Well actually got it as a gift......Anyway, I will be installing a Garmin GPSMAP 440 this week. I also ordered a mounting kit from Ram-mount that will allow me to fasten the GPS to my windshield stanchion.
Any suggestions on routing the wires? I really am cringing on the thought of having to drill through my helm area

I drilled a 3.5" diameter hole in my helm to put in a depth finder and then 4 holes for the bolts to hold it in place. Then there's the three bolts for the GPS and three more for the mic for the VHF. It's not that hard to do. Run the drill backwards firs and drill a small diameter pilot hole too.

You've seen this, Sea Ray Guy

Yeah.....I imagine once you drill the first hole the rest are gravy.

Man this is gonna be tough though. Any things to think about when wiring?

Just "weave" the wires behind the helm, and fasten them out of the way.

There's 13 14 small holes, one 1" diameter and one 3.5" diameter in there that I've drilled in my helm. If you look closely, there is one for the data/power cable to the lower left right of the GPS. Congrats on the new GPS, BTW.

I wired mine to the circuit that feeds the depth sounder and it turns off and on with the factory switch that operates the fish finder (which is hooked up to the same circuit). These don't draw much current and the fuses in the panel under the dash are more than adequate to serve both, especially if they have a separate in-line fuse.

What Capn Morgan said... You don't want them to get tangled up with the steering track behind the helm.

Good point...I am pretty anal when it comes to those type of things. I am shooting for the neatest cleanest instalation. Not only am I nervous about drilling through the top of the helm, but I dont want to drill in the wrong spot....Some posts I have seen showed a rubber grommet type of thing around the hole to prevent chaffing the wires....any idea where to get something like that?

Get some 3m marine sealant (4000?) so you can seal up anywhere a cable goes through the fiberglass. The white sealant will dress things up nice. If the hole is big enough, and the sealant goes through both ends, it will be like a nice custom grommet. I used the stuff when mounting the fishfinder as well as bringing the VHF antenna cable through the hull. Maybe someone else has some suggestions on using the 3M marine sealant?

Here are a couple of options for a feed through:

(this first one, you can buy for $20ea at West Marine or $2 from Mouser)



I have been using these feed-throughs on the cables that exit the tubes on my radar arch.

http://www.mouser.com/catalog/635/1778.pdf



http://www.mouser.com/catalog/635/1780.pdf



http://www.mouser.com/catalog/635/2363.pdf

or if you make a mistak'a...



http://www.mouser.com/catalog/635/1780.pdf

Perfect AL!
Thanks.......Do you they also carry the clamshell type?

You mean clamshell, like these:




http://www.mouser.com/catalog/634/2185.pdf

Go to this website:

http://www.heyco.com/products/prod_overview.html

Find the one you like, then do a google search on its part number. I bet either Mouser, Allied, or Digi-Key will have it.

Thanks Al but I can't seem to find it...There was a thread tat had it but I can't find that either...may have been another forum.
It is verry similar to a corved air intake.....round base that covers the hole and curves to a 90 such that it won't allow water in.......reminds me of what a lot of people use when they have a transducer cable coming out of the transom.

Hope that made sense!

Here is another option. To have a more compact install I didn't use Garmin's bracket. Instead I screwed the RAM Mount to the helm and use 3M double sided tape to hold the GPS to the RAM. I didn't drill a hole for the wire. My dash finishes right below the mount so I 3M the wire neatly. I also got the RAM Mount locking knob. Since I'm not using the Garmin's bracket the only way to steal it is to rip it out. Prevents me from removing it if where just going for a bite on shore.

Close-up.


Further away.

Phat.....Nice looking set-up. I ordered the Ram mount coming from the stanchion already so I think I am stuck there.....I would like to see some pics of exactly how you fastend the unit to the Ram mount and also how you taped the wires.

Unfortunately I don't have anymore pics. But it is simple. 3M double sided tape looks like this. I got mine at walmart.



Being thicker than regular tape it allows a very strong bond even with slight curves. You just place it between the RAM mount plate and underneath the GPS. If you look very closely at the first pic you can see it a bit protruding. For the wire I just cut thin peaces of 3M, thinner than the wire so it doesn't show, and place it underneath it here and there so it is flush everywhere until it reaches underneath the helm.

But this is depending on your placement and helm. If the wire can't be tucked neatly by all means drill a hole to pass it through. My cousin go the same gps as me, similar size boat (Campion Allante 705) and his helm hangs allot lower and is bigger. What I did for him was to drill a hole right behind the gps and use Garmin's regular bracket. You would have to look at the helm from directly above to see the hole. Only disadvantage is he can't lock it.

Here is the size of his helm.

Very nice set up:

You mean these scoop thingies:



They are usually found at West Marine, Defender, etc. under the deck vent category.

Exactly!
Before I buy anything I willpost pictures of the install later today!
I think it came out great and the folks at E-mounts(ram mount distrib.) are top notch! Great product and WAY helpful.

Alright.....off to Mystic Watch Hill today to try it out.

Thanks Guys!

Ohhh yeah PhatboyC, What deepv said!

You may not have room or not, but if you have a spare cupholder that can be removed, you might make a plate (I used Corian) to fit over the cupholder for a no-hole-drilled installation.

I did that on my last boat:

Front:




Rear:




Drawing of the concept: