posted December 28, 2004 12:07 PM            

It is amazing just how compact those little cameras can be.

My VHF is a built-in type. It came with a surface-mounting bracket. But, based on the photos from other Sandpipers, I am considering installing bulkheads over the quarter berths and dash-mounting the VHF.

Does anyone have experience with this type of installation? Any thoughts or preferences?

posted December 28, 2004 07:42 PM            

When you run the coax thru the mast put tie-wraps on it every 2ft first. DO not trim the tie-wraps. This will stop the cable from banging around inside the mast when you are anchoured.

Run the cable thru the cabin top using proper marine bulkhead fitting. It will not leak.

Here are some pics of my installation in my previous boat;

posted December 29, 2004 04:39 AM            

Excellent photos. Excellent installations. Excellent suggestions.

posted December 29, 2004 08:54 AM               

I think I’ll explore the bulkhead method and relocate my existing electronics.
Did you notice any magnetic interference with your compass with the electronics so close? I had a speaker too close to my compass and the magnet interfered. I couldn’t figure out why the boat was always going in the same direction.

Thanks again.

posted December 29, 2004 10:00 AM               

I also got a new boat tool box, as I had broken my original, and we got a DVD copy of Captain Ron .

The only problem with getting boat presents,[for me anyway], is that we have to wait 4 months until we can use them .

posted December 29, 2004 11:41 PM            

When I chose the radio location I made sure that I could reach it easy from the cockpit with out leaving the tiller for more than a second. But the problem I had was that I couldn't here the radio well in windiness or with the motor running. So I ended up adding a bulkhead speaker in the cockpit beside the companionway. That fixed that. The mike could also be left dangling out the comanion way in really tough situations.

As for compass effects I had problems also. Originally I had the compass on the port side bulkhead. Compass was totally useless I found out quickly. I did a test by removing the radio (which you see in the photos was installed directly behind the portside bulkhead) and the compass worked fine by itself. So I moved the compass to the starboard side and it worked fine with the radio installed. I installed the radio external speaker in the hole originally cut for the compass so I lucked out there. The speaker was a shielded type that did not effect compasses.
Then I got a ghetto blaster that I kept in the companion way (see pic below). Well that ended up effecting the compass also. But that effect was minimal so I normally tolerated the error except when I wanted to steer accurate, then I moved the gheto blaster to the port seat in the cockpit.

Then I installed my cell phone holder on the starboard side bulhead next to the compass. It also effected the compass by a couple of degrees. So again when steering very precisely I removed the phone.

Here was my arrangement of cockpit instruments/toys;

Gheto blaster in operating position

Depth sounder added;

[This message has been edited by 2short S565 (edited December 29, 2004).]

posted December 30, 2004 09:58 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by SuperPiper:
Depth Sounder.

Where, how did you install the sensor?

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Mine was an inside the hull (ie shoots thru the hull as opposed to being mounted in a hole thru the hull)sensor mounted inside of the forward portside locker. I mounted the sensor pretty well as far forward and as close to the keel as I could in that space. That was about 2" clear of both the front and the side of the locker, so that it was mounted on pretty much a flat surface. Was not easy to do the install because of the awkward location. I carefully checked the hull angle and transfered the boat centerline orientation to that location and orientated the housing as per the instruction.
I glued the sensor housing to the inside of the hull with the 3M adhesive/sealant that was recommended in the Uniden instructions (cant remember what it was now).
The housing was filled with mineral oil and the sensor "puck" twist locked onto the top of the housing.
In that location I found that the boat heel did not noticably effect the depth reading. Even at a max heel the depth sounder worked (ie that portion of the hull did not come out of the water).

After having one, I highly recommend a depth sounder.

Fred

posted December 31, 2004 03:55 AM            

I have access to an abandoned fish-finder. It has an LCD display that would show the depth, the profile of the bottom, and to some degree, the condition of the bottom (logs, rocks, flat). However, this device only has a transom bracket. I would need to do some homework to determine if this (obsolete) unit could be installed as elegantly as your equipment.

posted December 31, 2004 04:27 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by whited:
I'm thinking of drilling a hole in my hull for the traditional type. My impression is...if you get it good & watertight, it might be the most accurate.

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I'm thinking of drilling a hole in my hull for the traditional type. My impression is...if you get it good & watertight, it might be the most accurate.

The accuracy of the thru hull is just fine. They are calibrated to look thru the fiberglass. The lake bottom is not flat so you don't want to see every slight change.
If you require better accuracy than a thru hull, then I would recommend that you stock up on fiberglass repair materials.
But thats just my opinion.

posted December 31, 2004 04:50 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by 2short S565:
I'm thinking of drilling a hole in my hull for the traditional type. My impression is...if you get it good & watertight, it might be the most accurate.

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posted December 31, 2004 04:51 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by SuperPiper:
That is a neat installation!

I have access to an abandoned fish-finder. It has an LCD display that would show the depth, the profile of the bottom, and to some degree, the condition of the bottom (logs, rocks, flat). However, this device only has a transom bracket. I would need to do some homework to determine if this (obsolete) unit could be installed as elegantly as your equipment.
What other options do I have?

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I had been told by a manager at a West Marine store that the uniden transom mount transducer can be used to shoot thru a hull. I am skeptical myself because I know the inside the hull transmitters are designed larger so as to be able to shoot thru the fiberglass.
You have nothing to loose by trying yours. Clean the spot on the inside of the hull with sandpaper.
Get a clear plastic sandwich bag and fill it half full of water.
Connect the transducer to the display.
Place the transducer in the bag and tie the top tight (with the wire protruding out of the bag).
Place the bag on the cleaned spot and press and hold the transducer onto the hull, keeping it submerged. (this is to eliminate air between the transducer and the hull).
Turn on the depth sounder and see if you get a depth reading. Adjust the sensitivities as per the directions.
If you don't know the actual water depth, use a long pole to measure it and then compare to the depth sounder reading.

Instead of the bag of water you can also coat the bottom of the transducer with petoleum jelly and press it tight against the hull to eliminate the air.

If it works then glue the transuder directly to the inside of the hull using the proper type of glue/sealant.

This is basically the recommended method that is used to confirm a thru hull installation before actually you glue it to the hull. You must do this to confirm that there are no air bubbles in the fiberglass that the transducer will be shooting thru.

[This message has been edited by 2short S565 (edited December 31, 2004).]

posted January 01, 2005 07:16 AM            

But, your suggestion is fool-proof. I'll try it (next April).

posted January 01, 2005 09:12 AM               

Mine is surmurged in resin, and it works well.

Also use a fish finder, less expensive than a depth finder, and works better.

posted January 12, 2005 09:10 AM               

Christmas was good for us. Lynn and I have sometimes been known to give each other the same gifts. We both received beautiful insulated mugs for sipping coffee on Shortwave. The mugs have a French coffee press built into them: You just add coffee, sugar, water then press down the filter. Makes a superb mug of java and to top it off are the same blue colour as our hull.

My Mother-in law was also most generous giving us some well designed nesting camp pots, kettle and single burner stove for the boat. Camping gear has come a long way since my old army surplus tin cup and bowl. Our new pots are durable and; are again the same colour as Shortwave's hull. We'll be dining in style this coming summer.

This forum is always a learning experience with the comments on radio location valuable information. True to form, Ken has set up Shortwave's radio in a well thought out location. Our radio is on the starboard side of the hatch with compass on the port side. Next to the radio is the depth sounder, which can be brought out and located on the cabin top when needed.