Self Tacking GPS Display

Got tired to trying to remember to take some pictures of my self-tacking GPS/Sailcomputer mount, so I made a drawing instead:




The gps attaches to a carbon backing plate via industral velcro. Plate attaches to boom via bolt and it can swivel left/right. Plate has a short extension arm pointing forward torward mast. This tiller has a small limiter line to limit max pivoting angle. Tiller also has a bungie that attaches to the mast rotator arm (down at base of mast on my Tornado). As mast rotates, the bungie pulls the tiller to follow it...which pivots the display the opposite direction. Thus the display always faces the windward aft corner, giving the helmsman a perfect view. Works wonderfully and has stood up well in many regattas now. I'm running the Nauteek 2000 SC which has a big display and be easily be read while on the trap at the rear corner.

I fix my SpeedPuck to the spi pole, forward of the mast using a pole mount with the same (awesome) industrial velcro. It's visible from the wire and out of harm way.

cool diagram

food for thought

thanks

Pretty neat Mike, just curious, has the crew ever bumped into it? I hope you get a chance to post some pics.

For a slightly different setup, you might want to check out the A cat forum at the very bottom of the list of forums here.

Back in January when they were holding the A cat regatta at the Islander in Key Largo, I saw an A cat that had a self tacking GPS mount in front of the mast. It was very slick and not so prone to crew damage, (being an A cat of course not) but for those of us who race F16 Uni's or even with a self tacking jib, I thought it could be mounted high enough on the mast to not be a factor with the jib.

I wish I could remember who's boat it was on, or get a picture, any of you A cat guys help me out? Thanks.

And Pippen, that Speed Puck just shows speed, not compass headings, right? Or can it do both?

It's only a matter of time (and not much) before they make one that's bluetooth compatible so you can have a head's up display in your sunglasses.

Or you could get a foretrex and have it on your wrist.

I know its not magnetic but oh well,

The Speedpuck is really simple. It has three modes you toggle between with the button: speed, max speed and compass. In addition, visible in all the modes there is a angle shift detector that's really slick, showing you when you hit a wind shift. Like a tactical compass but without the calculation in your head.

Demo:



I have three velocitek devices, each can do different things. The SC-1 is the most complex, it adds distance to the line, VMG, and more with two displays so you can see two bits of info at once.

Now that would be cool.

Happy Birthday Pepin

Diagram is not to scale...the mount sits only 2-3" from the gooseneck...so it's well forward on the boom...and the boom is quite low/close to the tramp at that end. Crew is never putting their head under that area. It's also very easy to reach the unit's buttons for start countdown and/or display changes.

Thanks for the post Mike. I have an SC1 and have not yet used it on the boat. I was working, in my mind, on a self tacking system for it. I helped Bill Westland design his A-Cat one. It is pretty slick. I was thinking about going in front of the mast with criss-crossing bungee, but I like the idea of using the rotator arm. I will have to reconsider.

Later,
Dan

Peppin, happy Birthday! Now, get off the forum and get back to drinking, cake eating and generally carrying on!

Tomorrow, when you sober up, tell me, can you read the speed puck lift/headder bars from the wire, on that spinnaker pole type mount? Even with the sun shining on it? What I'm thinking is, should I mount it on a tacking mount too?

Yes I can read it from everywhere on the boat. I don't recall ever being in a position where I was unable to read it. But then I sail in good old england, where sun is not always there

Now with pictures:

On boat. Redline to lower rotator is bungie. Yellow line off display tiller is limiter. Thin black line to gooseneck from display is failsafe:




Backing plate & boom mount detail:


More shots at my gallery starting page 5:
My Marstrom Rigging

Mike.

Being a minimalist, Garvin makes a nice wrist mount that allows different screen accesses at the touch of a button anywhere one might find themselves.