GPSMAP 640/ Depth Finder Swing Mount

I set out to design a swing arm for my Garmin GPSMAP 640 that would include the depth finder. There are, no doubt, more expensive and modern solutions available, nevertheless, I like the look of wood on a boat. Especially if it lives out of the weather.   

  

First Off  -  I am Not a Carpenter!

Garmin GPS MAP 640 w/ Depth Finder Swing Arm

 Considering the cost of the GPS, the risk of damage to the unit is an important concern.  The design is a simple "T" made from 1 x 4 fir, ship lapped and epoxied, then attached to a solid brass door hinge mounted on a home made magazine rack.  Be sure to leave space between the companion way access and the edge of the GPS and plan your wire and cable route carefully.  It would have been better, in this instance, to mount the arm on the starboard side to be closer to the panel box and transducer however, the magazine rack is on the port side and readily available.   Note how the GPS cable extends into the companion way creating a possibility of snagging it on something.  So far it has not been an issue. 

 The ship lap does not extend to the end of the vertical piece. There is no reason for this, I just liked the idea of an undisturbed edge.   I'm sure anyone with average skills can produce a better looking result but this side of the mount is not visible from the cockpit.  If anybody notices it - Well, the Complaint Department is located at the end of the plank, starboard side, should anybody  want  to comment about my  carpentry skills. 

SV HideAway GPS / depth finder swing mount

The arm swings fully back on its hinge and is held in place by a line from the back of the mount to a wood inspection hole cover.  The line is loose to allow some movement if bumped.

Yes, those are hinge screws protruding on the face of the unit.  They have been filed smooth and are not visible when the arm is deployed. (Comments are accepted at the Complaint Desk above.)

Solid brass door hinge - reversed pin -note angle

The magazine rack follows the slope of the cabin wall.  In order to compensate I angled the hinge to produce a level arm.  Some day I may finish the end of the arm, but not today.

Line from back of display keeps the unit to front

 The line holding the arm to the front has a bit of slack that serves as a sort of warning should you collide with it.  The mount looks crooked in this photo, but if memory serves I made the correction later.   On a small sailboat such as HideAway, level and plumb are more concepts than reality.

Line from back of display secured 

 When not in use the line used to hold the arm open is employed along with a shorter line to hold the arm inside the cabin.  That way the arm does not swing wildly about during launching and it keeps the expensive stuff out of the weather.

In the interest of maximum security, I thru bolted  the GPS mount with stainless steel bolts rather than using wood screws.   I let the bolts run long so I could attach the swing arm control lines.

GPS Mount is Thru-Bolted

 The electrical wires and cables are not contained. I routed them under the sink top edge, around the back to the panel box or in the case of the depth finder, along and under the settees.  Since I installed the depth finder on the starboard side, the depth finder cable and wiring had to run through five bulk heads.  A real pain to accomplish, however the potential hole-in-boat problems, the vanity sink drain and the transducer, are isolated from other storage areas and have good access in case of an emergency.  See the Video Here

GPSMAP 640 Swing Mount w/ Depth Finder 

The GPSMAP 640 plastic mount has a interesting feature.  The mount swivels at the center.  (See the knob in the center of the mount.) The knob allows the unit to turn when you bump it saving damage to the GPS and mount.  A nice feature on a rough day. 

This is a simple woodworking project that someone with little carpentry skills, that would be me, can complete to a reasonably functioning level.  The swing mount has been in service for more than a year without difficulties or safety issues. 

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Electrolysis and Your Out Board Motor

Do you tend to leave your lower end in the water?

Here's something to think about:

Electrolysis Damage to Lower End 

Salt water, in particular, with a little stray current and time can be a real pain in your lower end.
Notice the angle of the damage- The motor was not tipped fully out of the water.

Maybe the Top End can be saved

 The only good news here is the top end, the thing with  the electronics and pistons, look pretty good.  Still, this will put a smile on any mechanics face and a frown on the owner's.

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Rub Rail Installation SV HideAway

Hiking out HideAway Style?

Commonly known as a NRRS; New Rub Rail Snake, came coiled in an innocent looking cardboard box from Com Pac Yachts of Clearwater Fl.

New improved rub rail from Com Pac Yachts

The old rub rail succumbed to a fuel dock near Johns Pass. The incident involving  a large commercial fishing boat wake propelled by an excited tide racing for the Gulf of Mexico heaved the HideAways’ against the dock with far more enthusiasm than prudence permits.

The New Rub Rail Is Of Much Improved Quality

 The very thing that made installing it a most challenging affair.

Replacement rub rail on left is larger than OEM on right

Bow Plate does not fit new rub rail

The radius of the metal connector is too small to accommodate the new rub rail.

The only viable solution involved surgery and language unsuited for gentile ears.

New Rub Rail - Right - is larger and thicker

I removed the interior lower flanges on the new rub rail (right) and narrowed the distance from the hull by trimming the upper flanges.

I also trimmed the two "legs" to let the rub rail move closer to the hull and allow for clamping.

Clamp and Awl 

The trimmed end is best held in place by a good C clamp until you can find the correct alignment to slip the bolt through. Good luck with that. The awl worked well but it does take patience.

By the way,  I used a leather hole punch to install the holes in the rub rail. 

“Jist leave it in the sun for a piece  –

 It’ll stretch real easy”

Clamps Clamps and More Clamps Are Needed

Thus a simple two bolt project turned into two days of sweltering fun under a summer sun so hot that only a few moments’ exposure made metal tools too hot to handle without protection, not to mention the HideAways.

Now, about the port side…..

Small Boats Rock!

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Replacing a Tongue Extender Pin What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Rusted Tongue Extender Pin  SV HideAway

Loading the last of the tools from a just finished project into the truck, a glob of rust on the trailer caught my eye.  The rust glob appeared just where the shiny tongue extender pin should be.   A rust glob is never a welcome sight on a sailboat trailer, or anyplace else for that matter.  A couple of taps with a hammer broke the pin free, leaving a small pile of rusted tongue extender pin bits on the ground.

Tongue Extender Pin or Hitch Pin?

 History was made when my friend, Mr. Google, could not find a “6 inch trailer tongue extender pin”.  After learning about a variety of trailer accessories I’ll never need, I concluded no such device exists in the digital universe.  I eventually discovered a trailer hitch pin with a strong family resemblance to my tongue extender pin, sans the red stuff, available for a big pile of the green stuff.

After some deliberation I realized that something made for a trailer hitch located well up under the truck is an unlikely candidate for salt water immersion.   After all, if you’ve got your truck in that deep, you have more problems than a rusted tongue extender pin.   

Something Galvanized Preferably Hot Dipped

A 5/8 x 6 inch hot dipped galvanized bolt and nut shall likely replace the shiny orange handled creation of yore.  Yes inches, I haven’t a care to know how many millimeters the rest of the world envisions.  Besides, a millimeter sounds like a name for nasty bug with lots of legs and sharp teeth.

A Wiggle – A Shake – and A Break

Given that we hadn’t planned to launch the boat without a pin in our extended tongue, the polite thing to do would be to retract the tongue extender to prevent injury to patrons and or vehicles of guests coming in hordes to our sailing club annual open house the next weekend. 

A Jammin Tongue Extender - What Next?

This good deed left the tongue extender jammed in its carrier.

Of course no sailor can possibly resist the temptation to pull and jerk a bit on the tongue in some vain hope of an easy fix.  A crash and a bang and another project was born.

One Good Jerk Did This

In less than five minutes a simple project became a triple threat

A jack and stand wrestled out of my over crowded garage along with a box of anticipated useful tools to complement the ship board collection and a found trailer jack, slightly bent, made up the kit for part one of the project. 

Floor Jack Placed Directly Under Tongue Support

  I never trust just a jack to keep anything up in the air for long.  A sturdy jack stand(s) are a must.   In this case I had to carefully place the jack and the stand beneath the tongue extender supports.

I use an automotive floor jack for jobs such as this.  My only complaint is that the jack wheels allow the jack to move as the jack is activated.  Sometimes several attempts must be made to center the piece properly on the stand.  Once set, I leave the jack under some pressure with most of the weight supported by the stand.

Finally, all jacked and stable, I moved on to removing the broken trailer jack to find the bolts holding it on the trailer tongue were METRIC.  

Why can’t the rest of the world adopt good ole SAE measurements?

Of course not one of my few metric wrenches or sockets came along for the trip.   According to my Garmin GPS MAP640 my dwelling is seven miles as the GPS flies from HideAways bow.  In Florida time, this is about 47 minutes of joy filled driving on crowded, tourist-infested roads.   

I knew the trip would be futile exercise in bad traffic manners so a side trip was in order to look for the pin and also price trailer fenders – Always have another project-You never know when you will need one.   Yes, my venerable tape measure came up short a couple of inches and no, I did not procure any fenders, long or short. Yet.

Relaxed from all the slow driving and lost tourists;

 I discovered NONE of my small collection of metric tools fit the bolts

A Jim-Dandy Universal Bolt Removal Tool

Using Come-A-Long Winch To Remove Tongue Extender

After finishing these repairs, I gave a fearful tug or two on the frozen tongue extender before resorting to the almighty Come-Along Winch and a pick up truck to effect its removal.

You can see how well that idea worked out in this video.  

SMALL BOATS ROCK!

US Coast Guard Vessel Safety Check

You Should Get One of These

SV HideAway Passed

  It's free. It's educational and helpful.  Or to put it another way- Do you know where your flares are?  What about that first aid kit you may have put back on board after your camping trip? Have you blown your horn recently, or know where it is? How about that fire extingusher you have somewhere?

Your local US Coast Guard Auxiliary provides this service.  Sure they inspect things like Fire Extinguishers, Life Jackets, Navigation lights, Sound Producing Devices and the like.

  Things you never think about until something goes wrong.  

Like, maybe a pontoon boat suddenly turns and T-bones your boat, which sinks before your mayday is answered -Stuff like that.  (This accident happened last week on Boca Ciega Bay near Gulfport Fl when the pontoon boat operator dropped something and turned the boat as he bent down to pick up whatever he dropped - Care to guess if it was a cell phone?)

There is no risk.  The do not issue tickets if you're missing something.  And the inspector, usually a fellow boater, gives a good review of basic safe boating practices.    Your Coast Guard Auxiliary sponsers good boating classes to boot.  

Get Yours Today

Local sailing or boating clubs often host Vessel Safety Checks or  Click Here to Schedule a Safety Check

  

The Vanity and the Thru Hull

The Original Thru-Hull Access Hole

Thru-hulls always has long been the cause of notable anxiety on the HideAway, likely because one of the two in existence, the one the bilge pump is attached to, failed while sailing off shore.

Sailing HideAway Videos

It began innocently enough; the idea of having a sink and vanity in the forepeak next to the head.

The vanity sits on top of what was a storage access.  The fit is perfect with just enough room to accommodate the sink basin, tubing and electrical wires for the water pump.  Below the sink lurks the depth finder transducer, another large hole in the boat.  With two large holes in close proximity, the area has been declared off limits for storage of anything other than a wooden plug.

The Cure Leads To Another Problem.

While the vanity has been a welcome addition on cruises, the Capt. uses it more often to empty the  rain buckets  from under five of Hideaways’ six ports.   Always vigilant, the Capt. has been known to tear open the vanity top in search of excess humidity, not realizing he was causing the drain tube to crack on both ends. 

Sink Drain Repair Sailing HideAway

Obviously a better method of leak checking technology was necessary. Enter the thought of a small access just forward of the vanity.   

Join the HideAways as we cut yet another hole in the boat.

SMALL BOATS ROCK!

An Out-of-Doors Experience

We learned from uncounted generations that the best way to experience all the natural world has to offer is from something that floats, or possibly in a pinch, a remote campsite in a distant place.

Folks who study this phenomenon have not been able to explain why we humans are convinced, beyond rationality, that whatever is just beyond our reach must be better than what we have at the moment.    

HideAway has been hard aground 

because of a patio construction project.   No, she’s not getting a patio, and she is not happy about it.  When at last we found and laid the final brick we celebrated the achievement by having our evening meal on our new veranda.  

It was late on a warm spring afternoon.  The sun was low in the sky partially shielded by our sun-fence, a group of oaks planted years ago.   Linda pointed to a hawk doing lazy circles on a thermal far above us. 

  

The soaring hawk was high enough that the rays of the setting sun illuminated it from underneath.   The hawk’s wings and body glowed golden, then silver, as it glided in the light, all the while surrounded by an impossibly blue sky.  A slight wind mixed with jasmine and orange blossoms held us captive in their intoxicating fragrance. 

The moment could not have been more perfect

When your days are harsh and troubles seem none stopping, as many have recently, it’s good to remember that every now and then nature will provide a soothing moment of breath taking beauty and peace. 

Perhaps in your own back yard -- Just outside of your doors.

Bridge Sailing - Why Not?

A warm, sunny, spring day with clear skies and just enough wind. 

A perfect day to sail under a bridge; Don't you think?

Sailing to the End of Life

What began as a camera test evolved into a story of life on  the water and all its challenges, joys and beauty.  

So come join us as we say goodby to an old friend.

  It's a long film, full of all the above, but that's the way life should be - Don't you think?

Sailing HideAway Videos

Chesapeake Light Craft St Petersburg 2015

Sailing HideAway

If you've seen any of our Sailing HideAway cruising videos (and you should, you know) you've noticed our wooden dink happily following the HideAway on our cruises along the West coast of Florida.  

What you may not know is that our pram is a kit boat from Chesapeake Light Craft.  I had great fun building it in our garage over a decade ago.  It's been towed and rowed hundreds of miles and has the scars to prove it. Although it needs some TLC it has held up well over the years.

When winters up north gets bad enough CLC takes a road trip to sunny Florida with many of their kayaks and boats in tow.  This next weekend, 2/07/15 from 10-4pm. they will be along the Gandy Bridge near St Petersburg, Fl. (southwest portion of the Gandy Bridge St Petersburg side.)   You can't miss it - Its where all the smiles are   

Even better, all you need is a life jacket and you can try out any boat you wish.  It's the perfect way to get acquainted with your dream boat.  

 Don't forget to sail the East Port prams - You'll be hooked fast! 



Anclote Key Florida 



SMALL BOATS ROCK!