Electronic instruments mounted on the dashboards or other panels of vehicles, such as boats, must be securely mounted to withstand the harsh conditions to which they may be subjected. The importance of securely mounting instruments is particularly apparent for fast-moving vehicles, which typically subject the instruments to even greater forces. On boats, in particular, the instruments must withstand substantial forces acting on the instrument and the instrument panel resulting from choppy or rough water conditions. Furthermore, forces resulting from acceleration and deceleration of the boat may also produce substantial forces on the instrument.
Accordingly, it is necessary to securely mount the instruments to withstand these varying and harsh conditions. The mounting assemblies securing the instrument to a vehicle dashboard or other mounting panel should be mechanically stable to prevent relative movement between the instrument and the dashboard regardless of the conditions experienced by the boat. As will be apparent, the more firmly that the instrument is secured to a dashboard, typically the greater the durability and reliability of the instrument. Yet the mounting used to secure the instrument should be economical, lightweight and relatively easy to manufacture and install.
Finally, the mounting assembly must also be easily accessible to remove the instrument. This tends to be particularly important in vehicles that remain unattended or exposed to the environment for an extended period of time. To this end, it would be advantageous to provide a mounting assembly that is easily removable by hand, without additional tools or equipment. Moreover, easily removable instruments more easily facilitate replacement and repair. Accordingly, a mounting assembly should permit easy access and removal.