Position of chartplotter

[cuthbert]

I'm looking at maybe buying an older chartplotter to add to my 2003 standard ST6000 series Raymarine as equipped from the factory and had a question....
Has anyone here fitted a chartplotter in the cockpit somewhere other than at the helm? I am looking at you tube videos of sailing and keep seeing chartplotters on the cabin roof under the dodger anyone done this or other alternate cockpit installation? I have a friend who flush mounted a chartplotter into the vertical surface of the cockpit but since I normally sit with back against this surface looking astern when on longer runs that would not be as preferable as under the dodger.

Any serious pros and cons?

[Captain Kirk]

Hello

One thought that comes to me initially, is not regarding the location as much as it is interfacing an older plotter with your existing ST6000 stuff.

As you know the ST60 and ST6000+ use the Seatalk network which is not compatible with even 5 or 6 year old plotters. Going for a plotter older than 5-6 years may not be well supported re: new charts, or hardware or other software updates. Of course newer plotters are using NMEA2000 which is equivalent to the newer Seatalk-ng.
But if you found an old Ray Marine plotter that has Seatalk it would connect up fine, hopefully it would still be supported.

Or you might want to take the opportunity to upgrade your network to NMEA2000 (you can still keep the ST stuff) to allow the use of newer plotters, and once you have a new network you can add AIS and other new technologies quite easily.

But re: the location, I have a dock neighbor who has a plotter mounted inside/under the dodger on the dodger frame. Its doesn't interfere with seating etc and is not far from the helm.

Anyway just some thoughts......

PS:
I have kept all the old ST60, ST6000+ instruments and interfaced them to a new RM Axiom plotter- its gets data from all the old instruments and works fine with the Autopilo and route following etc..

[Triumph]

I personally wouldn't want it out of reach or the helm. The reasons are plenty, but to quickly zoom or perhaps use AIS, the list goes on. that said, consider overhead up and out of the way, perhaps attached to your bimini frame. Another way to do this is to extend the bar that is the hand hold on the pedestal up several feet, or up to and attached to the bimini frame. There are also instrument pods that can attach to the hand hold on the side and swing in and out. So the plotter would then be to one side.

Bill on TRIUMPH

[wolfe10]

I agree with Bill.

To be useful from the helm, a placement forward would require that you have EAGLE -LIKE vision and don't want to do any inputs to it.