Mount for my tablet

[floating_viking]

Hi, I'm looking for a way to mount my tablet on my boat. I have a Samsung Tab A 8" that I use for navigation. Anybody have any suggestions on good mounts? Links and pictures perhaps?

 

[gddavid]

I went through the same exercise last season and could not find an off the shelf product that I really liked. There is a lot of stuff available for phones, but not as much for tablets. The tablet stuff I did find I wasn't sure how corrosion resistant it was or it was bulky. I ended up putting together my own contraption, I will post some pictures up later when I am home. I have a nexus 7 I use for navigation (memory maps is my favorite app) as well as music. The dash on my 19' bowrider is pretty cramped. My dash never gets any spray but since no one makes a waterproof case for my tablet I wanted a mount that could hold the tablet with or with being in a waterproof sleeve (or Ziploc).

I started off with a small plastic cutting board and put machine screws through it, with about 1.25" protruding out one side. I took 3 rubber conical plugs each about 1" long and 1/2" in diameter, drilled holes down the center of each and slipped them over the three machine screws and secured them with washers and self locking screws.



I attached the cutting board to my dash with a steelie mount (brand name of mount I used) which is a magnetic cell phone mount that you can rotate and tilt around. I wanted to be able to easily change orientation and remove the whole thing quickly and easily. I also didn't want to put any holes in my dash in case it didn't work out, and this mount just uses a self adhesive material. The mount is usually strong enough, but if I slam through a big wave it will pop loose, this season I will probably add a second mount on the dash, and two more mounts on back of the cutting board so I can attach it in two orientations. My cutting board contraption allows me enough flexibility to put the tablet inside of a Ziploc if rain is expected and I can still reach all of my buttons. If a life-proof case was available for my tablet it would be perfect and my home made mount could be skipped. One handy thing I like about the steely mount is that the mount will stick to any ferrous flat surface like my fridge or range hood since the magnetic 1/2 of the mount stays with the phone/tablet. I'm sure there many other ways to go about it. A RAM mount would probably work best but they are bulky and awkward to me.

 

[kbd635]

I got one similar to this for my iPad. It works great and well worth the $$.
http://www.amazon.ca/HDE-Universal-...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1436548867&sr=1-16
I also got an Defender case for the iPad just to keep it away from the spray.
HTH
Kenny

 

[cdnNick]

I was thinking of ordering a tablet arm that is designed to mount to a MIC stand, I figured I could mount it to a grab rail near my dash.

Here are some examples:
http://www.amazon.com/ChargerCity-M...sim_267_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=109P80EA8B0RB0FXFVQM
http://www.amazon.com/ChargerCity-A...sim_147_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1Y9J46GDE7RXG5150MR0
http://www.amazon.com/IK-Multimedia...sim_147_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=1Y9J46GDE7RXG5150MR0

 

[Augoose]

I like these mounts a lot - have one in each of my vehicles and I wouldn't be surprised if they would hold a tablet.
http://www.scosche.com/mounts

 

[keninaz]

I have found that I have been able to use Ram Mounts in almost any situation with ease. Take a look at their website.

rammount.com

 

[gm280]

Not sure how ambitious you are, but if you know how to work power tools, you could easily make a sealed Lexin container affixed to most any quality after market arm to hold any type display and be totally water proof as well. Simply build a frame to hold your display and then use a face overlay to seal it against dust water or whatever. And it will look great and keep it fixed as well... JMHO!

 

[airshot]

I would second the vote for the ram-mounts, I have a few and have never found anything better. I wouls never trust a suction cup on my boat, to many waves and harsh hits when the chop kicks up. The ram mount has never let me down. They make one for most any need and some are universal so they are easy to modify to your exact situation. No they are not cheap but.......they do work!!

 

[UncleWillie]

+3 for the RAM Mounts.
The military and police use them a lot. Very high quality.

The "RAM-HOL-SAM7PU" is custom made for the Samsung Tablet 8. Supplies Power Too!
Add a Ball Arm set to match your mounting requirements and you will be Good to go.

A second Ball Base in the car will allow you to reuse all the mounting parts at a moments notice.
All their parts are interchangeable so if you ever upgrade the tablet, you do not need to replace everything. Just the tablet cradle.

 

[csilvest]

I grabbed one of these: http://www.staples.ca/en/CTA-Digita...iPad-and-Tablets/product_1058276_2-CA_1_20001

Stop laughing!

The toilet paper holder can be removed with a single screw. Base is all metal. Mounted through the dash with 2 #10 SS bolts and nuts. The gooseneck is very "firm"; bend it as you like and it stays put, even when poking at the tablet. The fittings at the table end are plastic, but very tough; once tightened, tablet stays put. The clamps that grabs the tablet can accommodate 7" - 10"; the spring is quite strong; never had my table come loose.

About the only problem I have is it's very hard to view a tablet in daylight. Not the fault of this mount. I'm experimenting with an enclosure/hood for that.

I'll try to remember to take a picture tomorrow.

BTW, what's everyone use for navigation software? I'm using Navionics with the Canada & US charts; I've never used a proper chart plotter so have no idea if this is the best way to go.