Mounting GPS/VHF - Moderated Discussion Areas

  ContinuousWave
  Whaler
  Moderated Discussion Areas
  ContinuousWave: Whaler Repairs/Mods
  Mounting GPS/VHF

search | FAQ | profile | register | author help

Author Topic:   Mounting GPS/VHF

ChrisK posted 04-22-2001 07:46 AM ET (US)
I have a 19' Classic Outrage on which I am having a new Garmin 162 mounted as well as a Standard Intrepid VHF. My dilemma is that on the relatively small console, there isn't much room for this stuff. We already have a compass in the center and a fishfinder to the left of the compass. That leaves the space to the right of the compass for the GPS. I also have a marine stereo mounted below and to the left of the steering wheel on the console face (flush mounted). Since many of you also have this same boat or console, what are your suggestions? All of this stuff is expensive, as is the boat, so I want to get it right the first time.
Thanks in advance for the help.
Chris
kingfish posted 04-22-2001 08:49 AM ET (US)
Chris-
I've got an Outrage 22' with a console that I'm sure is either the same as yours or even smaller. I have a compass, a Garmin 235, and a cup/implement holder (on suction cups) on the deck of my console. I have an FM stereo/CD player and a Standard Intrepid flush-mounted below the wheel in the vertical surface just below the break, one over the other. The only thing I would do differently (and I'm planning to remedy this next winter, if not before) is to develop wedged teak face plates for both of them so I can angle their respective faces upwards, making it easier to read the displays. (I noticed when I bought my Intrepid that Standard had a model that was "bent" so if you flush-mounted it, the face would automatically angle upwards. It didn't have all the features of the intreoid, though, as I recall.)
Hope this helps.
John
triblet posted 04-22-2001 11:21 AM ET (US)
On my Montauk (different console but about
the same amount of space), I mounted them
(left to right) FF, compass, GPS, VHF.
The compass is up against the windshield,
the others are as far aft on the console as
possible. Pictures at
http://www.garlic.com/~triblet/whaler/
Watch out for the speaker magnet on the
radio affecting the compass. You may need
to move the compass. With basically the same
suite of instruments, I had to move the
compass to the left so I see it between
the fish finder and the GPS. If I had it to
do over again, I'd mount the fishfinder a
half inch to the ft and the GPS an inch to
the right to give better visibility to the
compass. But with the 162, I find I don't
use the compass much anymore, so I'm not
going to do it over.
Set things on the console, and try working
the controls.
If you are left handed, I'd switch the GPS
and FF.
The right hand side of the console
is a good place to hang the mike.
Dick posted 04-22-2001 11:49 AM ET (US)
On my Montauk I mounted the GPS on the left, compass in the center, fish finder on the right and flush mounted the VHF to the right of the wheel.
Works for me.
Dick
Tom W Clark posted 04-22-2001 12:58 PM ET (US)
On my last boat, an 18 Outrage, I mounted the fishfinder/GPS on the right side of the console top. My 4" Ritchie compass was in the middle. I had both a VHF and a CB mounted in the bottom of the console on angled brackets that pointed the faces of the radios up at about a 45 degree angle. One radio was at the lower left corner of the opening and the other on the opposite side. When I was in the boat the teak hatch was almost alway open and the mikes mounted on clips on the face of the console along side the opening within arms reach. The biggest problem with this set up is (as others here have pointed out) that the speakers are very hard to hear and a remote speaker is in order. I bought a remote VHF speaker which I kept loose (un-mounted) so I could put it on top of the console when I wanted to use the radio (which was rarely)
I also had a loran which was mounted inside the console behind a louvered teak hatch directly beneath the binnacle mount control. This space could have been used for a VHF or a GPS and really looked sharp. It's hard to describe so here's a crappy photo: http://members.home.net/tomwclark/console.jpeg
OutrageMan posted 04-22-2001 01:09 PM ET (US)
I just got done with this same problem. However, I think I had a an easier resolution. I have a t-top on my 22 outrage, and so I am having the boat yard install an electronics box in its top and put my VHF and 3 power leads in the box. The power leads are then going to be wired to push-pull switches on the console. I will then install my chartplotter in the box. I will leave one of the power leads there for future use and then I am going to run one to a dome light I plan to intall in the top.
Brian
lhg posted 04-22-2001 10:27 PM ET (US)
It seems as though the new electronics, particularly GPS, are changing the way instruments are placed, and gradually obsoleting the compass.
Some of these old marine traditions are falling by the wayside. Until GPS, the compass, which used to be considered the most important piece of gear on the boat, was always front and center, always centered on the wheel. All BW's, from the earliest days,
came from the factory set up this way, if a Ritchie compass was ordered as OEM. On the Revenge models, a compass pad, on the wheel centerline, is even molded into the cabin shell.
On the Mahogany/Montauk/Outrage (standard) consoles, because of the difficulty of keeping the speaker magnet away from the wheel centered compass, BW used to recommend the radio be placed below, inside the console at the front hatch. Never a great convenience, but it does solve the magnetic interference problem. I use my radios a lot less than normal because of this location. I tried an external 4 x 4 speaker, on the far starboard side console rail, and it still spins the compass. A handheld works the best for me when talking to other boats at speed.

Hop to:

Contact Us | RETURN to ContinuousWave Top Page

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Freeware Version 2000
Purchase our Licensed Version- which adds many more features!
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 2000.

Author	Topic: Mounting GPS/VHF
ChrisK	posted 04-22-2001 07:46 AM ET (US) I have a 19' Classic Outrage on which I am having a new Garmin 162 mounted as well as a Standard Intrepid VHF. My dilemma is that on the relatively small console, there isn't much room for this stuff. We already have a compass in the center and a fishfinder to the left of the compass. That leaves the space to the right of the compass for the GPS. I also have a marine stereo mounted below and to the left of the steering wheel on the console face (flush mounted). Since many of you also have this same boat or console, what are your suggestions? All of this stuff is expensive, as is the boat, so I want to get it right the first time. Thanks in advance for the help. Chris
kingfish	posted 04-22-2001 08:49 AM ET (US) Chris- I've got an Outrage 22' with a console that I'm sure is either the same as yours or even smaller. I have a compass, a Garmin 235, and a cup/implement holder (on suction cups) on the deck of my console. I have an FM stereo/CD player and a Standard Intrepid flush-mounted below the wheel in the vertical surface just below the break, one over the other. The only thing I would do differently (and I'm planning to remedy this next winter, if not before) is to develop wedged teak face plates for both of them so I can angle their respective faces upwards, making it easier to read the displays. (I noticed when I bought my Intrepid that Standard had a model that was "bent" so if you flush-mounted it, the face would automatically angle upwards. It didn't have all the features of the intreoid, though, as I recall.) Hope this helps. John
triblet	posted 04-22-2001 11:21 AM ET (US) On my Montauk (different console but about the same amount of space), I mounted them (left to right) FF, compass, GPS, VHF. The compass is up against the windshield, the others are as far aft on the console as possible. Pictures at http://www.garlic.com/~triblet/whaler/ Watch out for the speaker magnet on the radio affecting the compass. You may need to move the compass. With basically the same suite of instruments, I had to move the compass to the left so I see it between the fish finder and the GPS. If I had it to do over again, I'd mount the fishfinder a half inch to the ft and the GPS an inch to the right to give better visibility to the compass. But with the 162, I find I don't use the compass much anymore, so I'm not going to do it over. Set things on the console, and try working the controls. If you are left handed, I'd switch the GPS and FF. The right hand side of the console is a good place to hang the mike.
Dick	posted 04-22-2001 11:49 AM ET (US) On my Montauk I mounted the GPS on the left, compass in the center, fish finder on the right and flush mounted the VHF to the right of the wheel. Works for me. Dick
Tom W Clark	posted 04-22-2001 12:58 PM ET (US) On my last boat, an 18 Outrage, I mounted the fishfinder/GPS on the right side of the console top. My 4" Ritchie compass was in the middle. I had both a VHF and a CB mounted in the bottom of the console on angled brackets that pointed the faces of the radios up at about a 45 degree angle. One radio was at the lower left corner of the opening and the other on the opposite side. When I was in the boat the teak hatch was almost alway open and the mikes mounted on clips on the face of the console along side the opening within arms reach. The biggest problem with this set up is (as others here have pointed out) that the speakers are very hard to hear and a remote speaker is in order. I bought a remote VHF speaker which I kept loose (un-mounted) so I could put it on top of the console when I wanted to use the radio (which was rarely) I also had a loran which was mounted inside the console behind a louvered teak hatch directly beneath the binnacle mount control. This space could have been used for a VHF or a GPS and really looked sharp. It's hard to describe so here's a crappy photo: http://members.home.net/tomwclark/console.jpeg
OutrageMan	posted 04-22-2001 01:09 PM ET (US) I just got done with this same problem. However, I think I had a an easier resolution. I have a t-top on my 22 outrage, and so I am having the boat yard install an electronics box in its top and put my VHF and 3 power leads in the box. The power leads are then going to be wired to push-pull switches on the console. I will then install my chartplotter in the box. I will leave one of the power leads there for future use and then I am going to run one to a dome light I plan to intall in the top. Brian
lhg	posted 04-22-2001 10:27 PM ET (US) It seems as though the new electronics, particularly GPS, are changing the way instruments are placed, and gradually obsoleting the compass. Some of these old marine traditions are falling by the wayside. Until GPS, the compass, which used to be considered the most important piece of gear on the boat, was always front and center, always centered on the wheel. All BW's, from the earliest days, came from the factory set up this way, if a Ritchie compass was ordered as OEM. On the Revenge models, a compass pad, on the wheel centerline, is even molded into the cabin shell. On the Mahogany/Montauk/Outrage (standard) consoles, because of the difficulty of keeping the speaker magnet away from the wheel centered compass, BW used to recommend the radio be placed below, inside the console at the front hatch. Never a great convenience, but it does solve the magnetic interference problem. I use my radios a lot less than normal because of this location. I tried an external 4 x 4 speaker, on the far starboard side console rail, and it still spins the compass. A handheld works the best for me when talking to other boats at speed.