I took some time yesterday afternoon to begin to install some hardware on the Mako XT. 2 things I wanted to accomplish. Be able to secure my GPS in the cockpit in such a way that I can see it easily and some rigging to secure my camalbak.
Still haven’t come up with a good method to secure the GPS. The center divider is narrower than I thought. So I concentrated on the rigging. I find it very traumatic to drill holes in boats.
Here are some photo’s…
http://community.webshots.com/album/564154835AoQsLd
Andy
Foam for GPS
I use a foam wedge to prop up my gps. You can carve the foam to whatever angle you need. My gps has a metal ring in the middle of the back, so I run some small line through the ring and through the center of the foam wedge and tie it in the back. That gets the gps attached to the foam. You could use adhesive to attach the foam to the ski where ever you want to put it (I have deck lines).
Foam wedge
I was thinking along those lines. I’ve already cut some minicell in that shape. My current thought is to cut a slit length wise in the wedge, in order to fit a small bungie line. I can then install a saddles forward and to the rear of the wedge to secure the minicell. I can the put another small bungie around the wedge to secure the GPS to the minicell. A small line from the GPS to one of the saddles will keep it in the boat.
Andy
keep it simple
I have used my garmin 305 for a few years simply strapped to the footstrap of my mako mill. I have gotten in some heavy waves and gotten dumped and there’s no way the GPS could come off of those Mako footstraps. Plus you can see it easily and reach it to change settings easily.
GPS MOUNT
Agreed - the footstrap mount is solid and accessible while paddling, but only if you’re using a garmin 205/305 watch style gps. When I had a hand-held gps, I used to duct tape it to the boat, and clip the gps handstrap to the boat with a carabiner. Not elegant, but it worked perfectly.
I’ve got a handheld GPS
Here it is on my Artisan…
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2398815440041263145jUFEnq
Andy
Nicely Done!
Very clean and sano. 
Mounting a GPS that size can be problematic, I know. I have the eTrex Legend CX and ended up buying the marine mount and using the 3M Marine Attachment system (like plastic nubbed Velcro) to secure the mount to the center divider, now with TETHER-smile. I also made a mounting wedge out of minicell with bungees with clips at the ends running through the minicell that works for boats with front bungees like the EFT and the tandem. Not much likes to stick to minicell though…
Mark
*Good looking boat, BTW.
Nice ski
The ski looks great. So you did drill holes, after all?
I’m about to buy a V10 Sport. The only rigging on the a ski is a bungie set up very similar to the one you added.
Glue-down Bungee loops
Huki uses little glue down attachment points called E-Z Plugs to attach their bungee. Go to their wabsite to check it out. There is no need to drill holes.
I haven’t done it yet, but I was thinking of attaching my GPS to my center divider using the extra strong hook & loop material that is used to attach an EZ-Pass to windshields. It is like a very stiff strip of Velcro made by 3M.
3M Product
Yup, that’s the stuff I used:
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/5007/377%20710/0/3M%20Marine%20mounting/Primary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/10/0?N=377%20710&Ne=0&Ntt=3M%20Marine%20mounting&Ntk=Primary%20Search&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&Nao=10&Ns=0&keyword=3M%20Marine%20mounting&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=5000&subdeptNum=4&classNum=318
Also worked for attaching the Sirius sat. radio in the car…
The strips don’t attach real well to a rubberized surface, like my Garmin has, so the mount gives a better attachment surface. It holds fairly well on the ski, but make sure you use a tether on the GPS (and the mount, if you’re using one). When I swim, I usually knock it loose-not a whole lot of room in there. The Huki mounts glue up easily, a little scuffing, a little epoxy…voila.
That looks good!
– Last Updated: Jul-18-08 5:33 PM EST –
Will it stick to minicell? I'd like to use the wedge I cut up to angle the GPS towards me. The minicell I cut has black backing on it. It appears that it might allow something to adhere better than minicell does.
Andy
Sadly…
Just tried a scrap on the gray minicell (the gray thing in the bow), and it seemed to stick at first, but peeled off under some pressure. Bummer. Don’t know about the black backed minicell… There may be an adhesive that will hold it. (?) You’d only need it for the minicell as it adheres extremely well to the fg.
Good luck.