Cabling of chart plotter on a sail boat

On Jan 25, 3:44 am, "ericsmit...@charter.net"
<ericsmit... DeleteThis @charter.net> wrote:
> That's what I've done with my Garmin cable for the last five years.
> Granted, not the North Atlantic but through the snow and ice of
> midwestern winters. There's been no appreciable degradation. One thing
> that I always though might help but never got around to would be to
> obtain a neoprene cap to put over the plug.
>
> On Jan 23, 12:45 pm, oscar <os... DeleteThis @where.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > This seems rather harsh, so my question to all of you is simply, is it
> > prudent to have such a cable hanging out or do you have a better idea?
>
> > Oscar- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I dont know the garmin product, but i assume like most the lead has a
connection one end and loose wires the other? for connections like
that i get an attional water proof plug and socket from the
chanderary. THese come with a thru bulkhead socket that can be fixed
to the bulk head in the hole. Put the pug on the loos wires and when
you take the gps of unplugg from the bulk head and take the lead with
it, these socketd usually come with a chained on cap that scews on to
make water tight when you are noy using the device. Bit more work but
does make it all watertight and less lijkely to corrode etc. THese
plugs / sockets come with a varying number of pins and depending on
the number of wires you may need two.

cheers
 >> Stay informed about: Cabling of chart plotter on a sail boat 

oscar wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I've just been out and bought a Garmin GPSMap 545 chart plotter. This comes
> with a power/signal cable that is terminated with a unit connector in one
> end and fans out to the varoius leads on the other.
>
> I was planning so use it on-board my sailing boat in the north atlantic. It
> should be placed in the cockpit so I can see the screen and when mooring,
> disconnect it and bring the expensive unit inside.

If you have a bulkhead (marine speak for "wall") handy to the cockpit
you could cut a hole and mount the 545 there using an optional flush
mounting kit. Then you could just put the sun cover it when you are
done for the day. But, if there is a risk of it being stolen because it
is more visible, that might not be a good idea. You can download the
flush mount template here:

http://www.garmin.com/manuals/GPSMAP520_FlushMountTemplate.pdf

and the flush mount kit is here:

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=8718#

On some of the flush mounts you can quickly release the GPS from the
mounting frame by releasing a couple of clips from behind the panel
(inside the boat?) and that would allow you to remove the GPS. If the
sun cover snaps onto the mounting frame, that would let you cover the
hole when the GPS is removed.

> To do this, I guess I have to drill a hole through the wall to the cockpit
> and let the connector hang out exposed to wind and weather at all times
> when the unit is not connected.

Another choice might be to have an weatherproof and capped intermediate
connector mounted in the cockpit so you can disconnect the 545 there and
remove it.

> This seems rather harsh, so my question to all of you is simply, is it
> prudent to have such a cable hanging out or do you have a better idea?

Running a cable through a hole creates a shear point where the cable can
be easily damaged. Also, it can create a leak and is not the pinnacle
of professionalism around boats.

A visit to a Garmin dealer and/or marine hardware store might let you
look at the options.

Jack
 >> Stay informed about: Cabling of chart plotter on a sail boat 

"oscar" <oscar DeleteThis @where.com> wrote in message
news:k7ydnctBGLGmFgranZ2dnUVZ8vqdnZ2d@lyse.net...
> Hi all,
>
> I've just been out and bought a Garmin GPSMap 545 chart plotter. This
> comes
> with a power/signal cable that is terminated with a unit connector in one
> end and fans out to the varoius leads on the other.
>
> I was planning so use it on-board my sailing boat in the north atlantic.
> It
> should be placed in the cockpit so I can see the screen and when mooring,
> disconnect it and bring the expensive unit inside.
>
> To do this, I guess I have to drill a hole through the wall to the cockpit
> and let the connector hang out exposed to wind and weather at all times
> when the unit is not connected.
>
> This seems rather harsh, so my question to all of you is simply, is it
> prudent to have such a cable hanging out or do you have a better idea?
>
>
> Oscar

If you leave teh cable exposed to teh elements even in fresh water you will
eventually get the typical green copper corrosion. My 492 purchased in the
last year came with a rubber cap tha tslips over the plug but this does not
address the neatness issue. since my 10 year old boat has numerous otehr
cosmetic issues i simply dsrilled a hole big enouh for the plug, pulled the
plug and cable thru and coverd the hole with a "clamshell" and filled it
with silicone. No leaks and it looks reaonably good compared to what
previous owners ahd done.
 >> Stay informed about: Cabling of chart plotter on a sail boat 

oscar wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I've just been out and bought a Garmin GPSMap 545 chart plotter. This
> comes with a power/signal cable that is terminated with a unit
> connector in one end and fans out to the varoius leads on the other.
>
> I was planning so use it on-board my sailing boat in the north
> atlantic. It should be placed in the cockpit so I can see the screen
> and when mooring, disconnect it and bring the expensive unit inside.
>
> To do this, I guess I have to drill a hole through the wall to the
> cockpit and let the connector hang out exposed to wind and weather at
> all times when the unit is not connected.
>
> This seems rather harsh, so my question to all of you is simply, is it
> prudent to have such a cable hanging out or do you have a better idea?
>
>
> Oscar

Split the cable and use a multipoint connector on the bulkhead.

Dennis.
 >> Stay informed about: Cabling of chart plotter on a sail boat 

On Jan 25, 3:28 am, "Dennis Pogson" <dennis_nospampog... RemoveThis @ntlworld.com>
wrote:
> oscar wrote:
> > Hi all,
>
> > I've just been out and bought a Garmin GPSMap 545 chart plotter. This
> > comes with a power/signal cable that is terminated with a unit
> > connector in one end and fans out to the varoius leads on the other.
>
> > I was planning so use it on-board my sailing boat in the north
> > atlantic. It should be placed in the cockpit so I can see the screen
> > and when mooring, disconnect it and bring the expensive unit inside.
>
> > To do this, I guess I have to drill a hole through the wall to the
> > cockpit and let the connector hang out exposed to wind and weather at
> > all times when the unit is not connected.
>
> > This seems rather harsh, so my question to all of you is simply, is it
> > prudent to have such a cable hanging out or do you have a better idea?
>
> > Oscar
>
> Split the cable and use a multipoint connector on the bulkhead.
>
> Dennis.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Do use a cable grommet, and leave the cable dangling when the Garmin
is stored elsewhere. Put a drug store finger cot, which looks like a
short minature condom over the bare plug. Be aware that the mounting
bracket is a line catcher, somewhat fragile but inexpensive to replace.
 >> Stay informed about: Cabling of chart plotter on a sail boat 

sandydaugherty RemoveThis @att.net wrote in news:c9df26a3-315c-4d86-aeca-
3f04668feb9a RemoveThis @h11g2000prf.googlegroups.com:

> Put a drug store finger cot, which looks like a
> short minature condom over the bare plug.

God what great parties THAT will cause on the boat! They'll be lined up on
the dock waiting to see it...(c;

He'd never live the finger cots down. Better go for the Extra Large
Trojans. The girls will love that...(c;
 >> Stay informed about: Cabling of chart plotter on a sail boat