While upgrading the electronics on the flybridge of his 1986 Grand Banks 32, Onne van der Wal installed a new 12-inch Raymarine Axiom Pro chart plotter and a p70s auto pilot controller. The auto pilot controller fit in a spot where Onne had removed an old piece of equipment, but he needed another spot for a multifunction display.
Onne wanted the extra display so he could monitor wind, water depth and other marine functions. “I wanted the Raymarine i70s up there,” Onne says, “but where do you put it?”
While perusing Seaview’s website, he saw they made accessory pods for various displays, including the i70s. The Seaview accessory pods are made out of marine grade UV resistant ABS plastic and are designed to be installed on Seaview’s larger Sail Pod, Deck Pod or Rail Pod.
“The moment I saw it, I said, ‘Bingo. I can modify that,’” Onne recalls. He marked the pod up with a magic marker, cut the back off at an angle on the bandsaw, sanded it smooth on his disc sander and put a piece of teak inside the pod so he could mount it on the flybridge console. A little marine sealant around the cut sealed it to the top of the flybridge.
“Obviously, you have to get your sequence of assembly correct,” Onne says. “You can’t close it up before you mount it because then you can’t get to the mounting screws.” On projects like this, Onne figures out the order of assembly while swimming laps in the swimming pool. “I think the whole thing through while I’m swimming,” he says. “How would I make it? How would I mount it? And then I do it. The whole practical way of tackling stuff is so fun.”
You can see the assembly process in the video below.
