I just picked up a GPSMAP 76CS and saw that someone had a similiar unit mounted in front of the cockpit on a QCC kayak. (Sorry, forgot who it was.)
My question is how did you get the mount to sit flush on the curved hull?
How waterproof IS this unit anyway? I know it has rubber seals on the connections, however, they don’t look all that waterproof. Has anyone had problems with water damage to one of these units?
Thanks.
waterproofing seems fine
Mine has handled dunking a few times with the only consequence being some corrosion in the plug compartment (not waterproof). That said, I just did start using a waterproof pouch. I figure the $14 is a worthwhile investment for the $300 device.
I use mine more for speed and distance than navigation, so clipping it under the bungee works fine for mounting.
I put my…
– Last Updated: Jul-06-04 11:13 PM EST –
Magellan 315 under the bungees sans bag and just rinse it off afterwards...
I think Greyak has a garmin mounted on deck of his 700.
but when I tried his boat I think the GPS was reading way high ;-)
I made a removable mount and …
…it works great.
I cut a piece of high density foam into a right angle chunk approx. two inches wide with the straight back about five inches high.
I slightly curved the bottom of it to conform to the hull. I drilled a 1/2" hole across the bottom about an inch from the bottom and glued a piece of 1/2" cpvc pipe in it.
Then a made a bungee with clips on each end which attach and hold it to the yak on each side at the safety lines. This makes for easy off and easy on.
I glued a piece of velcro to the sloping front face of the foam, and I keep the GPS in a clear pliable waterproof pouch, (made by Ewa-marine) which I glued the matching piece of velcro to.
It works great.
I made one for both of our QCC’s, and one for my daughters Sole.
If you want, I can e-mail you some pictures.
I mailed a picture of it to some guy in California last year, and I think they are on the market now. - Go figure!
Cheers,
JackL
Greyak
Yep think greyak has rigged his to read high.
Brian
Jack I like that…
– Last Updated: Jul-07-04 6:23 PM EST –
I have a bunch of foam left over from foaming my bulkhead (it's a skeg boat thing). I carved out a piece so that my GPS is recessed and I'll just run an extra bungee around the GPS as I can't velcro the back... Thanks,GH
ME - Sorry for delayed reply…
… I was away form the computer and playing in the MUCH cooler SoCal waters past week.
I have the Garmin GPSMAP76 and have a Garmin mount attached to the deck about a foot forward of the coaming. Far enough to be out of the way of the paddle but reachable to tilt, hit buttons, etc. Base is fairly small, low profile, and rounded. Cradle for GPS comes off - so nothing sticks up when not being used.
Pictures (7-12):
http://community.webshots.com/album/147516858zlfThy
Garmin Mounts:
http://shop.garmin.com/accessories_for_product.jsp?sku=010-00353-00
Scroll down to “Bracket Mounts” - several options for yours. What I have is the Automotive Mount - and I used the permanent adhesive disk. For a less permanent solution you could try the Portable Mount and rig it to slip under and attach to bungees.
As for the unit, I’ll assume your new model is about the same as mine. It definitely is waterproof and does float. Mine gets wet to some degree every paddle - and has survived rescue practices, etc. Great unit, as many others here can attest.
Weak spot is the battery/connector cover (only thing that opens). CHECK IT RIGHT AFTER EVERY USE. Read that last line again. I have had small amounts of water intrude twice now. Not enough to damage the unit - but did cause some minor corrosion to the contacts (as I did NOT follow my own advice and it sat for two weeks). If you don’t check - a drop or two of sea water can do more than dirty the terminals and over time can eat the batteries and cause a real mess.
Let us know how the color unit works out. Wasn’t available when I bought mine - and too expensive (and battery drain?) for me anyway. Overkill for my uses - which are mostly speedometer/odometer.
commercial mounts
At one point, I was looking for a way to mount a GPS on my boat, and I stumbled across this website:
http://www.mobilecx.com/
If you don’t mind coughing up a little coin, the make exactly what you want.
Larry
GPS mount
My Garmin 76 came with it’s own mount like the one that is listed on that page named “Your Device”. I just put some velcro on the bottom of the bracket and on my deck. With the help of the deck bungies it stays fairly well.
Earl
Use Garmin Dashmount with included Tape
I used the Garmin Dash Mount bracket with the double sided tape that comes with it. Avoid the Marine bracket it requires holes to be drilled.
The double sided tape is very sticky and does fine on the slightly curved deck in front of cockpit. My bracket and GPSMap76 have been in use for 3 years and has performed perfectly. I use it exclusively in the ocean so it has taken a beating ad still works great.
Tips:
Always loop the GPS lanyard around a bungy as a backup. I had my GPS and bracket swept off the deck when going out through breaking waves to the start of a race. The dash mount stayed on the deck - The tape is great stuff. I had to decide whether to race or go back and try to find the GPS which floats. I raced and had to shell out another $350 for a GPS.
Rechargeable Lithium batteries are a good idea. I get about 8 hours service from two AA’s. Its so convenient to always have a charged set ready to go when you are. Radio Shack has a set of 4 with charger for a good price. I ended up buying more batteries because mine keep getting stolen for the TV remotes and cordless Mouse, etc…
Mount unit far enough forward so it does not interfere with stroke. I found in front of the second bungy on QCC700 to be the best. You can still reach it to operate and it is clear of paddle blades. That tape is really sticky so be sure before you press on mount.
I have the Blue water charts for New Jersey to Marthas Vineyard and can put nearly every one onto GPS with its 8MB internal RAM. These are pricey, but I use them for sailboat racing too. Their best feature is the software to communicte between home PC and GPS.
I mostly paddle with just Two large data fields showing: Speed and Trip Odometer. I want to try Avg Speed just to see how much an occasional stop for water or to check out the sights hurts the average.
I have images of the setup. Email me and I will send them to you.
Any different…
…than what’s in my pictures (link above)?
Placement relative to bungees will vary depending on if it’s an original, second, or current third generation Q700 (mine’s second). Maybe relative to coaming is better measure? Placement still depends on your reach, etc.
My mount is about a foot forward of inside of coaming lip. A bit of a reach - bit in reach.
Good tip on the lanyard J. Been meaning to do that for a year now. I’ll probably end up learning the hard way like you did even though I know better.
Likewise on the permanent adhesive pad. You only get one shot at it (seriously). Be sure! Mine’s slightly twisted off 360 as I was in a rush putting it on and could not budge it after even part of it was down. I it will bug me (slightly)as long as I own the boat (even though it works fine, GPS is straight when on it, and no one would notice if I didn’t point it out).
I was hesitant to stick it on at all, but decided I like having the GPS enough to potentially mar the deck a little. Befre installing, I did trap the base in the bungeees for a couple times out to be sure first.
Recently got another mount for my ski - so I can see how fast I dump it!
Mount on Thigh
I have a Garmin 276C that is great for water and auto. I have found it best on my thigh close to my PFD. I just received a large AquaPac bag with 4 eyes that will allow me to lash it to my thigh. Will let you know how it works.
MAP76
I have one and found evidence that a small amount of water got on the little pins where it links to my PC. A little WD40 and some swabbing fixed it up. I WILL check that spot periodically. Dry everywhere else.
Thanks everyone for the foam mount idea. I slapped one together from a foam block and took it out this morning. I really liked it.