Mounting TV to Arch

Liberty44140

I am planning on mounting a TV to the radar arch on my 342. Location will be on the stbd side above the helm backrest so it can be tilted to any angle in the cockpit and the dock behind. Has anyone done this? There already is AC power under the cabinet for the fridge and freezer so it should be easy to run AC to it. I plan to go hidden wires so I will need to drill a hole in the arch for wires (and to mount). Anything to keep in mind when drilling holes in the arch? I dont want to create a corrosion problem down the line (although I am in freshwater). I assume there already are wires going from under the cabinet, up the arch so fishing power up to the TV will be a breeze, right? Let me know what you guys have done, thanks! 
I plan to use this mount, 100% steel: 
https://www.amazon.com/Mounting-Dream-Articulating-Extension-Adjustment/dp/B00ZKGVK30/ref=sr_1_2?s=audio-video-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1470189389&sr=1-2&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_three_browse-bin:6787468011,p_n_feature_keywords_two_browse-bin:6150418011,p_n_feature_browse-bin:2257256011

Cableguy Greg

It has been done before. I am sure others will chime in. If it was me, I would consider a 12VDC model TV so you don't need to run 120VAC lines up through the arch. Most of the smaller (32" and below) are 12VDC TV's and come with a transformer to get them from house voltage to DC voltage.

DanD2

I mounted mine on the underside of the top on the port side. I wanted to be able to sit in my seat (with pillow against the gunwale) and watch it or swivel to watch from the aft seat. Seems to work pretty good there. I made sure my TV was 12v so that I can use it anytime. Running wires and cable was relatively easy. Hardest part was getting cable from amplifier in the galley back up to the arch.

Liberty44140

Thanks for the replies.
Greg, I hear ya on the DC option and we may go that way. That said I am assuming running AC from the back of the fridge/freezer area up the arch would be just as simple. Perhaps run a 16g cord and attach 3 prong ends once the cord is ran. 
Dan, thanks. I do like your set up however the Admiral has given orders that if a TV is to be mounted it will be over the trash can. I'm not arguing What do you mean by the Amplefire behind the galley? For the antenna? I assumed the antenna amplefire is behind the TV down below. Thanks. 

DanD2

I moved my galley TV out of the compartment over to the port side but kept the antenna amplifier in that cabinet. I put a splitter coming out of the amp and fed coax back to the TV in the cockpit. Getting the coax back was a bit of a pain but I got it.

golfdog

I mounted mine on the starboard radar arch of my 342 several years ago. I used a similar mount that you have listed. I love where it is, I can position it to watch from back seat, side seat, or even from the dock. I also can run sound through stereo. I don't have any pictures at the moment.

Cableguy Greg

Here is some food for thought on running AC up the arch. If you go that route, be sure to use Marine rated electric wire. If there is an issue, such as a short, worst case, a fire, caused by poor wiring, your insurance company might not cover it.

Lifes Good

There Is No Reason To Drill Holes In Your Arch To Hang A tv.  You can create a mount that L brackets from your Bimini stantions.  Pull the hand wing nuts and place a L bracket between poles.

Hardware stores have aluminium 1/4" × 1" x 3 ft flat bars.  Cut, drill accordingly to create a L Bracket.  Mount the TV bracket to that. In the back side put foam tape to protect arch and possible speakers from scratches. Custom and clean!  I did this on my 320 and posted pics here some time ago. 

Mark

Liberty44140

@Lifes Good - I am not at all opposed to mounting the TV bracket to the bimini bars. They make TV mounts that mount to SS rails. I found the pics from when you were selling your boat so I see your L bar without the TV, but how did you conceal the power and antenna wires so that it was clean?

Lifes Good

I ran the cable and the power in a cover down the forward edge of the arch.  It wasn't concealed but it also was not really noticable.  I used 110 from the receptical behind the ice maker.  Pull the ice maker or refer out and you'll find an extra 110 plug.  I used a short extension cord and came out just below the helm seat then up to the arch.  I then ran a splitter from the cabin TV back.  The new owners eliminated the cable and bought a $30 digital intena that hangs behind the tv. They also use a chrome cast thumb drive to steam movies via their cell phone. 

Liberty44140

Planning to start installing tv mount on arch this weekend. i bought an extending wall mount that will be mounted on the arch over the cockpit sink and under the speaker. Looking for thoughts on securing the mount to the arch. One thought is to thru bolt it but there is very little space to get in there through the speaker hole and hold the nut. Second idea is to screw it in to the arch and in this case I would tap the holes so that machine screws will screw in, of course a little lock-tight in this case. Any opinions on tapping the holes in the arch? Of course I'd use stainless and the weight in total is roughly 10 lbs. thanks. 

JBam67

JBam67

I actually was able to get a piece of backer board behind the mount in the arch through an access panel in the arch. I then drilled the holes in the arch and put 5200 on the backer board and then bolted it in like having a stud in the wall. The mount I used is a full swivel mount 180 degrees. I then had the cover made with snaps in the arch to hold the TV in place while under way. It has never given me any issues. Good Luck! Should be about a 6 beer project, pretty easy.

Liberty44140

Thanks @JBam67 this is helpful. Yours looks awesome! My plan C was actually to get a piece of wood behind there and screw it in like a stud so I'm glad you mentioned that. If I can get some 3/4" plywood subfloor in through my 6.5" speaker hole that may be the best bet! I have been wrestling with a cover. Mine will be the same TV that we use down below and will "quick connect" from up to down using the connections in the below link so most of the time it will be just the empty bracket on the arch. I think the admiral still wants a cover so it looks better. 

https://www.amazon.com/Ergotron-Quick-Release-Bracket-60-589-060/dp/B000W0ETD2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491398725&sr=8-1&keywords=monitor+quick+connect

JBam67

Thanks!!
Yes I was able to actually get a piece of treated 2x4 behind the arch. Ours stays in place year round with the cover it really does help.

Stodge

Might want to consider starboard as a backer in case you get any water inside the arch.

Liberty44140

Thought about that, I just re sealed everything this winter to prevent water and perhaps I would use solid wood instead of ply as solid should be better than ply if it gets wet. Will look around for some plastic scraps. 

Dirtythirty

Pulled a wire from the fridge/ice maker up the arch and installed a socket up near the hardtop ... that way, no unsightly wires and we can add a sound bar or anything else later. Consider a fitted all weather cover. Got mine on Amazon, $40 and will keep the sun and moisture away from the screen.  I'm not a fan of 12v... we never use the TV underway, just at the dock when plugged in or if we are running the genny on the hook. Also, if you use a flip down mount, consider some type of back up (bungee cord) to ensure it doesn't come down on your head while underway.

Liberty44140

Love your set up Dirty. If I were hard top I would do it that way but being soft I am mounting it on the side of the arch like JBam did. Similarly I am not going 12v as my needs do not require it. Lots of opinions on 12v out there and I have another thread on here about setting up my 110v outlet for the TV where that can be further debated  I ran a 110v outlet for this TV which is on the "outlets" switch on the panel and is hidden behind the ice maker. That is done. I agree on making sure where wires hidden and make sure the exit is whether resistant which I will do. I'll post pics as things chug along. Really the hardest part is running the coax from the power antenna box behind the down below TV station back to the arch but I've vetted that and have a plan. Thanks! 

JBam67

Side note, if you have good wifi at your marina or if you can tether from your phone and have a smart TV you can hook up a slingbox system. You can have all your cable programming from home to your boat with just a wifi signal. We love it, and my wife never misses any of her favorite TV shows from home.

Liberty44140

We do  have decent Wifi so we bought a smart TV. We mainly watch Hulu and Netflix now. I was thinking of cutting the cable finally but good call on the sling box, may have to do that. The admiral cant live without her Bravo!

Liberty44140

Project finally came together today. Went from a 2006 14" tv to a new 24" tv, nice upgrade! Here is how it works, as mentioned it quick connects from upstairs to down. Same tv for both. I am making a cover for the outside mount that will be the same material as my biminis. Obviously most of the time the tv will be on the down below mount. Running the cable from the existing antenna amplifier down below back to the new outside tv was far easier than I assumed. Only hole that had to be drilled was the exit hole in the arch. 

Cableguy Greg

Looks great. What did you use for the filler in the cabin door behind the TV? I have the same huge hole and it drives me nuts. I was thinking about having a cabinet maker make a new door for me. I just don't want to spend the money right now.

Liberty44140

Hi Greg, the filler is a 1/4" piece of fiber board that I had leftover from a cabinet that I made. I used it because I wanted the face to be as flat as a piece of plastic like our cabinets. I traced the hole and cut it with a jig saw and then sanded it to a tight fit. The outside is a redwood color contact paper from Home Depot. Since the outside of our cabinets are printed wood this works fine, it's on the front and back. Obviously the color is not the same but that's fine with us since the tv covers it entirely. Same here, not worth paying to make this perfect, it's almost always covered with the tv. I did find a contact paper that was similar to my wood but it was a lot more expensive and the admiral was quite happy with this. 

Liberty44140

Couple more shots of the tv facing the rear of the cabin and the Sunbrella cover I made for when the outside mount is empty and "put away":

Liberty44140

Missed the TV that I installed on the 342 in this thread, was great for watching games in the summer and fall football. So spent this weekend adding one to the current boat. 

TV is not new, 26” hand me down from my parents cottage. Figure we will roll with this and see if we want bigger or smaller.  Mount is an RV mount that clicks in place when pushed against the wall so that it’s stable under way. Pull cord to pull it out and angle. 

Aqua_Aura

The sacrifices we make as boat owners. "had to go with the used 26" TV on my boat" 😂

TonyG13

Nice job @Liberty44140 - Do you happen to have a link to the RV mount that you used?

Liberty44140

LOL AA! 

Here ya go Tony. I liked this not just because it locks in while under way, but the tv will also rotate 5 degrees left to right which you need on a boat because the arch/wall is not perfectly vertical.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07KBW29P8?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

TonyG13

Thanks @Liberty44140 - One more question: How did you secure the mounting screws? Did you use oversized washers or make a backing plate?

Liberty44140

I used oversized washers and did 6 bolts to help divide the load. On the 342 I used a 6” x 6” backing plate but that was because I couldn’t thru bolt. Here with the large outlet hole I could thru bolt.