nav station

NYCSAILOR · Post by **NYCSAILOR** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 2:01 pm

I am busy refiting c-26 this winter ( alhtough 25 deg. temps have stalled the effort) in anticipation of a very busy upcoming sailing /cruising season ( finally) I am replacing all the wiring and navionics and I have a new gps, vhf etc. so....... I realized that I would want a proper nav station ( I had one on my J-30 and loved it.) but where...how? I was thinkign across fromthe galley, but that woudl all but seal off the aft quarters altogether and that is a pretty big part of the boat where I was planning a beam-wise berth for two somehow but it is pretty damn hard to get back there already.... I saw elsewhere here somone rplaced the chest of drawers with what might work as a nav station but that is pretty far from the cockpit and not sure how you would sit there. sooo... all I have got so far is maybe a fold down table onthe forward part fo the gally or across from the galley OR, just mounting everythign on a panel attahed to an articulaitng arm ( like for a flat panel tv) and have it swing inside the cabin and also into the campanion way....I am hhoping others have more imagination...the C-26 is a pretty big boat yet the space doen not seem to be utilized so well for some reason, but I am sure there has got to be a betterh way then just spreading electronics all over the boat , like is the practice now..... I just want ot do this once and do it right, I might never had the time again.

keysskipper · Post by **keysskipper** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 3:01 pm

we put the nav station across from the galley, we have a fold down that attaches to the coffin ceiling, the stereo, chartplotter and GPS are mounted into cubby, planning on chart rack instead of tubes but don't use them much with this new chartplotter, just set waypoint and go, would like to have auto tiller instead of the tiller tamer we have now, will try to send Ronc some pics to post to help ya.

KS

NYCSAILOR · Post by **NYCSAILOR** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 5:58 pm

I would love to see a pic, that is a thought I had, was to put a slide out table mounted to ceiling of coffin but that makes it even tougher to get in there.. how do you sit at the nav station? sideways on the settee or did you mount a litle fold down jump seat in front of the settee. I was also thinking of cutting the back cushion of the settee, making a section of it able to fold down that back of it would form a table.....

also if you gps etc is in the cubby, is that a problem if you need to navigate from the cockpit? I got a waterproof lowrance gps touch screen but I am still reluctant to mount it in the cockpit...but I could move it in/out on a external bracket...

where is your vhf mounted, I am also thinking of getting a small micro pc or laptop or use my palm for a little pc

I am trying to figure some way to also make better use of hte coffin, that is so much wasted space under there and it even has a portlight so it is not that claustrophobic ( ok , it is pretty bad, but I think things could some how be improved ....

I got a very good deal on a simple autohelm for the tiller and I have to install that as well...

EmergencyExit · Post by **EmergencyExit** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 6:57 pm

Re that "coffin". Try this sometime - stretch out crosswise in there with your head to the starboard, and your feet behind the galley to the port. I find the curve of the hull lets you prop up just a bit, and you have a fair amount of headroom, (even of your stomach doesn't!) plus that portlight lets the moon light in on your face a bit !

NYCSAILOR · Post by **NYCSAILOR** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:20 pm

I read that from you earlier on the forum and tried it and I think that is the way to use the area ...cross wide or beam wise as a double berth perhaps esp. since it is tough getting in there behind the galley anyway.. now the challenge is how to setup up like that ....with a nice headboard and maybe storage back by the rudder post ( plenty of room back there too!) the ladder maybe modified to flip up .. but I think it is a structural item holding up the forward end of the cockpit... anyway, it is soo narrow to get in there also, maybe if I cut away the a chunk of the aft end fo the starboard settee you have an easire time gettign backthere but that would take seeting away fromthe spacious salon that we use much more..

ronc98 · Post by **ronc98** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 9:44 am

I am all about seeing pictures. Send away Keyskipper I will post them for you!

thepartydog · Post by **thepartydog** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 8:55 pm

Yeah, what he said, pictures.

Darin

Windward · Post by **Windward** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 3:42 pm

Spend some time pretending to sleep crossways before you decide to go that way. My original plan was to do exactly that, until I found that I could scarcely rollover, much less raise a knee. If you're using it as double, the aft-most sleeper will have an interesting time at best trying to get out to use the head. For me, the C26's QB is a single sleeping, lengthwise.

With a fixed keel, I think the best mod would be to move the galley to starboard (build a decent one, while you're at it) and convert the port settee to a pullout double. Lots of space and ventilation there, and it's possible to get past the made-up double to use the stove or the head.

That doesn't solve the nav station problem, of course. I'm assuming you do want to keep it toward the cockpit.

Random ideas, not subject to extensive QC:
=> If you aren't likely to do a lot of cooking underway, perhaps the galley top could do double duty.
=> Could even make a chart board that would slide under the cockpit seat, then pull out on top of the galley, so there's a quick way to go from chief cook to head navigator
=> The pull-out board could be removable, so that you'd have a decent surface to work with in the cockpit, or to use elsewhere if someone's trying to cook while underway.
=> Could do the same thing to port (where the galley used to be) instead of starboard, if mustard on the nav tools is a problem, and use it as a stand-up table.

With RE: to instruments, problem with something that pivots so you can use it in or out is that most of those I've seen require a hatchboard to be out. If I'm sailing in knockdown weather, or even when it's just snowy or rainy, I want all the boards in and the cway latched.

I had planned to make something I could slip over the top of a hatchboard, so that I could adjust to however many boards I had in and still move it inside if I wanted. Ended up just mounting everything on small pedestals on the lower hatchboard, sticking out far enough that it can pivot either way. It's in the way sometimes, but until I work out a more elegant solution I can see if on either tack.

NYCSAILOR · Post by **NYCSAILOR** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 5:38 pm

You can tell WIndward's a sailor! things that seem right at the dock he understands might not work under water/..... I am appreciative of your expereince and I like your ideas... moving the galley is too ambitious and too much cabinetry for me but i do like the "swiveling" top for the galle, I was thinking of a slide out top but your concept is a little more clever.... as far as the navionics.... and radio..... I guess i will have to look at more boats for ideas... I am checking our every 22 to 30 footer and the only idea so far for cockpit instruments is mounted in a pod on a stainless rail that goes over the companonway hatch and also serves as a hand rail and is also completely removable for thef protection... right now I am leaning to just holes in the bulkhead ... pretty borring and unimaginative but I got to pick my projects carefully for the bggest impact for the time put in.