Show us your helm

[ben2go]

Love that big wheel. 1 meter diameter is just about right!

Mine is going to be smaller, close to 24 inches I think.

 

[janice142]

Here is the helm/pilothouse on my 4788 bayliner.

What a helm chair! I am seriously impressed. It sure looks comfy.

 

[C lectric]

My helm Overhead:
#1 VHF
GPS only used now for Lat/Lon
Sounder
#2 VHF

Hanging from VHF #2 is holder for tablet for Navionics, puts it at eye level and just to my right side.

On dash is the compass and A/P control compass on Port.
On dash is the radar on stb side of companionway.

Both VHF use remote speakers arranged so I know IMMEDIATELY which VHF is which.

At my seat level , port side of me and out of sight,, is the handheld VHF which I some times use as a 3rd operation radio with an earbud although usually it is for the dingbat and emergencies.
Last is the set of holders for charts, books, etc. I installed for my wife last year.

 

[menzies]

Running outside from St Augustine to Mayport today.

 

[Wayfarer]

Here’s the office on the big boat. It’s old, but tired.

 

[boathealer]

That's a sexy office!

 

[Mako]

Nice radars and a Starbucks to boot!

 

[ben2go]

Here’s the office on the big boat. It’s old, but tired. View attachment 96836View attachment 96837

My cousin was in the US Navy. He would send home pics of vessels with a similar utilitarian look. Reminds me of his photos he sent home to the family.

 

[FlyWright]

Here's what it looks like from the helm of the battleship USS Iowa that I visited last month.

 

[jimdavi]

Our helm.

 

[Mako]

I rally like that helm station JimDavi. Clean and uncluttered and compact.

 

[Art]

I really like that helm station JimDavi. Clean and uncluttered and compact.

 

[ben2go]

This thread has given me ideas about how I want to set up my helm. I'm thinking about doing a hidden electronics station. When the boat isn't being used, the station retracts. When it's being used, the station flips up. Think '70s/'80s flip up headlights.

 

[wkearney99]

This thread has given me ideas about how I want to set up my helm. I'm thinking about doing a hidden electronics station. When the boat isn't being used, the station retracts. When it's being used, the station flips up. Think '70s/'80s flip up headlights.

Probably worthy of another thread.

With the advent of modern systems that separate the screen(s) from the black box there's possibilities. A shallow box to contain the LCD screens. And a 'pocket' in the top of the helm surface. Hinge the box up into viewing position.

This isn't terribly complicated, from a woodworking perspective, but does have some issues with avoiding movement while underway and potential chafing of whatever wires need to come up to the screens. Then there's little things like avoiding any spills on the flat surface somehow getting down into the electronics. Which wouldn't otherwise be a typical issue for fixed position helm station (owing to not being mistaken for a flat table surface by guests with drinks).

But taking it to a whole other level, making the entire helm fold up... that's going to get more complicated. There's more wires, of course, but there's also the question of how solid a hand-hold can be kept on a movable cabinet when sea conditions get messy.

I've been out in conditions where I've had to hold myself DOWN onto the deck by virtue of a death grip on the helm wheel. That's a whole helluva lot of force and I'm not sure how well a hide-a-way helm station could be realistically made that would handle it. For something like vessel control I'd think you'd want to engineer it for the worst of conditions you might encounter, not for visual appeal.

 

[Mako]

Perhaps a more practical design, which would still have a high coolness-factor, would be to make a pull down cover like the traditional roll down desks.

 

[menzies]

Perhaps a more practical design, which would still have a high coolness-factor, would be to make a pull down cover like the traditional roll down desks.
View attachment 97069

We have that furniture moving system!

 

[ben2go]

Probably worthy of another thread.

With the advent of modern systems that separate the screen(s) from the black box there's possibilities. A shallow box to contain the LCD screens. And a 'pocket' in the top of the helm surface. Hinge the box up into viewing position.

This isn't terribly complicated, from a woodworking perspective, but does have some issues with avoiding movement while underway and potential chafing of whatever wires need to come up to the screens. Then there's little things like avoiding any spills on the flat surface somehow getting down into the electronics. Which wouldn't otherwise be a typical issue for fixed position helm station (owing to not being mistaken for a flat table surface by guests with drinks).

But taking it to a whole other level, making the entire helm fold up... that's going to get more complicated. There's more wires, of course, but there's also the question of how solid a hand-hold can be kept on a movable cabinet when sea conditions get messy.

I've been out in conditions where I've had to hold myself DOWN onto the deck by virtue of a death grip on the helm wheel. That's a whole helluva lot of force and I'm not sure how well a hide-a-way helm station could be realistically made that would handle it. For something like vessel control I'd think you'd want to engineer it for the worst of conditions you might encounter, not for visual appeal.

There will be a thread when the time comes. I have considered what you've mentioned and more. I already have a sketch of what I'm thinking. I may make the flip top out of scrap materials I have laying around before using the furniture grade woods.

Perhaps a more practical design, which would still have a high coolness-factor, would be to make a pull down cover like the traditional roll down desks.
View attachment 97069

I thought about those roll tops using half rounds. I have repaired a few over the years. They can be a real pain at times sticking due to humidity. They could possibly be a source of rattles and squeaks aboard.

 

[fractalphreak]

I'd read this thread as it grew, but didn't have pics worthy, and was working on some refinements on my own helm situation. I've finally gotten a couple elements "done", mainly the dedicated 12v PC computer, monitor, and nav network. Still have some more to do, the instrument cluster and some better/more comfortable helm seating though.

We had been using a 17" laptop sitting on the chart table, plugged into an AC outlet, with the inverter running all the time, and manually plugging it it to an ethernet cable to our Nemo multiplexer to get/send nav data.

Now the little NUC computer sits under/between the 24" monitor and the Garmin chartplotter, always plugged in to DC power and the navigation network. The monitor sits over the chart table, leaving it to its actual use, which we like to do - now we're not using the dinette for a chart table any more.

Future improvements are to rebuild/wire the engine gauges. They sit flat on the dash, and require you to look over them to monitor them. they need to be mounted on an angle, so I need to fabricate a teak gauge instrument/dash for them and remount them. I'd like to figure out a way to improve the built in helm seating, its not the best, lets put it that way. Also, at some point I will reconfigure some of the instruments in the overhead. We have some electrical/charging items scattered all over, and I'd like to move them all together near the center of those overheads. That will require replacing some teak panels and cutting new holes to get it all right.

Our flybridge is much simplier so far. Just a duplicate of the Garmin 4212 and the gauge cluster. We have a remote for the ComNav and a remote for each VHF radio, but no remote to view/control the PC. This is a failing so far, as we use Coastal Explorer for planning/setting our routes and using CE to send routes to our autopilot. Future plans are for a removable/waterproof PC monitor for the flybridge.

Heres the pics:

Underway in Upright Channel, 7/23/20



Underway, the Garmin typically is on radar, or a splitscreen of radar and a matching zoom of the chart, while the PC is zoomed in or out as is most advantageous for navigation. I have one of Logitech's smaller wireless keyboard/mouse combos. The keyboard stows back under the monitor at the forward edge of the chart table when I don't need it. The little black box under the right side of the monitor is the computer. It is wired into its out fused connection to the boat's DC system. I added a 12V converter, to ensure any voltage from 8 to 18 volts is converted to 12v to protect it. I have the same converters in line for the monitor and the WIFI router, all of which run on 12vdc. I bought the correct 12v DC pigtails to be able to directly plug the boat 12v into these electronics without having to butcher the AC/DC adapters they came with.



Center frame, the ComNav autopilot, probably one of my favorite bits of equipment on the boat. And the flat instrument panel, probably one of the least inspired parts of its design.



Night mode. This is at anchor near Spencer Spit, kind of right between the Spit and Swifts Bay, just inside Flower Island. When anchoring or entering a shallow area, I'll switch the Garmin to a side by side of sonar and charplotter, usually zoomed in close to a level that I won't be changing for navigation.



I also have a red lamp for the chart table. Its not as bright as it looks in the photo.



And when we aren't using the PC for navigation, it is available for safe internet use, IE Trawler Forum, Youtube, and Netflix streaming. I also picked up a portable DVD player for the Admiral's collection of boat movies. The PC has the ability to connect via bluetooth to our Fusion stereo to play videos.

 

[Arc]

 

[TowLou]

As I sit and read about one day living aboard and kicking the dirt home.

Anyone need an engineer?

 

[Art]

As I sit and read about one day living aboard and kicking the dirt home.

Anyone need an engineer?View attachment 105415

Engineering specialist in what venue?

 

[TowLou]

Engineering specialist in what venue?

New Jersey for now

 

[Wayfarer]

We got a sweet new helm station over the winter on the big boat. We also got a few new other gadgets. A new heading repeater, rudder angle indicator, and a new whirlybird.

 

[Codger2]

Helm as of Yesterday

I'm stopping at this configuration.

 

[Art]

I'm stopping at this configuration.

I didn't know that "stopping" was in your vocab!!

 

[twistedtree]

We got a sweet new helm station over the winter on the big boat. We also got a few new other gadgets. A new heading repeater, rudder angle indicator, and a new whirlybird. View attachment 105466

Cool/. Can you walk us through it? Maybe make a video?

 

[Unclematt]

Old school with some new school.
https://mail.yahoo.com/d/folders/1/messages/22380

 

[rslifkin]

We got a sweet new helm station over the winter on the big boat. We also got a few new other gadgets. A new heading repeater, rudder angle indicator, and a new whirlybird.

Looks good! I find the wheel a little funny though. It looks very un-ship-like, to the point where it's very similar to the wheel on my boat and probably a few others on here.

 

[klee wyck]

Domino helm.

 

[rslifkin]

Domino helm.

Now that's a properly shippy helm!