Cruising Helmsman – June 2017

(sharon) #1
MODERN chartplotters are
waterproof and daylight viewable,
so most new wheel-steered yachts have
one mounted at the steering pedestal,
viewable by the helmsman.
Typically, the display is f lush
mounted into a customised moulding
with wiring connections hidden from
sight. It is a neat arrangement and
convenient for the helmsman. I am far
from being the first owner of an older
style yacht to think about retrofitting
a chartplotter at the helm.
There are commercial mouldings

and 'pod' products available, often
designed to mount on tubular frames
that might be attached to an existing
steering pedestal for example. Options
of course depend on the dimensions and
relative positions of possible supports,
but some could also suit tiller steered
yachts, such as supporting a pod from
an overhead bimini or cockpit solar
panel frame.
My own DIY approach is now in its third
evolution and my experiences may inform
others considering building their own, or
adapting a proprietary pod.

MARK 1: DODGER SUPPORTED
My boat does have a steering pedestal but
when I first tackled this project in 2012
the simplest option was to support a small
chartplotter/sounder unit from the aft
edge of the cockpit dodger, using the clip-
in base supplied for on-surface mounting.
Our dodger is rigid and extends aft almost
to the steering pedestal, but something
similar could be done from the more usual
tubular-framed canvass dodger, perhaps
via a pair of overhead tubes bridging to a
bimini, with wiring clipped to the tubes.
This unit was supplied with a 'skimmer'

52


Cockpit electronics hack


Cruising Helmsman June 2017

IN ENGINEERING TERMS IT IS OFTEN


SAID THE THIRD UNIT BUILT IS WHEN


YOU BEGIN TO GET IT RIGHT.


PRACTICAL


ELECTRONICS


Project


BY ANDREW BRAY

Free download pdf