246 add GPS & stock stereo remote

[Slipdm16]

I bought a 246 late this fall and bought a fishfinder/GPS (Lowrance hds7) which I plan to mount where the stock stereo remote is located using a ram mount. Do you think I need to add a piece of starboard under where the remote is to support it or is the “wood” strong enough? Goal is to not add new holes or mount the GPS where it’ll ruin the look of the gorgeous dash. Boat’s in storage an hour away so I can’t just go look at it now.

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On a related note I’m going to replace the stock stereo with a Fusion which has a little hockey puck wireless remote I can just stick anywhere. From what I’ve read the 6 speakers in the 246 are powered from the deck with 2 pairs wired in parallel or serially. Does anyone have more details?

[Big Block Power]

Just run all new wires. The front bows are tied with the cockpit frt speakers. Factory speaker wiring back then was terrible, just saying.
Also why don't you put the ram mount on the flat wood section piece in frt of the padded arm rest?

[Slipdm16]

Thanks BBP, I’m trying to avoid drilling new holes and I figured I’d have more room laterally to mount the GPS if it was where the existing remote is.

The 246 is a 2006...I’m surprised to hear wiring is that bad! I have a 20 year old Whaler whose wiring is still OK, I would’ve thought Cobalt did everything at a similar level of quality (tinned wires etc)?

[Big Block Power]

Thanks BBP, I’m trying to avoid drilling new holes and I figured I’d have more room laterally to mount the GPS if it was where the existing remote is.

The 246 is a 2006...I’m surprised to hear wiring is that bad! I have a 20 year old Whaler whose wiring is still OK, I would’ve thought Cobalt did everything at a similar level of quality (tinned wires etc)?

Could you use suction a cup there vs drilling holes? It's just regular old wire. Kind of sad if you ask me. I'm sure Bruce58 would roll over being a electrical engineer.

[Slipdm16]

Suction cup ram mount was my original thought, but I’d read some posts about the suction cup falling off, and thought it’d be better for the GPS to have it screwed into something

[CaptBob]

Look into SeaSucker mounts. While those suckers are expensive (see what I did there! ) they work. I had an Ipad I used as a secondary chart plotter on the flybridge of a previous boat and it held without problems.

I will probably put it on the passenger side of the Cobalt to keep the Admiral from changing my plotter while under way!

[Slipdm16]

Thanks Capt Bob, it looks like SeaSucker doesn’t make one big enough for a fish finder

[ajfdj55]

Curious to know what you decided to do to mount your GPS? Also what are you doing for a transducer?

[bruceb58]

Buy a screw in RAM mount. NO way a suction cup model will work well. The first time it falls off and you break your GPS you will kick yourself. On my last boat, I had a RAM mount that was screwed in. Worked awesome.

[ajfdj55]

That'a a very nice mount. What did you do/use for a transducer?

[bruceb58]

That'a a very nice mount. What did you do/use for a transducer?

Is your question to me? If so, I used the stern mounted one that came with that particular Lowrance unit. If I was doing again, I would use the thru hull type that Garmin uses like the one I have with my boat.