Scanstrut Deck Pods, & a U.S. warehouse

... written for Panbo by Ben Ellison and posted on Jun 23, 2009
ScanStrut_Deck_Pod.JPG

The U.K. company Scanstrut has been making all sorts of radome mounts and similar gear since 1986, and I know I'm not the only one who's admired their smart and handsome engineering.  I learned at the Miami show that they were working on a line of universal electronics pods, and today that line is not only official, but a few nice new design twists are revealed.  For instance, the preview literature for the Deck Pod above -- meant to mount MFDs up to 15" on fly bridges and the like -- illustrated its heavy duty silicone gasket and other features, but showed a mount that "only" swiveled.  Well, look what they came up with for the finished product; apparently you can just unlock that lever and position the ball-mounted pod however you'd like. Nice!   I've long held that such view flexibility can make displays more useful in varying light conditions, and I've often proven the postulate using RAM mounts, but this looks like a truly elegant solution...

And it looks like Scanstrut also added more twist to the optional Flex-Mount (below) that can be used with its sailboat Helm Pods.  Note the dual indents, which mean that these pods -- which come in four sizes, two depths, and two colors -- can bolt directly to 9.5" or 12" pedestal guards.  The new Scanpod line also includes instrument mast mounts, even in carbon, and I don't doubt that those engineer/designers have more goodies in developement on their CAD screens. 
   As I slowly figure out a plan -- flexible in all ways possible -- for mounting gear at Gizmo's helms, and on her mast, I'm sure eyeballing the Scanstrut brochures.  And I was pleased to learn that they recently established a "fully stocked" warehouse in Connecticut (as well as a new U.S. distribution network, in concert with Ocean Marketing).

ScanStrut_Flex_Mount.JPG

Posted by Ben E on June 23, 2009 11:57 PM

Comments

I'm glad that Navpod has some competition on the way. Looks like great stuff.

Posted by: Jay Sellers at June 24, 2009 11:32 AM | Reply

Interesting photos. I wonder how the cables are supposed to get to the instrument, and how well they'll survive twisting and turning.

Posted by: Larry Shick at June 24, 2009 12:01 PM | Reply

Hey you all, click on Jay's name above and check out his blog. Good stuff from "Inside the Mind of a Marine Electronics Technician"!

Posted by: Ben E at June 24, 2009 12:13 PM | Reply

Yes , I like scanstruct gear too.I found that the Scanstrut helm pod would fit on my Lewmar 12inch rails whereas the Navpod didn't although it claimed it did. It was also the only housing that would sensibly fit the Raymarine C90W.
I'm a bit doubtful as to how many cables you'd get through that flexible joint. The Raymarine lan / network cables are not very flexible either nor is the 19way cable with the bnc connector to feed through as well. (I chopped my bnc connector off in the end). Hopefully they have tried all that as they do advertise it with the C90W mounted in it.
The exposed fastenings on top of the pod might perhaps let water in in time as they are only sealed with a small washer and water can sit in the indentation above. The seal also does not sit totally flat on the top where they have put their little wiggly bit just for the scanstrut logo.Otherwise so far so good and hey anyway it was the only pod that would fit... (3rd attempt!)

Posted by: Graham Caulfield at June 24, 2009 5:50 PM | Reply

Hello and thanks for the feedback. It is nice to hear your positive comments. Regarding the flexible ball-and-socket joint, it has a 50mm internal diameter, and we have tested with all brands to ensure that all cables will pass through. After our own successful in-house tests, we are currently putting the pods through full IP and temperature tests, in conjunction with a leading electronics brand. A summary of the results will be posted on our website, together with images, and the full Scanpod brochure is also available to download from here. We are always on hand to answer any questions.

Posted by: Adam from Scanstrut at June 25, 2009 10:55 AM | Reply

We're doing our first installation using a Scanpod Deck Mount today. Very impressive piece of gear. The mounting base is bullet-proof. Very clever design of the ball joint base. The cable conduit is plenty large enough for a scanner cable and is only occluded by 2-3mm as the pod tilts and swivels so cables getting pinched should not be an issue. The footprint of the base is also much smaller than other pods, and that was critical on this installation because we needed to mount the pod on an area of a small console that was intended for a 5” compass.

The seal looks good, but it’s a pretty hard silicone. Had to use some sailmaker’s seamstick tape to hold it in place to mount the face. Should do the job, just a little tough to install.

Posted by: Rob Emmet at July 2, 2009 4:43 PM | Reply

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