Electronics for a CD27

[Steve Behnke]

An older Lawrence combination fishfinder/gps chartplotter came with my boat. It works great and I use it a lot.

I mounted it on an adjustable arm (RAM Electronics Mount--$40-$60 from Defenders or Westmarine) fastened just inside the port side of the companionway. I swing it out into the companionway to use it while steering-- and can watch speed, check depths or study chart with hands free.

It swings back out of the way and out of the weather when not needed. Its handy to be able to use it inside the cabin when at anchor to study routes or to check how far the boat is swinging or whether it seems to be dragging.

[Joe CD MS 300]

WM is not cheap. Try gpscity.com, tigergps.com abesofmaine.com. I have bought from all three. Good prices and no problems.


Garmin GPS 76 $99.99

http://www.gpscity.com/item-garmin-gps-72/72.htm

They have a color GPS Map 76 for $270

[Mark Yashinsky]

What size handheld are you looking at and where would you mount it? Then the big question, could you read the screen from posible helming locations?

I have a Garmin 276C on an arm that swings it into the companion way, and if I am sitting on the traveler, the text is just readable. And this is NOT the smallest of GPS screens, nor would I consider it a "handheld". How good is your eyesight?
Its also tied into ship's 12V, as well at the tillerpilot and DSC VHF.

[Troy Scott]

Shipscarver,

Go to WM to LOOK only. Then go online and find the same items for MUCH LESS.

How about a Garmin eTrex for $120, or an eTrex Vista for $170? Or maybe look on ebay for a slightly used handheld GPS. Last generation units often sell for a fraction of the new price and still provide excellent value. A GPSMAP 76S for about $180 would give you LOADS of information. Honestly, an inexpensive GPS will tell you MOST of what the most expensive ones will.

I would have a good compass, a knotmeter, a depth-sounder and a medium sized GPS, maybe a GPSMAP 478.

The knotmeter info combined with the GPS will allow you to easily calculate currents. The depth-sounder will keep you safe and reaffirm what the GPS is telling you. Fancy wind instruments would be fun, but easy to do without.

[Neil Gordon]

What size handheld are you looking at and where would you mount it? Then the big question, could you read the screen from posible helming locations?

My eyes are 60 years old, just like the rest of me. I can read the handheld just fine. Of course, I use it as a reference, not for a "real time" navigation, for the most part. In local waters, I generally don't use it. For coastal cruising, I steer by compass, turn the GPS on every once in a while to confirm my position, then turn it off.

Mine is mounted on the cabin top on the port side. If I'm using it for direct nav, which I do sometimes, I can see the screen from anywhere in the cockpit.

[Joe CD MS 300]

Before I bought Quest I would charter several times a year but had my own Garmin GPSMap 76 that I would take alomg. I also would bring a variety of Ram Mounts which attached to the cradel for the GPSMap 76, two sizes of U clamps and a suction mount. Just about always found a place to mount it at the helm.

GPSCity has the best selection of Ram Mounts that I have found.

[Warren Kaplan]

I had this 176C (use something else now) on a mount that I put onto a swing out arm mounted inside the cabin. The arm would swing out when I used it and was safely tucked away back in the cabin when we weren't using the boat.

I screwed the mount that came with the 176C to a piece of teak, that you can see in the picture, and the teak platform was secured to the platform of the swing out arm. Sorry I don't have a good picture of the arm. The photo is looking from the cockpit back into the companionway (with my CD27 screaming along at 6.4 knots!!)

[Troy Scott]

I had an old 176. It was intuitive and useful. It had no aviation database, but it still provided a lot of useful information for flying. We took it on road trips and camping trips. We lost it somewhere, and I've missed it ever since. The 176C is similar in operation, but bigger, and the colors make the map much more clear and easy to interpret.

I like to have the GPS, even a handheld, on a stable mount where I can see it all the time. As has been mentioned, there are plenty of aftermarket mounts, and you can always devise your own. My brother, OTOH, keeps his GPS on, but handy in his pocket. My problem with that is if I suddenly find myself in a navigational pinch where I really need the GPS, I also want both hands free to control the boat.

More sophisticated GPS chartplotters and integrated MFD systems actually connect to the autopilot and will steer a multi-leg course. So far I find that capability more interesting than useful, but I can foresee a time when I'm singlehanding and will be happy to just tend the sails as the boat turns herself 20 degrees or so to a new course. Of course I'd like her to warn me!

[rtbates]

I had an old 176. It was intuitive and useful. It had no aviation database, but it still provided a lot of useful information for flying. We took it on road trips and camping trips. We lost it somewhere, and I've missed it ever since. The 176C is similar in operation, but bigger, and the colors make the map much more clear and easy to interpret.

I like to have the GPS, even a handheld, on a stable mount where I can see it all the time. As has been mentioned, there are plenty of aftermarket mounts, and you can always devise your own. My brother, OTOH, keeps his GPS on, but handy in his pocket. My problem with that is if I suddenly find myself in a navigational pinch where I really need the GPS, I also want both hands free to control the boat.

More sophisticated GPS chartplotters and integrated MFD systems actually connect to the autopilot and will steer a multi-leg course. So far I find that capability more interesting than useful, but I can foresee a time when I'm singlehanding and will be happy to just tend the sails as the boat turns herself 20 degrees or so to a new course. Of course I'd like her to warn me!

I just purchased a Garmin 540 with all US PLUS bahamas. Very nice indeed. It only needs a XM antenna to recieve XM weather. Has outputs/inputs for DSC, NMEA, plus the XM weather antenna. I now understand why Garmin gets so much for the G2 VISION charts. The screen data is amassing in the Mariner's Eye 3D and Fish Eye 3D chart modes especially. The standard chart views are very complete to say the least. I give a 10. The 5" screen is quite easy to read. Draws .45 amps. No battery pack, just runs off ship's power. I bought an extra power/data cord and wired a 'power' plug to it for use on other boats. At least other boats that have a cigarette lighter type power outlet.

[Oswego John]

Shipscarver,

I would have a good compass, a knotmeter, a depth-sounder and a medium sized GPS, maybe a GPSMAP 478.

Fancy wind instruments would be fun, but easy to do without.

A few other posters have included a VHF as a desirous piece of electronic equipment. For those of you who frequent canal waterways, I guess that you could say that a VHF radio is a necessity when locking through. It is a good rule to always be able to be in touch with the lockmasters and larger tugs, tankers and the like, not to mention emergencies.

O J

[Troy Scott]

which is a given. I didn't even consider it a choice.....

[Mark Yashinsky]

My eyes are 60 years old, just like the rest of me. I can read the handheld just fine.

But some of us need a running start to leap tall buildings, Neil.

I can read my 276C, with a 3.0" x 2.2"size screen, reasonable well, even with the sun hitting it from the wrong angle, but a 76C, with a 1.6" x 2.2" screen, which I consider a handheld, from the same distance, and conditions, I would take a lot of time trying to read the display, because the screen is half the size.

I was just giving Shipcarver, items to research before buying.