Has Anyone Installed a Flatscreen in a 2001 280DA?

Thanks for the info guys. I may take the old one out today and decide which way to go. I'll definitely go with a 110v model, since I have the inverter, so there are several brand/model choices. I'd like to get the built-in DVD, but finding a top brand that has the features I want may be hard. I may go with a media player such as this, and play movies off thumb drives. I can fit over a dozen movies on a 64GB drive.
http://sumvision.com/productinfo/micro3b/micro3b.asp
 
We rarely use our dvd anyway. We use the ipad hooked through a HDMI http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD098ZM/A/apple-digital-av-adapter. I have most of my movies on digital so that works for us. Also, if we want to rent we do it digitally too. I think this summer I might just opt for an AppleTV box since we have decent wifi at the dock. If you are not an apple guy there is the Roku box too. Just a thought.
 
E-man said:
I want to install a flat screen in our 2001 280DA. Was wondering if anyone who has can share some pics, pointers, suggestions? Thanks!
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There are a lot of ideas for you in the official 280 thread. Here is what I did.

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I started the new TV installation today. I got a 22" Samsung at Costco at a good price. No built-in DVD, but it has all the bells and whistles, including the USB input, which hopefully will play my movie files. I decided to use the existing sliding tray, and will braze (or weld) a metal bracket to hold the TV. That bracket will be bolted to the sliding tray. Since I use the TV in the cockpit also, I will make a bracket for the back of the TV, so it will hang on the bracket which will be mounted on sliding bracket. I did something similar on my last boat and it worked great. No fussing, just lift off and install the TV on the bracket in the cockpit. I elected to center it to the cabinet, which means it will overlap the chrome trim on the piece that separates the TV cabinet from the sink area. I will never use the sliding curtain, so that will never be an issue. I'll tie the audio into the main audio system.

A hint for 280 owners: I just finished the steering cable installation, and after fighting with the harness passage, I gave up and decided to just drill another hole for the steering cable. I think this applies to installing any wiring, whether it be for your TV or whatever. Don't fight with the caulked harness. Just drill another hole, and caulk that new hole to keep the engine fumes out of the cabin area.
 
I used an articulating TV mount (such as this one: http://www.amazon.com/VideoSecu-Art...7QNI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1365184926&sr=8-5& ) to mount my TV. I mounted this bracket to the same cabinet the TV was in, but mounted it to the side facing the bow. The brackets rotates around and stows away in basically the same spot as the old TV, facing portside. The TV can be rotated away from the cabinet and pointed towards the mid-berth, or rotated toward the V-berth. This also gives us full access to the area where the old TV was when it's rotated out of the way. I plan on making a new door for this area and covering it with the same material so it looks OEM...

I had first purchased a 22" NAXA, but it would not work with the HDMI output of my Android phone, yet the phone worked everywhere else I tried. So I returned it and purchased a Skyworth 22" which works great with the HDMI output of my phone. TV is AC/DC, which last year resulted in a huge reduction in the use of the generator from the previous year.

Would love to see results of your cockpit mounting, that would be nice to have up there.

And you are right about running new wiring; I ran a VHF antenna cable from port side radar arch to stereo; I ended up drilling a new hole and silicon caulking it too...
 
Sounds like a nice installation. I'd love to see a photo. I might down the road do something similar. I like the fact that the cabinet can be used exclusively for storage with your setup. I just finished the bracket for my TV, which will mount on the existing sliding tray. Of course, I made it about an inch too short, but I will use a piece of ply to bring it up to where I want it. I'll post a photo after it's installed and painted.

The cockpit mounting is a very simple solution, and only requires two 1/4" holes about 5" apart. I'll post a photo when I finish that also. Moving the TV from cockpit to cabin takes a matter of seconds.

I too will be using the MHL cable from my Android phone. I really haven't tried it with the Samsung, but I'm pretty sure it will work. The video output on my Samsung Note 2 is very good, so it should be very watchable on the 22".

BTW, I just ordered 3 of these audio/video wall plates. The price is fantastic. I'll mount one on the port side, where I usually sit and where I have the cell phone and remote for the radio mounted, and the other near the TV on the starboard side. If I can find the right connector, I plan on adding an antenna jack, and if I can squeeze it on the wall plate, a USB charger output (on the port side only). http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-3-HDMI-Wallplate-3-Composite-Video-Audio-RCA-3pcs-/130800304550?
 
Danny Troy said:
Sounds like a nice installation. I'd love to see a photo. I might down the road do something similar. I like the fact that the cabinet can be used exclusively for storage with your setup. I just finished the bracket for my TV, which will mount on the existing sliding tray. Of course, I made it about an inch too short, but I will use a piece of ply to bring it up to where I want it. I'll post a photo after it's installed and painted.
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Snapped a couple of photos yesterday while at the boat, sorry for the poor quality.

The first is the TV in the stowed away position. Its facing the same direction as the original television, but in front of the cabinet. Note we can still use the curtain if needed. Note that also I have not yet added the cabinet door like I have planned...someday.

20130413_170026.jpg


Here is a picture with it swung to face the mid-berth or dinette. It can also swing to face V-berth too, and swung away to give full access to the cabinet behind it. Here you can see the bracket and how it is fastened. I was a bit worried about rough seas causing the TV to swing out and was trying to find some kind of fastener to secure it in place, but it seems to be a non-issue. The bracket is very firm and has never moved from its position, and we've been in some rough stuff last season.

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I had to drill two holes in the side of the cabinet, not happy about that. But if I ever remove it (doubtful), I can just put black plastic cover plugs there and it will look fine. On the backside, I used a single piece of plywood that spans both bolt holes to fasten and give a lot of support to that area and spread out the forces. I'm happy with it.

Tom
 
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Very nice job Tom. I wouldn't feel too bad about drilling those holes, as I'm sure you will always use that bracket, even though you might switch TVs down the road.

My gizmo to hold the TV is finished. Just waiting for paint to dry. I'll post my setup when I finally install it, which will be in the next few days. I'm utilizing the original sliding tray, and made a bracket out of 1/4" steel. It's probably strong enough to hold a 55" TV, so the 22" Samsung will be no problem. I won't be able to close the curtain, but we probably will never need to close it anyway, since it's just the two of us on the boat when we sleep there (plus the two dogs!).
 
Update on my TV installation. I bought 50ft. of RG6 antenna wire, which is the recommended wire over the RG59 that was widely used in the past. I accessed the cable on the arch easy enough and was able to find a hole on the starboard side to snake the wire, after taking out the panel that the shift/throttle is mounted on. Then I checked the existing cable closely, and found markings on it that showed it was RG6 cable. Glad Sea Ray used the good stuff. No need to replace it with the same cable.

It wasn't a total waste of time, as I had to snake an antenna cable from TV cabinet area, from a splitter, and snake it back to the cockpit, where the second TV mount will be located. I'm also snaking an audio cable, so the TV can be tied into the boat's sound system.

BTW, if you ever want to run a new wire from the antenna amp, which is located in the sliding door cabinet over the sink, good luck. The amp comes out easy enough, but the wires are in a harness that makes a 90 turn through a panel, and is all but impossible to access from the other side.
 
I did a lazy man TV addition in the cockpit area this winter. I have Direct TV on my 280 and the direct TV box has a second A/V outlet with the same picture feed( both TVs are the same picture or both are the same DVD or one can be DVD and one be TV). the Direct TV does not have HD its a simple composite RCA jack. So I ran three RCA cables from the box at the standard TV location behind the galley area and head to below the helm. I have excess cable so when I want to watch a second TV in the cockpit I can just pull out the RCA cables from under the helm and hook it up. I can also put the audio cables into the Clarion Aux input at the helm to run the sound through the boat sound system.
i also installed a 12v to 120 v inverter so I dont have to run the generator if I am not on shore power.
 
280 Gator.... Sounds like you have a nice setup there! BTW, did you have as much fun as I did snaking the cables through the tiny hole behind the head. I was lucky to get an RG6 antenna cable and an audio cable, but I had to cut the ends off the audio cable, since the 3.5mm headphone jack plug wouldn't make it through.

I finished the cabin portion of my installation today. Here are some photos. The TV lifts off in seconds, and is able to utilize the sliding/swivel tray. I have to install the mount in the cockpit yet, and run some audio cables to the new sound system.

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q746/DanTheSaxman1/IMG_0568_zps1ba4a690.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q746/DanTheSaxman1/IMG_0565_zps78b97521.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q746/DanTheSaxman1/IMG_0562_zps30f987ea.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q746/DanTheSaxman1/IMG_0560_zpsee5dfa38.jpg
 
Cockpit TV installation. Sea Ray mount. Antenna tied into splitter behind cabin TV.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk 21371523790.790791.jpg
 
There is a lot of glare during the day. Not much difference between LCD/LED. I'm having an anti-glare screen cut, and will let you know if that makes a difference.
 
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