RAM mount bracket thingy

[davsato]

while i had the quest i rigged it up so it sat in front of the tacho and didnt get in the way (see pics in my member album). but now ive got a zumo and its a different, taller shape. it cant go where the quest went without blocking the tacho.
i liked the way the migsel mount puts the RAM ball above the clocks on the varadero, but im not going to pay £70 for a bit of bent tin.
i always try to make something before i buy one, so i took the screen off and used it as a mould to lay up a carbon fibre bracket, thickened in the middle to put a RAM ball on.
cure overnight and an hour with a drill and a barrel grinder got me this. it seems to work well but it needs tweaking a little, needs the short arm really the standard one is a bit long.

[Alba]

Very nice, you obviously have the skills.

On a separate note can you let me know how you up-load your pic's, I have only been able to get them up loaded one under the other. This is a brill way you have done it.

[pete h]

I reckon that looks better than the migsel "tin strip", if you fancy churning them out I'd buy one!

I spent a fruitless day trying to create a modified bracket myself but in the end I gave up and went down the u-bolt ram mount route.

Nice work.

[davsato]

Alba, i dont know how it does the pics, i just upload them! i do resize them to about 640x480 1st, then upload them all at the same time if that makes any difference?

Pete, my boss would string me up by the balls if i suddenly "dissappeared" another load of carbon cloth, but you could do the same quite easily in the shed using glass instead, buy cloth and resin from model shops, wickes, loads of places.
carefully mask off the inside of your screen with a pvc or ptfe tape, like brown parcel tape, (make life safer and easier by using epoxy resin, if not then dont use sellotape, crystic resin will eat it and probably the screen too. its full of styrene, thats the stuff that smells so nice, what most boats are made with and kills off all your brain cells) lay up plies of cloth on it, for glass the layup needs to be about 3mm thick all round , and build up to about 15mm at the front where the bolt for the RAM ball goes.
once its cured off, the screen should pop off and you can get creative with the power tools.

[pete h]

Cheers for that davsato, I think I got fixated last time on going down a metal bracket route, but I'll give it another try, I'm not overly happy with the current ram mount set up, I seem to always have something obscured wherever I try to put the mounting, whether it's an indicator or the oil light.

[Snaphappy]

The Migsel lumps are well made I dont regret buying mine,
but if I had the choice now I'd buy your one

excellent work, now can you make something like the madstad bracket for the screen

[davsato]

pete, one tip, dont forget to build up the tape on your screen really thick in the middle, at least 1/2", so the RAM ball wont be hard up against the screen.
it doesnt show in the pics but the hole for the ball is angled downwards in mine, and the screen is held off the bracket by 5mm thick rubber washers so it doesnt touch the bracket anywhere and rub.

[davsato]

snaphappy;madstad bracket,
i could, but carbon fibre isnt up to a lot of sliding back and forth like that so it would soon wear out, or i'd have to make it thicker and clumsy looking.
fraid your stuck with the metal one mate. $90 isnt too bad, but i bet its more like £120 if anyone sold them here. wait for the exchange rate to get a bit better and buy from the states direct.

[Snaphappy]

Originally Posted by davsato

snaphappy;madstad bracket,
i could, but carbon fibre isnt up to a lot of sliding back and forth like that so it would soon wear out, or i'd have to make it thicker and clumsy looking.
fraid your stuck with the metal one mate. $90 isnt too bad, but i bet its more like £120 if anyone sold them here. wait for the exchange rate to get a bit better and buy from the states direct.

I would but the Varadero one is still in P&D.
if I had the noggin I would buy and adapt the VStrom bracket

[davsato]

i thought these up when i first got my varadero, but to be honest i get on fine with the standard screen. help yourself to give it a go.......
if you made a handed pair of these in a strong but slightly flexible material like perspex or thick acrylic, then they could do the job, although only for up and down adjustment, it wont tilt.
my mouse skills arent the greatest but if you can understand my drawing, the plates go into the original screen screw holes, but with countersunk screws. the screen then goes over the top and you have various levels of height.
you will need some very short 5mm screws, and the threads in the plates might pull, maybe some helicoils needed.