Mounting of GPS and Sounder??

[Smelly]

Here is my pic of my cockpit - showing current dash layout. (Ignore the sounder on the LHS - junk - and will be discarded...)

Option 1 - create a new dash profile and flush mount both sounder and gps side by side in front of driver.

Option 2 - keep existing driver dash profile/instruments and somehow mount the GPS on it with new sounder on passenger dash.

Option 3 - mount both SOunder and GPS on existing dash - in front of driver.

Which option should I go for ??

Or somehting entirely different?

ANd, best place to mount the exernal antenna for GPS?

[Stumpy-USA2]

Smelly,

If you have the room for it I would use two R.A.M. mounts so you can keep the console you have and mount the two units directly in front of the driver. The GPS antenna should be mounted as far forward or aft as possible and as far away from other electronic devices as possible and on a flat area with a full unobstructed view of the sky. I mounted mine on the left side of the transom as near to the corner as i could get. As a bonus, by using the R.A.M. mounts you don't have to cut as many holes in your console.

Stumpy

P.S.: I will try to get you a picture of a bracket I made out of aluminum that holds the unit and antenna for a combo sonar/gps unit.

[Grand_Marlin]

G'day Stumpy,

Another option would be a single combo gps sounder unit mounted in front of the driver on top of the dash.

Cheers

Pete

[WSW]

I agree that the sounder/GPS option is a good one to consider. Whatever you go I personally think the sounder/GPS should be in front of the driver.

[onerabbit]

Not sure about a combo, if you loose one you loose all, but I would definitely mount your GPS where you can see it when you are at the wheel.
I have mine mounted on my righthand side & sounder on a frame between the two dashboards, my boat layout is very similar to yours, but I have sealed off the windscreen so it no longer lifts.

Muzz

[onerabbit]

A couple of pics.

[onerabbit]

One more.

[Smelly]

Intersting.

THanks guys.

Onerabbit - why did you close off the windscreen?

Regards

[Smelly]

Stumpy,

Please tell me more about these RAM mounts? Links/pictures?

I am still trying to envisage how I have enough space to moun these RAM mounts in fron of me..?

Intrested also about the anenna mount..

Regards

[Smelly]

Onerabbit.

How do u throw your anchor out then?

[onerabbit]

Hi smelly,

My old girl is nearly 30 yrs old, so the screen (among other things ) has suffered over time. The hinges were corroding out & it was just easier to seal it all up & re-inforce it.
Besides, Charlie got a bit wet a few times when a big greenie came over the front while he was having "a little sleep" up the front a few times, so I siliconed the whole screen & hatch up so he would stay dry. ;D ;D ;D
We NEVER anchour at sea, & when we anchour up in the river, it's just as easy to throw the anchour from the side & flick the rope over the bowsprit from the wheel & tie off to the grab-rail.

Just how we do it,

Muzz

[Smelly]

Thanks Muzz.

WHy dont you anchor at sea?

do these walk-thru windscreens leak?

Regards

[onerabbit]

Hey Smelly,

there are close in reefs around Ballina where it would be ok to anchour up, but we normally dont stop until we are in about 60 mtrs of water at least, I'm not real keen on pulling up that much rope.
Besides that, I like to drift as it covers heaps of ground, if we find a patch of fish we can just run back up the bread-crumb trail

It usually only happens on a rough day, but if you get a greenie across the bow (the sort that threatens to run up the windscreen & hit you in the face), I found that my screen & hatch did leak quite a bit, maybe because the seals were less than perfect.


Muzz

[Fat_Chilli]

Here's the R.A.M. mount site - http://www.ram-mount.com.au/

Looks like I'll need one too.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/ausjeep/Fat%20Chili/1104897845_ram-b101-l1-large.jpg

FC.

[Smelly]

Thanks Fat CHilli.

Why is this Ram mount chosen over the others listed on the Ram-Mount web site?

Thanks

[Fat_Chilli]

Just the first one I opened. It's also the one I think I need.

[Stumpy-USA2]

Sorry about the delay! I've been out of town since noon Friday, just now getting to check in.

The RAM mount system is great. You can position your unit the way you want and have the flexibility to turn it to a better viewing angle or, if you leave you boat outside, you can take the units off and lock them up at night. The mounts themselves will handle a ton of weight. You can put the largest of units on them and not have to worry about them working loose or coming off. Also, using one means fewer holes drilled into your boat. They use only three or four small screws to hold them on. Normally there is a block of wood formed into the console area of boats by the manufacturer for mounting purposes. You can get different lengths and diameters if you want, but I use the MicroRAM on my LMS-480, and have seen many larger units use it.
I will get a picture of my setup and post it ASAP.
Stumpy

[Stumpy-USA2]

This is a picture of the bracket I made for mounting a GPS/Sonar combo on one RAM mount. If you would like a few more images just let me know.

Stumpy

[Smelly]

Well done Stumpy - very efficient use of space..

Is the MicroRAM linked anywhere?

Why did u choose such a beast?

Smelly

[Stumpy-USA2]

Smelly,

Linked? If you mean where to get more info on one try basspro.com in the electronics accessories section, if you mean linked as in linked together, no. It has a ball maount you attach to your boat then a tensioner arm then another ball that attaches to the bottom of the sonar gimbal. Its all rubber coated so that it won't slip when tightened down.

As far a getting a beast goes, size wise its not that big but power wise it is fairly strong. In my home lake (Lewis Smith Lake) in north central Alabama the water averages over 150 feet deep(300+ in some places). A regular unit with 800 to 1500 watts of power just won't give the detail I need. Many of our brush tops and structures we fish here top out at 60 to 80 feet. Also, I use a jigging spoon quite a bit and the extra power helps me pick it up better in deep water. One other bonus of more power is that it helps in determining bottom composition because of the more refined signal.

If you want to check out some real blow torches look at the Humming bird 987SI or the new Lowrance big screen HD units. They will put out around 8,000 watts of peak to peak power.

Stumpy