Home made GPS mount

[Michael]

I had previously bought a Garmin mount to use my GPS60 in the car.
I wanted something stronger & cheaper to use in my dinghy.
So I made my own out of 3mm acrylic plastic sheet. Available from Bunnings or specialist plastics shops, as used in most secondary schools technology classes.

It also helped having a bandsaw & a tool called a plastic frabricators strip heater. The strip heater is used to heat & soften the plastic so it can be bent to shape.

The base is bent so it will clip onto the thwart (seat to all you landlubbers) a couple of extra pieces are glued on top of the base to give it enough thickness to drill & tap a thread for a SS countersunk head bolt.
The bracket to hold the GPS was templated in cardboard then cut to shape & bent to fit the GPS.
It is glued onto a triangle shaped piece with a 75 degree bend. It sits on the base & is held down with a wing nut onto the bolt, which allows it to swivel.

The photo of it in the dinghy was taken last week on the Goulburn River near Molesworth, down stream from Eildon.
A very pleasant day exploring a bit of the river, a few VBs & a picnic lunch.

regards Michael

[hangover]

Good job, reminds me of working with acrylic at school, some clear acrylic a small oven or grill and strong glue and you can make a multitude of things.

[Droopy]

Well done! Looks like a pro job! :hatoff

[avayak]

Nice job Michael and I must say that is some dinghy. Looks like you have some good side protection. Do you leash your GPS?

[Nicko]

Is that the boat you made Michael?

[Michael]

Do you leash your GPS?
No, it just sits in the bracket which clips neatly onto the thwart.
The Goulburn Weir & about 40 km upstream on the river is very docile, slow current, about 1 or 2 kph.
Upstream of Seymour there are fast sections of small rapids & gravel races where it is a struggle to go upstream & the GPS records up to 8 kph as I come down sitting in mid current.
The dinghy is a Herreshoff design from a book called 'Building Classic Small Craft' by John Gardner.
Built it about 15 years ago. Got an electric motor for it at last year's Boat Show.

[darylr]

Hi Michael,

What a beautiful boat !!!!!!!

I have built a couple of wooden boats in my time but nothing as nice as yours. I can spend hours pouring over craft like that. I generally walk past plastic boats. I love the workmanship that goes into them.

My last boat was a timber 26' sailing catamaran.

I can remember having to fill my Grandfathers dinghy with water at the end of winter each year to make the seams take up and stop leaking. All copper rivets and as heavy as the ark but sturdy and safe in a blow.

A lot of the fisherman had the bigger version and launched them of skids on the beach with a single cylinder Putt-Putt engine.

Also a great GPS holder (I nearly forgot to mention it). Obviously you are a very good tradesman.

regards

Darylr

[Michael]

I can remember having to fill my Grandfathers dinghy with water at the end of winter each year to make the seams take up and stop leaking. All copper rivets and as heavy as the ark but sturdy and safe in a blow.
I have built a few like that years ago, so when I built this one I used 6 mm maple plywood for the clinker planking & whilst there are copper rivets along the seams, they are also glued with epoxy. Messy, but strong & waterproof.

[nobby229]

Love that boat, what a little ripper.

I've been wanting to tackle a similar project but where i am there are no rivers, only ocean close by.