OK guys, now I am stuck.
For the last three years Stargazer II has had a 13 inch VCR-TV combo unit. It has always had the problem (the TV) of being a bit bow heavy. It wants to fall off of the top of the hanging locker at the aft end of the settee. I have lusted in my heart for a LCD flat pannel TV, thinking it is lighter, and about a foot thinner then the old one. I was also thinking that all I would have to do is poke a couple of screws through the foot of an LCD TV and screw it down to the top of the locker. (Starting to sense the problem yet?)
So I got one for Christmas, and started thinking about how easy this was going to be, and decided that I did not want to mount it that way. The problem is not poking holes in the TV foot, it is a TV, who cares about it. The problem is that I do not want to drive screws into the top of my pristine 34 year old hanging locker.
How about an indusrial hook and loop type material (like Velcro).
I have a 20" LCD that I just lay down on the setee until I'm docked, then set back up on top of the locker...
Back to the TV issues. Our on board TV is a tiny little thing, we just keep it on the shelf and it never gets in the way. It works okay for casual viewing but it's the pits for anything else. On a 38 Express, which has a traditional old world interior going back to the same configuration on boats they produced many years earlier, there just isn't any space that is suitable for a TV of any size (but that's on our boat).
I appreciate the sensitivity about not wanting to drill holes in a boat that made it this far. Good going, this is a good thing to be thinking about. Too many people drill holes and open a can of paint without thinking long enough.
What we'll be doing sometime soon, is looking around our cabin for a location where a TV is going to work well, and then we'll buy a new one to fit the spot. We may even elect to get one that can be kept in the forward coat closet. Every boat is different, everyone uses their boat differently, has different water to cruise, different marina conditions, etc., so there really isn't any generic solution. It you want to mount a TV in a particular location, however, some of them are about as heavy as something you'll pick up in the gymnasium for a workout, so the mounting will have to be very substantial. In addition, I'd buy one that is light weight to avoid some of the problems. Any light weight installation will be torn loose as soon as you hit the first wave.
I'm sitting here in the business center of a nice hotel in Denver this evening, checking in on the forum. Hope all is well out there in Commanderland.
You know, the hook and loop thing or a variation therof just might work. I will be fussing at this for a bit. If I find something really cool I will post it.
Paul, those guys look like they could put away an entire liquor cabinet in one sitting. With friends like that, have you ever considered bringing their own?
Good observation! Yes, these guys can drain a good bottle of scotch faster than a pair of 427s can drain a fuel tank running at 3000 RPM. They're good friends and business associates, so I guess I'm sorta stuck now, they've had a taste of the good life aboard TRADITION, cigars and all, lol.
