[C320-list] Helm instruments

[Jack Brennan]

Hi Chuck:

It's a tough decision. I've used Raymarine, too, on my previous sailboats 
and liked them.

However, I'm tempted to give a tablet with Open CPN a try for a couple of 
months. I was hoping there was an owner who had done this before me. If it 
doesn't work out, I can always use the tablet for movies, etc.

Two pods seems like a lot, especially because I also have a pod for the 
Yanmar instruments. I gotta have somewhere to see!

Hard to believe I once sailed a 19-foot sailboat all through the Florida 
Keys with nothing but a handheld compass, a pair of binoculars and two 
foldable charts the size of gas station maps. (Remember those?)

Have you considered shooting the new transducer through the hull? Get a 
piece of PVC pipe with a cap and glue it to the bottom of the hull forward 
with an adhesive sealant. Clear flashing sealant from DAP for roofs works 
great.

Anyhow, you fill the pipe with non-toxic coolant (not the regular stuff), 
like you put in water systems for the winter, drop in the transducer and 
screw down the cap, leaving a small hole for the wire to get through.

On my Bristol 30, which had a much thicker hull than the 320, it could read 
depths to about 200 feet instead of the usual 400. (Where I live, most water 
is less than 20 feet deep, so it doesn't matter ...)

Some sailors prefer this because it means on less hole in the bottom.

Jack Brennan
Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
Tierra Verde, Fl.
Dolphin Cruising Club of Tampa Bay






-----Original Message----- 
From: Chuck Mueller
Sent: Monday, October 01, 2018 7:17 PM
To: c320-list at lists.catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Helm instruments


Hi Jack - This year I updated the instruments on my 320, using the Axiom 7,
EVO-100 wheel pilot, and a new speed, wind and depth package from Raymarine.
I initially had a single pod with 4 instruments, but switched over to two
pods.  The lower pod is on the slanted portion of the pedestal and has the
Axiom and the autopilot.  The upper pod has wind speed and depth.  I'm
really happy with the combination except for the fact that the new depth
instrument won't work with my old transducer.  But I have the new transducer
and will install it when the boat gets pulled.  The Axiom allows you to
update all Raymarine instruments in the system, plus the auto-routing
feature is really nice.  And the standard Axiom 7 without all the fancy
fishing depth options, is quite reasonable.

Chuck Mueller
Northwind #676 Yr. 2000
Holland, MI

Message: 6
Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2018 22:20:05 -0400
From: "Jack Brennan" <jackbrennan at bellsouth.net>
To: <C320-list at catalina320.com>
Subject: [C320-list] Recommendations on helm instruments
Message-ID: <14F990814CF943FC89B8D7F8E6D4E446 at jackPC>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Hello all:

I?m a good way through the refit on my new-to-me 320, so I?m starting to
think about helm instruments and wondering what people on the list
recommend.

I now have an old B&G pod with a functional depth/speed instrument and a
dead wind gauge. The wind instrument will disappear when I get the boat
rerigged (I?m old-fashioned). Some of what I?m considering:

* A Navpod with pre-cut holes for a Raymarine depth sounder, EV-100
autopilot and Axiom 7 chartplotter.

* Some type of waterproof tablet and Open CPN, which I have on my phone and
really like. A big question here is how to mount the tablet. I might be able
to keep the B&G pod with depth instrument and alter it to accept the
autopilot instrument.

* Buy a Raymarine Dragonfly chartplotter/fishfinder, which is an intriguing
alternative. This can be inexpensively mounted on the pedestal. The
remaining question would be how to mount the autopilot and depth sounder.

Each seems to have its advantages and disadvantages.

In some ways, the Axiom seems to be overkill for what I need. It?s big
selling point is networking, but that?s overkill for what I need. Also, I
don?t want to lose everything if the Axiom dies.

I like the simplicity of the tablet, but don?t want it sliding all over the
cockpit and eventually going overboard.

The Dragonfly has Navionics charts, which means paying for them forever.
Also, it has button control instead of touch screen and a smaller display.

Any ideas and recommendations?

Jack Brennan
Sonas,


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