GPS installed for under $500

[a4effort]

In case anyone is interested, I purchased a GPS 6" touch screen and installed it for under $500. I'm super happy with the unit. It's a discontinued Garmin 640 but it's packed with good stuff and it's strictly a GPS for those like me that don't need fish finder options. This particular unit Has both land and sea modes so it comes out of the car and goes on the boat. I purchased blue chart SWFL for $60 which upgrades the 640 with "guide to nav" which essentially means you can touch a spot on the screen where you want to go and it uses maps and depth readings to plot a route for you. Most units I looked at with this capability were either closer to $1,000 or they were less, but hand held with a small screen. Here are some pics of the install. I drilled some holes in the mounting disc. Picked up some stainless tie downs, stainless nylon lock nuts and bolts and mounted the unit to the windshield post. The main thing is it's a nice little unit. I'm just a backyard mechanic so there's prob a better way to install, this just worked for me.

 

[JusFlyinBy]

Very nice. Did you just cut the 12V plug adapter off the end and just hard wire it somewhere into the back of the dash?

 

[a4effort]

Very nice. Did you just cut the 12V plug adapter off the end and just hard wire it somewhere into the back of the dash?

Unit comes with both the 12V adapter and a hard wire cord. I wired it in right at the fuse panel under the helm.

 

[PanamaJet]

I am planning to do something similar but put the GPS to the right of the helm (and sacrifice the cap holder).
Is this something that you considered?

As for getting under the helm, how did you do it?
Did you go via the front seating or another approach?

 

[a4effort]

I usually had a cold beverage in the cup holder so no, I was sure I did not want to sacrifice the cup holder. Also I wanted it as high as I could get it so I could easily glance at it while driving. Looking down while driving adds an element of risk. As you can see I just loosened the helm gauges from the front seating access (lift the seat back) and slipped the power wire under the gauge console, made a small indent with a dremal tool so the wire did not get crushed, then I just used power from a loose connector I found , I think it was probably for an accessory I didn’t have.