Adding a TV on Vista 268

CSMART · **Posted:** Thu Jan 16, 2014 7:33 pm

looking at putting a TV on board our Vista 268. Trying to figure out size and mounting.
As for mounting, we are looking at mounting ours to the front of the v berth.
Open for any suggestions, please

pickledboater · **Posted:** Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:11 pm

Wait for it.....................................................................Ok, go ric.

firecadet613 · **Posted:** Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:18 pm

I mounted a 22" to the wall on the bow side of the head. That's the factory spot on that boat. That or they did a flip down from the cabin ceiling next to the galley.

Surface Interval · **Posted:** Thu Jan 16, 2014 10:31 pm

We put a 22" TV in that location in our 268 last fall, but didn't have time to take it for a "shake down" (I hope not) cruise. The mirror comes off easily by lifting it up. Have a look at the mounts and determine whether you want to stay with that style or go to a different mount. I believe someone else on this forum put a 32" TV there. You will probably want to run 110V power to the TV. I installed a low profile 110V outlet box under the front end of the left upper shelf and ran the 110V 14-2 wire on top of that left upper shelf against the rail cushion back inside a plastic adhesive backed surface mount conduit to a 110V outlet inside the cabinet behind the microwave. The wire can be hidden at the front end of the shelf by tucking it in between the rail cushion and the wall at the front of the shelf. If you decide to mount a DVD player remotely or run audio cables from the TV back to the boat's stereo system, you might want the larger conduit. To access the outlet, remove the vinyl upholstered vertical panel above the galley. It's held in place by Velcro and you can work your hand between the headliner and the panel to pull it loose. Be careful to protect the panel at the top back corner of the galley cabinet. The microwave is held in place by two bolts going through the top of the galley. The microwave can be removed once these bolts are loosened. If you chose to go down the other side, you could get 110V power from the back side of the outlet in the head. Remove the upper storage cabinet in the head to access this outlet.

ric · **Posted:** Fri Jan 17, 2014 7:36 am

I've put a few TV's in boats so far. Right now I have a 24" 1080p LED HDTV in my cuddy. It's 12v/120v off Amazon. Draws around 40w 12v so basically you can leave it on forever. It's hooked to a smart TV box similar to an Apple TV or Roku which I connect to the internet via. my cell phone in tethering mode to watch Netflix, etc. Also has one of those "flat" HDTV antennas about the size and thickness of a sheet of paper which picks up virtually every local station.

As far as mounts go? I first tried an articulating mount and no matter what I couldn't solve the issue of it becoming loose and flopping around. Failure, don't get one.

I use this TV:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007FH ... UTF8&psc=1

This mount:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VK ... UTF8&psc=1

Don't mind the wires, they were hidden away

taz42169 · **Posted:** Fri Jan 17, 2014 8:20 am

I pulled down my mirror, made a bracket and hung my TV where the mirror was. 15" TV, not as heavy as the mirror. Just a thought.

JeffLW · **Posted:** Fri Jan 17, 2014 9:40 am

I'm thinking about getting a 22" LED tv but not mounting it at all. I'd like to be able to set in up on the dash in the cockpit and use it up there while at the dock. Plenty of places to set it up in the cabin too. Just trying to figure out a case or something to store it in when not in use.

kd4pbs · **Joined:** Thu Sep 05, 2013 10:34 am **Posts:** 350

I put mine where the OEM TV was. I removed the OEM unit, made a piece of Starboard to mount the TV onto, and bought a flip-down mount for it that allows me to aim it wherever I want.

This is right after mounting it. I've wrapped the wiring with nylon braid since. It's a 12V powered TV, and works great off the boat's batteries down to 10V or so. The Vista has a built in antenna which basically uses the bow rail; good enough for closer stations, even ATSC stations.
It's tied into the Kenwood DVD player stereo I installed, so I can push the TV audio into the stereo, or I can watch the DVDs from the stereo on the TV as well as the stereo's display.
I thought about mounting it where the mirror is, but I really like the look of spaciousness that mirrors provide.

chris268 · **Posted:** Mon Apr 02, 2018 9:52 pm

YYZ-RC wrote:

Bringing this back to life...

I have the Supersonic 24" 12v/120v TV ready to go for spring. I plan to mount it where the mirror is today at the front of the V.

Couple of questions:
1) Is there any reason to power the TV with 120v, or should I only connect it to 12v? It's no big deal to run the 120v cable, just curious if I'd be saving wear/tear on the charger or why I should definitely run 120v. the only reason to run 120 volts would be if you had a generator and lost battery/charging system, I think 12 volt is all you would need

2) I will add an Apple TV or Chromecast as well so that we can stream from our phones. The Apple TV is 120v only. I'm debating between a "big" inverter to run multiple accessories vs a "small" inverter to run only the Apple TV and would appreciate input.
It’s all what you need. I installed A square wave 1500 watt inverter, pure sine wave is ideal. If all I was Needing is the Apple TV, I would Just buy a small inverter. For me, we like to use the microwave while on the hook

Thanks!

babbot1 · **Joined:** Tue Mar 12, 2013 3:46 pm **Posts:** 570

chris268 wrote:

YYZ-RC wrote:

Bringing this back to life...

I have the Supersonic 24" 12v/120v TV ready to go for spring. I plan to mount it where the mirror is today at the front of the V.

Couple of questions:
1) Is there any reason to power the TV with 120v, or should I only connect it to 12v? It's no big deal to run the 120v cable, just curious if I'd be saving wear/tear on the charger or why I should definitely run 120v. the only reason to run 120 volts would be if you had a generator and lost battery/charging system, I think 12 volt is all you would need

2) I will add an Apple TV or Chromecast as well so that we can stream from our phones. The Apple TV is 120v only. I'm debating between a "big" inverter to run multiple accessories vs a "small" inverter to run only the Apple TV and would appreciate input.
It’s all what you need. I installed A square wave 1500 watt inverter, pure sine wave is ideal. If all I was Needing is the Apple TV, I would Just buy a small inverter. For me, we like to use the microwave while on the hook

Thanks!

For #2 it depends on your preference, we use a Roku which runs off the USB port on the TV. I believe the Chromecast is the same. If the TV doesn't have a USB port you can use a 12 volt to 5 volt USB converter and stick with 12 volts all around.

Surface Interval · **Posted:** Sat Apr 28, 2018 9:36 am

We have run our 268 for a few years now with the 22 or 24" TV mounted on the brackets for the mirror at the front of the cabin with no issues. No matter where you mount the TV there will be seating areas that are not great for viewing. We installed a 110V outlet under the front left shelf. This outlet location is convenient for plugging in the TV, DVD/Blueray player, boosted antennas, charging cell phones, etc. I have an 1800Watt modified sine wave inverter, and I would recommend a pure sine wave unit. Some electronics work well with the modified sine wave inverter, but others don't. My microwave is not as efficient. Some appliances have a slight "hum" with the inverter. We connect the TV audio output to the boat's stereo system. The audio sounds great while connected to shorepower or a generator, but on the inverter there is a very slight hum, not very noticeable but it is there.

aesajs1 · **Joined:** Fri Jun 02, 2017 7:00 am **Posts:** 5

kd4pbs,

I own a 2004 268 and am trying to pull in channels at my marina. I've located the cable from the tv and it runs behind the bolster above the galley. You said that the "built-in" antenna is the bow rail. How is it connected to the cable?

www.iFourWinns.com

Adding a TV on Vista 268

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