Another Electronics Question

dlochner · Apr 9, 2026

Adding displays to a NMEA 2000 network is pretty easy. Cut a hole, connect a cable to the device, connect the cable to the network backbone. It will take some effort, but not monumental effort. With that said, the worst place to put them is on a NavPod at the helm, there is no need for them to be there since all the necessary information is available on the CP's screen. The place to put the extra displays is on the bulkhead at the forward end of the cockpit or over the companionway. There are a couple of reasons for this location.

First, with the displays at the bulkhead, everyone in the cockpit can see the data and if the autopilot is driving no one needs to be standing behind the helm watching instruments. There are situations in which an extra pair of eyes is handy, navigating channels with shoaling for example. One person can drive, the other can watch depth. Or, one person can keep an eye on the wind speed and direction, while the helms person can attend to steering the boat. On some boats, it is more comfortable sit off to the side of the wheel especially when sailing, in this position the chart plotter and displays are not always visible, while displays forward in the cockpit will be.

Chart plotters and displays can be a major distraction at the helm. There is a strong tendency to watch the instruments and not what's out in front of the boat. A related issue is ergonomics, visually accessing the data on a NavPod requires both head and eye movement, the helms person has to look down at the screens and the eyes need to refocus. There is a lot of data in the visual field requiring concentration to find the data of interest, usually depth. This distracts from the important job of knowing what's going outside of the boat and being prepared. Having all the data displayed on a small screen compounds the problem. When instrument displays are forward, all the helmsman needs to do is quickly move their eyes down a few degrees to see the display. Additionally, only the most relevant data is available, making it easier to see the most important data.

On Second Star, we have a 9" B&G Chartplotter at the helm. Two displays are on the bulkhead, one display has Speed through Water, Speed over Ground, Depth, and VMG. The other display has a graphic display of wind and current directions and wind speed data. All the data needed to sail the boat is easily visible by everyone in the cockpit and the data is available without the distraction of the fun things on the chartplotter screen.

Davidasailor26 · Apr 9, 2026

john6206 said:
I could install the chart plotter now, and add the boxes at a later date.

With a new install I agree that would be best. Once you use the plotter for a bit you’ll have a better feel for what data you always want quick access to, and adding new NMEA 2000 devices is just as easy later.

We have a 9” plotter and two data screens on the nav pod, just because the boat came that way. Like Dave said it’d probably be nicer to have the data screens someplace easier to see away from the helm. I’d move them more forward but we don’t have a great spot for them there - if we tried to put them right on the bulkhead at the front of the cockpit the backs of the boxes would be in the cabin, and people would always be pushing buttons on them when they recline. Anyplace on the cabin top could block block sight lines forward. Even though the data is all available on the plotter I like having it on the separate boxes. I have one display always showing true and apparent wind. The other shows 9 data boxes with all kinds of speed, course, ETA, and heading data. Usually when I’m out day sailing or in the middle of a point to point trip I’ll scan all those data boxes plus more on the plotter periodically. When I get into a place I need to focus like a new channel I switch the plotter to just a full-screen chart, and switch the data boxes to just speed and depth. That lets me keep my head out of the cockpit, use the chart for quick situational awareness, and not get lost in the numbers.

Calif. Ted · Apr 9, 2026

I have a 7" Garmin CP/MFD and recently replaced my older RM ST60 instruments with new I50, I60 instruments. In the attached photo you can see the wind page on the Garmin is great when standing in front of it. However, when I sit in the stern perch seat I can see the 4" speed and wind gauges easily while on AP. When I originally installed the Garmin I didn't intend to network it until I saw the wind and navigation pages available on the Garmin.

jssailem · Apr 9, 2026

Standing behind your helm,

Does the pod have enough real estate to handle all your choices.
Perhaps you decide on 1 or 2 critical boxes you choose to display while sitting on the side stern seat. Can the boxes provide more than one sensor display? Maybe you get to and flip them between the important data screens. I would guess it would be like changing windows on the plotter.

When would you use the sensor data? Anchoring? Open water sailing? Racing? Let your needs drive the solution. I suspect with your 7” screen you will need to be in front of the screen to understand the data.

They also make individual pods that can fit on your binnacle below the main pod for added displays.

dlochner · Apr 9, 2026

Here's our chart plotter screen when we're out cruising. There is a lot of information on the 9" screen. All of it is important for maintaining a course, however the essential information, depth, SOG, COG, and VMG are lost in the 14 data displays. Those are on a 4" display on the bulkhead.

The one drawback to bulkhead displays is, as @Davidasailor26 says, is someone blocking the display. Usually it is just my wife and I on the boat, so her spot is on the starboard side and the displays are on the port side.

Indysailor · Apr 10, 2026

I sailed a 320 a few years ago for a week and I don't know much about the options, but below are a few impressions from that experience. I think the set up was Raymarine individual displays plus a chartplotter, though I can't remember the exact configuration, but that isn't as important as the fact that I noticed a couple things.

1) I think it was probably a 7" chartplotter and I liked that it was pretty much dedicated to the chart alone, with minimized display of speed, heading, which may have been a display setting. But I liked that I had as much geography displayed as possible. Separate,.dedicated displays for speed/depth seemed extraneous, though I probably benefitted from a simple independent depth readout when navigating shallow waters. So my point is, maybe there is a happy medium with settings?

2) It didn't seem like a big enough cockpit that additional displays on bulkheads are warranted. It was easy enough to peak around the helm if I wasn't steering, though the way we operate is that we're either riding or driving, not both, so it kind of never came up.

3) An independent display for wind speed/direction is my preference.

Rick Webb · Apr 10, 2026

I'd be inclined to get the larger pod with the single display and flush mount the VHF next to it.

I really hate radios that are hidden down sideways or below other stuff. Must be from my flying days.

sailme88 · Apr 10, 2026

We have a Raymarine 7" Touch Screen Hybrid. It can be split screened. Woulda, coulda, shoulda gone with a larger screen. I let costs get in the way. I subsequently acquired a new electronic suite ( but not the Chartplotter) WIND, DEPTH and SPEED... Decided the best way got go was to mount the 3 on a NAV POD. on the pedestal guard. Long story short, while the information could have been displayed on the Chartplotter, at 7"s there just isn't enough room to do everything justice.

Can you upgrade to a 9" or larger screen ?

shemandr · Apr 10, 2026

I would never install instruments on the bulkhead at the front of the cockpit. Crew who sit in the cockpit will block the display. You will be continually asking crews and guests to move. Very annoying for both.
Cabin top is better but subject to damage from lines, feet and whatever else. I think best is on the mast but the displays have to have large enough numerals to see from the helm. That limits the data that can be displayed. I like the binnacle position but it is only good for the helmsman.
On a different note, I object to all this data distracting the helmsman from seeing the course, the venue and the world around. Once during a race, when my wife was driving, I became frustrated by her attention being on instruments and I went below and turned them off. It didn't last long but I think her driving would be better without all that distraction.
For balance I can't stand all the statistics thrown at us in other sports. I'd really rather just watch the game.

dlochner · Apr 10, 2026

shemandr said:
I would never install instruments on the bulkhead at the front of the cockpit. Crew who sit in the cockpit will block the display. You will be continually asking crews and guests to move. Very annoying for both.
Cabin top is better but subject to damage from lines, feet and whatever else. I think best is on the mast but the displays have to have large enough numerals to see from the helm. That limits the data that can be displayed. I like the binnacle position but it is only good for the helmsman.
On a different note, I object to all this data distracting the helmsman from seeing the course, the venue and the world around. Once during a race, when my wife was driving, I became frustrated by her attention being on instruments and I went below and turned them off. It didn't last long but I think her driving would be better without all that distraction.
For balance I can't stand all the statistics thrown at us in other sports. I'd really rather just watch the game.

Like most things on a sailboat, instrument placement is a compromise. Bulkhead works best for us and the prior owner put the holes in the bulkhead, kind of made the choice for us.

I'm with you on over reliance on data while sailing. With lots of data being thrown at the helm, it is easy to get distracted with eyes staying in the boat instead of outside where they belong. If you want to sail just by the numbers, try a video game.

colemj · Apr 10, 2026

Rick Webb said:
I'd be inclined to get the larger pod with the single display and flush mount the VHF next to it.

I really hate radios that are hidden down sideways or below other stuff. Must be from my flying days.

I'd mount the VHF below and put a remote mic in the cockpit. Now you have two stations for communicating where it is most convenient. Our remote mic has full control of every function in the radio, so it is like having a second radio.

Mark

jssailem · Apr 10, 2026

I’m with Mark. :beer:

colemj · Apr 10, 2026

Get the 4" displays. They can display any network data, and you can set them up with pages of different data for different situations. @dlochner is correct with his example of the plotter display being very crowded and not as useful as separate 4" mfd's. We have a 12" plotter, and I find displaying wind/depth/speed/etc on it cumbersome and not able to see what I want at a glance without hunting around a bunch of small boxes containing only numbers. One huge use of a separate 4" display is graphic wind data, where one understands more information more quickly with a fast glance at a combination graphic that they can with separate small boxes of numbers.

As for all the concern about having visual data keeping one from actually looking outside the boat, that is a personal problem. I don't have that issue. Frankly, I doubt others do, and it is more of a stance on principle rather than their weakness of locking onto a display instead keeping a broader perspective whenever a display is present.

And there are plenty of times when sailing by video game is the safest way. Heavy fog, for example, where keeping your focus on the radar, AIS, and plotter is safer than having your head outside looking into nothing. Night time with shifty winds and jibing possibility and squalls can be similar. Heck, going through busy shipping lanes has me on the radar/AIS video game rather than trying to suss out things visually. Particularly at night. Try coming into the Panama Canal zone with 400 ships distributed among at anchor, approaching from 2 different traffic lanes, and outbound and inbound in the locks lane. No way are you sussing that out visually, particularly since many of those moving ships are behind a visually impenetrable break wall and headed your way.

Mark

kappykaplan · Apr 10, 2026

colemj said:
I'd mount the VHF below and put a remote mic in the cockpit. Now you have two stations for communicating where it is most convenient. Our remote mic has full control of every function in the radio, so it is like having a second radio.

I have a remote handset that connects to the below-deck unit via bluetooth. Works great!

Another Electronics Question

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