I have two singout arms in my hatchway. The raday display is on one and
a gps/fish finder is on the other. Unfortunately, there just wasn't
quite enough room to attach both devices to just one arm, my hatch just
isn't tall enough to have them one above the other. When both are
deployed so the helmsman can see them, it's a little inconvienient since
to in or out of the hatch, you have to either carefully step over them
or swing one of them out of the way. In reality, this is not a big deal
since the radar is only rarely used (but when we do use it, we are
REALLY glad we have it).

Fair winds - Dan Best

rhys wrote:
It would tend to "compound errors", certainly. I've installed
something on my current boat, however, that I haven't seen before. I
got a gooseneck armature from an old draftsman's flourescent light and
clamped it so that it swings into the companionway. It can be lashed
in position with shock cord, if needed, but usually the friction knobs
do the trick.

On the armature I've secured a handheld GPS on "ship's power" (a 12 V
cigarette lighter style adapter). This means I can reference the GPS
quickly without using my hands, and without it being loose in the
cockpit, without eating batteries (they go through AAs in 2-3 hours of
continuous use), without losing "satellite lock" (because they are on
all the time and in the companionway can "see" enough sky).

Other advantages are (mostly) out of the weather (a ziplock bag will
do the trick here as well).

Of course, I have a tiller, which means I am standing most of the time
by the companionway near the winches and aft of the traveller on the
cabin-top.

I wonder, however, if my "armature idea" would be useful for any
similar devices, as opposed to a "hard-mount" at the wheel? If, for
instance, you had a 15" LCD panel and a wireless mouse, the panel
could be some distance away and still be readable.

R.