M232 Installation Location (TG)

[mpo881]

I am considering adding the M232 to my system. I have a question about the mounting location. My boat has a hardtop but limited access to mounting from underneath. I have attached a photo showing the hardtop where you will notice a raised area. It is under this area that there is access for fixing and cables. However, that same area is now occupied by a 48" open array and a KVH Sat dome. The area in front of the open array will not allow access for fixing and cables would be near impossible to make up.

I am wondering what your thoughts would be about mounting the M232 on the bow rail in place of the Spot Light? I realize that I would need longer cable runs to accomplish this and it of course will not be the highest point or looking reward without manuvering the boat. It would also require using a handheld spot light if needed.

Thoughts related to this solution or perhaps I dont have enough real estate and forget the whole idea!

Thanks in advance

[Tom - Raymarine - Moderator]

Hello mpo881,

Quote:I am wondering what your thoughts would be about mounting the M232 on the bow rail in place of the Spot Light?

I wouldn't recommend this at all, I'm sorry to say. Partly the field of view from being so low, as you mention, but more because of the exposure to salt spray off the bow: with a camera mounted this location I think that you have a fair chance of building up quite a lot of salt on the lens of the camera and in the contact points between the moving and non-moving parts of the housing (pan-tilt), which wouldn't be great for the camera in the long term.

I think that a better alternative from both points of view would be to use a mounting solution (such as a Scanstrut tower) to lift the radar and STV and mount the M232 below. You ought to raise both the radar and STV, not just the radar, because otherwise the radar could block the STV's view.

[mpo881]

Hi Tom,
Thanks for your reply. I am located on a large freshwater lake so salt is not an issue, field of view is. Adding a Scanstrut will work but will cause other issues
1) will require complete dissasemble of the Scanstrut and all of the devices mounted on it to allow the boat to clear the door of the storage building (refere to the picture I included in my first post where you can see the building trusses)
2)the holes that will be left in my hard top

So, if the issues are salt spray and field of view (which I understood from the beginning) and not the length of the cable runs or vibration, then it might be a possiblitly for me?

Thank you

[Tom - Raymarine - Moderator]

Hi mpo,

Yes, in that case, mounting on the bow rail seems like the best approach. I don't see a problem with cable runs as long as you use a suitable gauge of supply cable for the length of the run. Vibration I'm not in a position to comment on specifically relating to your boat - if you had a lot of vibration at that point, you could perhaps see some blurring of the image whilst under way, but I think it's unlikely.

Regards,
Tom

[mpo881]

Very good. Thanks again for your help

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

You're welcome.