Chartplotters

[john daley]

After a few interesting nighttime sailing experiences on "Trader Jack" I'm quite keen on the idea of fitting a Raymarine Raychart 530 colour plotter on the pedestal. I already have the standard navpod with three ST60 instruments on the upper part of the pedestal and need a protective cover to house the unit on the lower sloping part of the pedestal. I have seen an older edson housing that looked rather clunky and I suspect Navpod would be the way to go. I want the unit to be as compact as possible - I don't want to add any other extra instruments alongside and I don't want the whole display to look like the cockpit of a 747. We don't have any Navpod agents here and I'm not entirely clear on which is the model I need - even from their online catalogue.

Has anyone out there done this thing and does it all work well and look good. Appreciate any information.

[Jack Hutteball]

I recently installed a Garmin 2006C chartplotter on the sloping part of the pedestal guard.  It is similar to the Ray chart, only a little wider.  I ordered a Navpod unit that was about 10-1/2" high and 11-1/2" wide that is about 1" bigger each way than the 2006C.  I ordered it from Broken Leg Dave on the web, good service and reputable.  As I recall, he had sizes and model numbers listed, was also the best price I found(they don't give those things away!).  You need to know the size of your chartplotter.
I drilled one hole in the pedestal guard on the starboard side and picked up power from the ST60 panel above, running wires through the guard(very easy).  No problems as there no wires in that side of the pedestal.  Be careful as you drill the mounting holes for the navpod on the port side of the guard as the wiring runs up and down that one.  I Mounted the antenna on top of the guard instead of on the aft rail as I have seen others do.  It appears to be a lot of work to get the wiring up into the aft rail.  The antenna is on a swivel mount so that I can turn it down before I put the wheel/pedestal cover on.  Works great in this location.  The antenna wire goes through a small hole with a grommet underneath the top part of the guard and down into the navpod.  It is a very neat and tidy installation, works great, and does not look like a 747 cockpit.  Could e-mail a picture if you like.

[john daley]

Thanks Jack - I couldn't believe that someone out there hadn't done it. Your information is very helpful. I'm having to reconsider the Raytheon because of cost - its around NZ$7000 plus chip out here which is a bit out of reach, and I think the Garmin is about NZ$4700 plus chip. So I may have to settle for the Navman 5600 which is made in New Zealand and has a very good reputation (just doesn't look as smart) and which I can get for NZ$2650 plus chip and has a 6.4" diagonal screen measurement. Even getting a Navpod to fit the Navman shipped out here sounds like it will cost me close to NZ$1000 which is way too much for a plastic shell, so I'm currently talking to a very clever young boatbuilder here who thinks he can make me something that looks good and fits in.
Putting the antenna on top of the loop is NOT a silly idea at all. Thanks for your help - I will try "Broken Leg Dave" - haven't heard of him before, and see what he can do.

[Jack Hutteball]

John, just a comment.  Be sure the chartplotter you purchase is visable in sunlight, as with that mounting location it is out there in the sun most of the time (unless you are under a lot of cloud cover like we are in the Pacific Northwest!)  Mine works great without even going to the full sun position setting. Good luck on your installation.

[R Martin]

John,

Just a thought.  If you are sailing at night, radar may be a better option.  Instead of a chart plotter on my boat I had a Raytheon radar (model R70 I believe) and then have my hand held Garmin 76 map talk to the radar.  The Garmin 76 map's screen is not very big but sufficent and coupled with the radar makes a nice package.  I mounted the Garmin GPS on the pedistal beside the radar on a piece of teak I make myself.

Good Luck

[Bob Kuba]

Here are a couple of photos of our helm. Sometime a pic is worth a 1k words.

 

 

[john daley]

Thanks everyone for the information - its been very helpful. Those photos are great - I hadn't considered the option of the side fitting. I've ended up going for the Navman chartplotter which has a daylight colour screen (6.4" diag.) and is very shallow - doesn't have the big bulge out the back. A very clever young boatbuilder is making me a housing for it that will match the Navpod and sit below the ST60's. The Navman is not as classy looking as the Raymarine, but at $NZ 2600 as opposed to $NZ 7000 it will do fine, and it has had very good reviews and a long warranty.

Radar was a bit out of my price range at the moment, and probably more than I need. The traffic on the water is pretty quiet down here.