Saturday, August 14, 2010

Flat Screen Mounting

Perhaps you like to leave the world behind--I sail with my family and we find a movie can be a nice break after a day of sailing, and a life saver when sustained rain moves in. But setting up the screen and DVD requires digging the components out of lockers, plugging and unplugging wires, and is never at all stable underway, so when finished watching, it must go away.


The base plate is 1/4-inch FRP and attached to the same screws that hold the headliner up. The hinged aluminum bracket attaches to the mounting holes in the back of the TV. 
 


Like most flat screens, ours had mounting bosses built into the back panel, but darned if I could find a bracket that would fold the way I wanted it too. I have seen flat screens mounted on the rear salon bulkhead on PDQ 32s, but I have seen heavy spray there. So I built my own, from 1/8-inch aluminum, 3/8-inch FRP, and bits and pieces. It folds up and down in seconds and swivels 270 degrees. A small bungee cord ties it up to a small cleat, and holds it down by wrapping around the post at the end of the table. Not pretty, really, but it works well.


The cable in the side takes the sound to a pair of amplified Bose Speakers. It rocks.



Sunday, August 8, 2010

Just a Wee Three Week Cruise, but a Aways a Few More Preparations...

 and a few minor up-grades. I will post the details of the more successful projects and a trip report in about a month.

  • Window covers. We made a full set of Sunbrella covers for all of the fixed windows, in part to protect the plastic and in part to help with the AC load. While the cabin roof is well insulated, the windows pour in the BTUs. The covers were dead simple; we replaced every other screw with a male snap.
  • Inventory. We always carry double of so many things. I'll be visiting the boat a week ahead of time and will put together a list. On our earlier trips, those with just Jessica and myself, I had far less help but planning was more linear; a simple one-person list process. Now I have to "manage" and "organize". I hate that.
  • Shear pins for the 3.5 hp Merc outboard. It seem the new ones have aluminum props and take stainless pins. So I went to the local full-service hardware for some 5/32-inch brass rod and now have a 5 year supply of pins for the price of one. (5/32" x 1"--the Mercury web site states that they can be either brass or stainless with the resin prop, but that stainless gives less protection)
  • Some new rub pads for the tender, cut from and old pair of waders. 3M 5200 is some cursed, messy, slow drying stuff, but it has some serious staying power.
  • Cabin roof flat screen mount. Not my prettiest work, but I built a bracket that allows the flat screen to pivot up to the roof, out of the way, without disconnecting the wires.
  • Route planning. Always, there are a few places and inlets that I include primarily as book research. My family only requires that we call in Tangeir, Cape May, and Chincoteague.
The end of the summer comes far too soon.