs for paper charts :)

 

Not a huge fan of tablets as every time I go to use mine I've left it on and the battery is flat, and never seems to charge from the 12v cig plug charger.

 

I intend on being able to undo one wing nut holding the bracket in place, undo the cables and remove the whole plotter + bracket assembly for safe keeping downstairs. 

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Matt, is the B&G ZeusSeries the same as the Simrad NSS Evo2 series by any chance they look identical 

aside from software.. yup. same parent company made in same factory. No idea what the functional differences are

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Matt, is the B&G ZeusSeries the same as the Simrad NSS Evo2 series by any chance they look identical 

Nope. The case and processor is the same but the Simrad NSS Evo2 lacks all the sailing facilities. Basically the Navico range is aimed like this. Lowrance is for trailer Power boats up to small launches. Simrad is for launches and fishing boats. B&G is for sailboats. There is some hardware (as above) that is the same, but the software is different. You cannot change the software between brands.

 

Winter, KM is technophobic! Having that screen visible from the helm is a great idea. Once you have done that with a MFD (Multi function display) you'll never want to go back. It's the centre of a modern boat electronics package, and can provide the crew with a lot of very useful info, so that they can make more informed decisions. it is NOT just a plotter. It can do laylines, performance (Polars, Target Speeds etc), wind graphs for speed, direction, and oscillations - to get you on the right side of the shifts - as well as allt he normal plotter, radar, weather overlays etc. A tablet is in no way a substitute for a real MFD. They are fragile, go flat, crap in sunlight, use assisted GPS (not the same quality fix as a proper GPS) etc etc. They are IMO, a useful addition to a good system, but are not a primary navigator. However, you can, as KM said above, with your B&G Zeus2, add a go-free wifi module that will allow the mirroring of the Zeus display to the tablet, and control as well.  

 

In your case, just make up a wooden wedge to suit the cabin top contours, and use a captive bolt in it for the fixing to the Zeus2 mount. Add a stainless penny washer to that, then a nylon or Teflon spacer of a few mm on top, and you will have a good mount that swivels...

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Oh, and further to that - The Zues2 is IP7 from the front, IP6 from the rear. Therefore it is more waterproof if bulkhead mounted, or mounted in a Pod. However, under the dodger there it will be OK. It cannot be immersed when installed like that though! Spray, splashes, and hosing are ok, but not immersion unless it is bulkhead mounted or in a pod.

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Vorpal - that looks easy - but a bit much for what I'm after. I need to mount to the 'floor'  - not the 'wall' as your style bracket would. 

 

blogpicsmay2012+104.jpg

 

this is getting close. 

All you're looking for is a wedge to bolt through. Something simple if you have no teak stock would be to cut some PVC pipe , downpipe or similar,to the shape you need and fill it . Drill through the centre , eh voila... level mount.

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Yep, NMEA 2000 allows lots of stuff to be transmitted through the network - such as control of your stereo, interface to your engine's diag port, - so revs, temps, coolant flow, whatever your particular engine can provide. I've had that on Island Time for almost 15 years...

 

Just to be clear - I use a tablet (and or a phone) on my boat, but it is AS WELL as the primary nav system, and complements that. They are good for that. But it is not a patch on the real chart plotter/MFD, which always works, can be seen in direct sunlight, does not fall on the floor when the boat heels, can't be sat or stood on, is IP67 waterproof, does not need a case, never needs recharging, has a bigger/better screen etc. The tablet just repeats and controls the nav system when I want it to, but the nav system controls the boat electronics, not the tablet. The tablet is great for ebooks though!

 

Lets see what you think KM, once your boat is again, in fact afloat, and you have used your new system for a while. :-) The remote and wireless devices are nice to have, but add yet another layer of complexity.

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Hi All

Finding a suitable location for a MFD is a challenge for a tiller steered yacht, especially if you dislike the thought of boring big holes through the bulkhead. Even then, that location might be OK on port tack, not so good on starboard. Has anyone here mounted their MFD on a bracket inside the cabin so it can be swung out into the compainionway? How has that worked? My reservation with this approach is that someone could grab it (by mistake) when in rough water and that could be the end of that.

The other alternative is mount it inside and control it with an iPad. I tried this on a B&G Vulcan in the marine store & it worked brilliantly - no lag and very responsive - but how well would that work at sea is another issue. IPA's are useless in direct sunlight & charging them from 12 volts takes forever. 

All ready to buy a Vulcan, but far from ready deciding where to mount it........

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I like it flush-mounted on the bulkhead in clear view of the helmsman. It proved to be invaluable at th'Barrier over the NY storm where I was trying to find a suitable mooring at 1 am with my 2nd mate down below sleeping.

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Hi johnmanc,

Ours is a tiller steered yacht, we mounted it on the bulkhead by attaching the bracket to the bulkhead, the MFD sits just clear of it. It is off to one side, so is angled slightly so that it can be clearly seen on either tack while driving with the tiller.

As a note, we also have a handheld GPS in a cradle on the far opposite side of the cockpit that gives speed and heading in line of sight of the helms man when on that tack. The MFD is still close to hand and everything can be seen easy enough.

Works for us.

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The Vulcans are cool, just remember that they cant do radar, and cant be networked. If that is not an issue for you, they are great value.

 

km said;

"It just seems, due to the large number of comments made here, that this was the perfect situation for sending to a tablet rather than use something not designed to be installed that way that will be prone to damage, get in the way and be a right pain in the arse taking it on and off all the time. Winter did say it's for motoring thru anchorages so surely a larger screen tablet has to be better than a smaller plotter screen."

 

yep, agreed. You still have to put the ipad/tablet  somewhere though, and they are a nuisance floating around the cockpit. especially short handed, and virtually useless on sunny days. If you install a bracket for them, may as well have a plotter/mfd.  :wave:  Unless you have a Vulcan downstairs, then you cant, so plotter upstairs ipad/tablet downstairs works better.

 

Each to their own though, everyone likes different stuff!

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Thanks IT. I don't have radar & apart from my NMEA2000 transducers for depth, speed & compass, don't have a network. 

 

However I have a couple more questions.

1. Should I mount a Vulcan on a swinging bracket inside the cabin with the ability to swing it out to see it from the companionway, obviously the unit will move through 180 degrees. Does this affect its internal orientation for the likes of COG &/or heading? Or does it automatically compensate?

2. Another option I have considered is mounting twin 5" Vulcans on the aft face of the cockpit bulkhead - one each side - as opposed to a single 7" one to port. In the case of twin Vulcans on a NMEA200 network does one become the master and the other the slave, or do they fight against each other? Any experiences with twin Vulcan's?

cheers

John 

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