Mounting Chartplotter Near Compass?

[MedSailor]

Now I'm very much a paper chart kind of guy. We really enjoy piloting the old fashioned way, but I realise that there are some times, when a chartplotter would be really nice to have. Add to that that the prices of said units are approaching the "nice to have" budget column.

I figure that mounting it at the helm would make sense, but can I mount it so close to my main compass? I have a standard wheel pedestal with compass, and grab rail.

Will this work as an acceptable mounting option or will my compass always point towards the rocks?

MedSailor

[Northeaster]

My boat is only 30', and therefore will likely have a smaller cockpit than yours. However, in mine, I chose to mount it on the cabin top, next to the companionway, and am very happy with the decison. I had thought about pedestal mounting, but in the end, I rarely am behind the helm. I often sit beside it, and can stretch to reach the chartplotter, for example, to zoom in or out.
The only way I would mount it at the helm / pedestal, would be if it were on a swivel, of some sort, so I could turn it sideways.

[camaraderie]

The answer is yes you can. The helm is where it is most useful and where it is designed to be mounted.

[Joesaila]

I too have a 30' w a pedestal and have a chartplotter, radio and autohelm in a navpod. It makes the most sense to have it there, easy to observe and not effect on the compass.

[wright1d]

Originally Posted by Joesaila

I too have a 30' w a pedestal and have a chartplotter, radio and autohelm in a navpod. It makes the most sense to have it there, easy to observe and not effect on the compass.

I purchased a Garmin 540s about a month ago and mounted it a few inches from my compass right by the helm. My unit does effect the compass about 8 degrees. For now I am aware of the issue so I can correct for that or remove it if its an issue. Honestly I steer by the chart plotter more then anything else. I think I can adjust my compass to correct the the change from the GPS but have not yet tried it as I'm pretty sure I would only use it if the GPS failed and at that point would not want to have to think about correcting as I may have bigger problems?

[poopdeckpappy]

You may ( most likely ) need to recalibrate the compass

[Northeaster]

Hi Cam,

I do think that helm mounting is a good option for many. However, I do think that other options may be more useful for others (not necessarily the OP). For example, if you spend alot of time sailing on autopilot and prefer sitting in front of the wheel, and closer to sail controls, etc. or , if you often have guests on board, who like to steer the boat, having it mounted next to the companionway allows me to watch out for hazards, without the need to sit behind the helm to see the display.

I would also point out the often outragous prices of the navpod units.

My way is not for everyone, but works well for me.

[camaraderie]

NEaster...yeah...I was really referring to the preference to have it close at hand and immediately readable from wherever you do your steering from. Mine was mounted on a rather inexpensive swingarm mounted directly to the pedestal body that I could then swing in any direction for reading wherever I happened to be seated...this was good for night passages under autopilot but 90% of the time I just used it at the helm.
What I don't get is mounting it below as some do!

Try this catalog as there is something for every product!
http://www.ram-mount.com/Portals/0/S...ne_catalog.pdf

[sailingdog]

Cam—

Mine is mounted below but swings out so that it is visible in the companionway. However, this generally only works on smaller boats, unlike your big former barge...