[redfish5]

Just picked up a new 9” Lowrance and need to figure out where to mount it (and with what). I have an open layout tiller, with no grab bar. I have looked at the Cisco, Balzout, Ram, etc.... I am pretty sure I want to mount it somewhere on the gunnel, about where my push pole holder is.

I am hoping to mount it in a way that the entire mount is removable. I would prefer to mount it on the vertical inside lip of my gunnel, so I could easily hide wiring, and tuck the power cord underneath when the GPS isn’t on the boat.

The Cisco seems very sturdy and has a base detach, but I am probably limited to mounting on top of the gunnel. The railblaza has a sideport mount, that could work.

Just curious if anyone has done something similar before I try and reinvent the wheel....

 

[topnative2]

On a 17 native , I used a ram mount and cut overhanging edge of mount flush...it still left the ball.A solution would be locknut wing nuts on the ball mount.
I found the mount a handy place to lean a rod

 

[Travisloyd07]

Look at a track style mount. The track would stay on the boat but everything else would come off. Might search kayak pictures with gps for some ideas.

 

[NativeBone]

So I was challenged with the same issue and decided to bump out the gunnel and mount my chartplotter. A bit more work but was concerned how the unit may interfere if mounted on the gunnel with docking, poling, etc. Used coosa for all support, epoxy and tabbed and finished with gel. The unit is mounted on a balzout mount.

 

[texasag07]

I really liked my ram ball mount.

 

[redfish5]

So I was challenged with the same issue and decided to bump out the gunnel and mount my chartplotter. A bit more work but was concerned how the unit may interfere if mounted on the gunnel with docking, poling, etc. Used coosa for all support, epoxy and tabbed and finished with gel. The unit is mounted on a balzout mount.
View attachment 71124
View attachment 71126

That’s sharp looking! Above my skill set. How are you liking the Balzout mount?

 

[NativeBone]

That’s sharp looking! Above my skill set. How are you liking the Balzout mount?

Thank you! Absolutely love the Balzout mount. There is no movement of the unit while boating, trailering etc. Definitely recommend for the larger plotters. The ram mounts are nice but they tend to move out of position when coupled with heavier units.

 

[bryson]

I'm curious to see people's solutions to this. I've been thinking about this too - I probably won't use a GPS around 50% of the time on my new skiff, so I'll want it to be super clean when not on board. I was actually thinking about a handheld, but that has its own set of limitations.

 

[redfish5]

So I will have to drill a small hole in the aft bulkhead to run the power cable through. The other option I was thinking was to install a 12v power outlet there.... then I could connect/disconnect there when removing. Similar to a trolling motor connection.

Any reason not to do this, or extra precautions I need to take?

 

[sjrobin]

Balzout mounts are the best for heavier MFD's. Ram ball mounts will slip a little unless you go with the oversize ball mounts. In either case selecting the best extension arm length for where your eyes are while operating the skiff is the most important factor.
Also for MFD units being removed for trailering, etc, do not disconnect power and NMEA plugs from rear of unit. Make connection breaks with marine connectors to prevent damage and corrosion to pins on unit or saltwater intrusion to female connectors.

 

[hipshot]

Never tried RAM mounts in a boat, but the video monitor in my work truck (a very light unit with a 5 1/2" diagonal screen) is mounted on a short RAM mount that is nearly vertical, directly under the monitor (very little lateral stress). I generally do 10 to 25 miles a day offroad, mostly at 5 mph or so, with the occasional rare pursuit thrown in. The 5 mph cruising isn't rough, but some of the pursuits get a bit bouncy. I won't tear up my truck just to write a citation, but I do try to catch the violators. After four years I can't get the RAM mount tight enough to keep the monitor from flopping around. I know that a lot of folks swear by RAM mounts, but I also know that a Balzout would still be solid after all that and more. I've seen the RAM mounts start slipping in other peoples' boats too, especially with heavier units.

 

[Phil Young]

I have a Beavertail B2 that I bought used a few years ago. There was a 5" Lowrance mounted on the side console with a Ram mount. It worked pretty well, but when I decided to upgrade to a 9" Lowrance, I knew that the Ram would not be able to hold the new chart plotter. There was not a lot of real estate on the side console, so I built a prototype mounting shelf/braket from foam core board, took it to Bluepoint Fabrication and they welded and powder coated a bracket which gave me a 6"x3" shelf on the front of the console to place a Cisco mount. The Lowrance and the Cisco can be removed as one unit with the two knurled screws on the Cisco leaving only the shelf/bracket behind.

 

[redfish5]

I have a Beavertail B2 that I bought used a few years ago. There was a 5" Lowrance mounted on the side console with a Ram mount. It worked pretty well, but when I decided to upgrade to a 9" Lowrance, I knew that the Ram would not be able to hold the new chart plotter. There was not a lot of real estate on the side console, so I built a prototype mounting shelf/braket from foam core board, took it to Bluepoint Fabrication and they welded and powder coated a bracket which gave me a 6"x3" shelf on the front of the console to place a Cisco mount. The Lowrance and the Cisco can be removed as one unit with the two knurled screws on the Cisco leaving only the shelf/bracket behind.

I ended up buying the Cisco mount. It hasn’t arrived, but I liked the idea of the separate mounting plate and thumb screws. We will see!