Hi Pete:

> Has anyone come up with a good way to mount their GPS unit that they'd
> care to share?

Not yet, but the idea of a angled block of floation is what I'll include in mine. Like a wedge of foam with some way of attaching it to the front rigging.

> If the only alternative is a clear waterproof bag, then why bother selling
> it as 'waterproof' or 'it floats!'

I almost killed my gps the night before my trip when I tested it's "waterproof"-ness in the bathtub. It worked for about 10 minutes, then the display became corrupted and I could see I let water in. I was furious. I went on my trip without it, and when I came home, the gps began to show signs of life. Once the water was drained/evaporated/respirated away, the unit was fine. In my anger, I consulted the documentation and found the (my) problem: the unit was advertised as WEATHERPROOF not WATERPROOF. I read what I wanted to see, not what was written. My fault. In my opinion, use a bag. By the way, I have the Magellan Tracker, http://www.magellangps.com/products/tracker.htm and I am otherwise pleased with the unit.

> Or am I the sucker for believing that waterproof nonsense in the first
> place?

Not a sucker, um, Optomist, perhaps.

> The functional objective is to mount it in an
> adjustable, somewhat upright position somewhere a little forward of the
> cockpit within arms' reach. I can't read it if it's flat on the deck, and
> depending on the light it needs to be turned from side to side.

> Simple would be nice. I'd rather not cut anymore holes in the deck, but if
> it comes to it... . But then I'd have a drainage problem.

I also saw the commercial dash mount unit, but didn't see a way to easily mount it to the boat. I, too, try to minimize the number of holes in the boat.

Ed Valley