What instruments really needed at inside nav station?

[FredV]

I'm now finally living on Fred V, albeit on stands in the marina parking lot, and every night find myself staring at the nav station and hoping for some inspiration. Since none is coming, I thought I'd better turn to the forum.

I'd like to convert the current configuration into a combination nav station and work desk. For work, I'll need a place to put my laptop, space for a 19"-22" flat panel monitor, and some comfortable stool I can stow when I'm not sitting on it. I'll also need room for the electrical panel(s), VHF radio, and stereo. But what I don't know is what other items, i.e. nav instruments, I should consider installing.

I've pulled out the 6 original instruments (VHF, ham radio, and 4 COMBI units, half of which I have no clue what they did!) and am scratching my head wondering what I should replace them with, if anything. Since I'd like the engine and GPS instruments to be installed on the cockpit pedestal behind the compass, I'm thinking whatever instruments I have in the nav station will just be to help with chart work or as backups. I'll have a compass and portable GPS in the cabin, of course, but just can't figure out what more might be needed.

Any and all ideas and suggestions would be most appreciated. Also, if anyone has advice on which type, brand, and/or model of instrument panel to install on the pedestal, I'm all ears!

And now back to the galley for another attempt at pulling the stove!

 

[SailH37]

This has worked for me.

I too put the gps and chartplotter at the helm, and down below, I end up either watching tv or on the pc because I'm at the dock. I don't do well down below at night trying to stand on my head reading a chart with a red light in 10 ft seas, oh no, that will last only a short time, guarunte'ed. I'm exaggerating a little of course, but this was my office for over a year, and I'm hoping that it will be again some day. I put the main VHF down below, and the command mic up in the cockpit. The same with the stereo, so far everything's a go. Chair's holding up and adding the tool box raising the floor was necessary. Maybe a gps readout down below for doing log books, but beyond that, maybe a radar? That's beyond my finances right now.

 

[Siamese]

On my Catalina 309, aside from the electrical panel, all I have at the nav station is the vhs and a Victron battery monitor. Everything else is at the helm.

But, I'm the guy who says a nav station is a waste of space on a 31 foot coastal cruiser. If I really want to spread out a chart, I just do it at the dining table. At the nav station, there's enough room to view a page in a chart book, if you open the book to view two pages at once...forget it.

 

[Jim Legere]

I am a bit old fashioned and still plot with pencil on paper charts at the nav station (but I just picked up a Standard Horizon chart plotter that I intend to mount on the binnacle guard rail, so that may change as I get lazy in my old age...).

I have a GPS, a log repeater (miles run, cumulative), radar, and the obligatory brass clock and barometer at my nav station. The radar display can be swung towards the companionway, where I can squint at it from under the dodger. The switchboard to port includes a DC volt meter and an engine hour meter. VHF and stereo are above the switchboard (RAM mic for the VHF in the cockpit). I always intended to mount a flat screen monitor under the book shelf above the nav station desk, but have not got around to it yet. I keep looking at Marine SSB radios at the boat shows, but I have avoided that temptation so far.

 

[H33CRich]

I have the Standard Horizon GX 1700 VHF with built in GPS and DSC, paper charts, chart symbols guide, eldridge tides and currents, coast guard rules of the road, battery monitor, engine hours meter and an iPod interfaced with my Raymarine e7 and Navionics cartography.