DIY Autopilot 120 Console

[Koz]

The other week I purchased  a Garmin Livescope system along with a 9" Echomap head unit. Compared to my old Helix 7 this new head unit is huge.

 

I prefer to sit and fish, and after mounting it on the rail during install and testing I saw that it could interfere with my fishing. I'm only 5' 6" and shrinking with age, and even with the seat in the high position it would interfere with my fishing. On my old Seastream pedal kayak I could mount the head unit right near the seat, but the track on the Old Town Autopilot doesn't run that close because of storage, cup holders, and forward facing rod holders. That's one of the trade offs with the Old Town.

 

For my purposes, a traditional eye level console right in front of me wouldn't work either because it would still interfere with my fishing. But the big deck of the Autopilot gave me an idea, and I built a prototype console. Instead, I made what I call a Wing Console. I made it out of wood, made a few rabbet cuts with my router, and glued and clamped it together. I used the longer T-bolts to affix it to the rail and bolted the head unit base to the console. I can also shift this head unit over and there is room to mount my Helix 7.

 

It's a little tight with the cables and the motor on the back side, but I can fix that by widening the holes for the T-bolt and sliding the unit a little closer to the seat.

 

If you're constantly fiddling with your unit and changing views this might not be the best solution. But this unit is touch screen and I can pre-configure screens and layouts, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. 

 

The one thing I will probably need to add is a hood for the unit. I'm going to test this for a while, and if I like it I may pay a firm to make one out of aluminum. 

 

[Koz]

FINALLY got out on the water for the first time today with my FFS. The only problem was that winds were a steady 15-18mph with gusts of 30+. I stayed close to my house where the fishing is only mediocre this time of year.

 

There was one minor issue with the mount. I had to reposition it slightly to accommodate the Fishing Specialties FFS pole and the frame wedged against the foot pedal rails. That meant I had to use the handheld unit to steer and that made things complicated trying to fish, steer, and position the FFS pole.

 

While spot lock did a good job of holding me in one vicinity, the constant re-orienting itself into the wind, trying to fish, and trying to work the FFS pole was like juggling a bowling ball, a tennis ball, and a jelly bean at the same time. It can be done, but it will take practice to get it down.

 

The good news is that with that DIY mount the head unit was in a great position, easy to read, and easy to work the touch screen. To fix the problem where it's wedged and obstructing the steering pedals is an easy fix. All that I will need to do is sand about 1/16" off of each side post.

 

Now that I'm satisfied with the setup it's time to start tucking wiring with Velcro wraps, and lock down my electronics battery.

 

I made it easy to disconnect the FFS transducer and sonar module. I can also leave the head unit attached to the mount and quickly disconnect that mount. This way, when I travel and stay overnight in a hotel all my electronics can be removed quickly and stored in my room or in my Bronco. 

[Bankc]

That looks pretty nice!  I don't even think I'd have it redone in aluminum.  I think you have a finished product right there!