Mounting Electronics

[geoffmck]

Perhaps a silly question, but...................

I am just about to mount a fishfinder and handheld gps (bracket mount) in my half cabin boat and wanted to put them in the best position for viewing without them being annoyingly in the way.

Do you find yourself looking at the gps or sounder more when underway, eg: which is best to mount in front of you and which to the side? Or should they both be mounted equally either side of directly in front of you?

Should the sounder be more in the middle so the passengers can view as well?

Does the light (glare) from the gear interfere with your night vision when travelling?

Thanks

[BaitThrower]

Usually I loking at the GPS more when getting to the spot, then the sounder when I am in the general area I want to fish, however, if I am boating in an unfamiliar area, I will look at both equally, using the sounder's depth finding ability to make sure I'm staying in the deep end

I dont have a half cab, but I reckon you put them both to the side, perhaps at a 45 degree angle from straight ahead. Allows you to look at them easily without obstructing your view out the front but also within a range that means you can still see out front from the corner of your eye when looking at them.

As for light glare, you should find most sounders/GPS have a screen brightness setting you can turn down low at night if glare is a problem. At night the screen brightness can be turned right down and you can still see the image just fine.

[TimiBoy]

Perhaps a silly question, but...................

I am just about to mount a fishfinder and handheld gps (bracket mount) in my half cabin boat and wanted to put them in the best position for viewing without them being annoyingly in the way.

Do you find yourself looking at the gps or sounder more when underway, eg: which is best to mount in front of you and which to the side? Or should they both be mounted equally either side of directly in front of you?

Should the sounder be more in the middle so the passengers can view as well?

Does the light (glare) from the gear interfere with your night vision when travelling?

Thanks

If I'm outside, the Nav screen gets a hammering, as it helps me stay on course.

In close/estuary, the sounder gets the work, as the nav will just help you pick a point of reference, which you then steer to.

What sort of work do you do the most? Your GPS screen is small, you want to ensure you can flick your eyes to it easily.

Position everything for your use. The passengers can crane their necks if they want to look, but the Skipper must have it set up for the Skipper! And directly in front, too, IMO. They are safety devices, and need to be in the best possible spot.

Cheers,

Tim

[trueblue]

you need to be able to see them both perfectly. Put them wherever you can see them both comfortably from while driving.

[garman1]

Experiment with where they are going to go if you can..... don't drill holes till your sure where they are going, don't put them directly in your line of vision. I put mine where I thought it would be easy to see and ended up shifting em later as they were a pain being in line of sight all the time.

I mounted a compass with double sided tape before I had it fitted in properly, glad I did because in the end when I really needed to see it, it wasn't in the best place. Luckily it came off easy with no holes.

Be like a tradesman measure twice or three times and drill holes only once........

[Jeremy]

Position everything for your use. The passengers can crane their necks if they want to look, but the Skipper must have it set up for the Skipper! And directly in front, too, IMO. They are safety devices, and need to be in the best possible spot.

That's what I say too!
Jeremy