Installing A Depth Sounder

I have long resisted drilling a hole through the hull. But after some ground contacts it seams meaningful to me to install a depth sounder.

 

Hole for the depth sounder in front of bulkhead B

The Hole for the depth sounder met the old trailer support mark

3 cm Sapelli for strengthen the mounting area

I backed the hole with a piece of copper tube

Depth sounder mounting kit

The sapelli strengthening is painted

  

To prevent for leakage water I glued a plastic collar around the strengthening

 

Installing of the depth sounder finished

Installing Instruments

After the mishap with the cutout for the compass on the wrong side, the hole on starboardside has to be concealed. Unfortunately the cutout is larger than required for the depth sounder and the wind display. In order to overcome the problem I decided to build an alcove for the instruments.

Cutout for the Compass on the Wrong Side

For many years it was clear to me that the compass should be installed on the port side, next to the companionway. The navigation instruments should be installed on the starboard side.

On the day I wanted to saw the compass cutout, my dear wife also happened to be at the shipyard. She showered me with arguments about why the compass should be installed on the starboard side. Since she has had good ideas many times and I just couldn't think of any counter-arguments, I gave in and sawed the cutout on the starboard side.

The next evening, just before I fell asleep, I realized why the compass should be on the port side. It should be as far as possible from electrical instruments and the switch panel in order to protect it from magnetic stray fields!
For a few days I wondered if I should take the risk of installing instruments and compass so close together. Then I decided to do it not. So I sawed a second compass cutout on the port side.

One compass but two cutouts