Thread: Boat instrument panel replacement

If you want even holes for the gauges, a hole saw is the ticket, but I've done a reasonable job with a jig saw on occasion. As to the panel itself, well I'd just toss it and make a new one. If you make this decision, you can make it any shape you want. The chrome trim around its perimeter can be had as panel trim at a cabinet shop. This stuff is a "C" channel shaped bit of metal or plastic, designed to be pressed over the edge of plywood to hide the end grain.

MDF isn't suitable for a boat. It'll fall apart very quickly. Ever seen what happens to a kitchen cabinet if left out in the rain, well this is exactly what will happen to the MDF - it'll just swell up and fall apart.

Plywood, metal or plastic are the usual choices. Solid timber can be used, but this is the least stable material. Yes, more photos are necessary, but I suspect you can make a plywood panel, cut the holes and can place it directly over the dash board existing hole. It could be screwed down from either side. If the edge of the 'glass dash is a bother, just round it over and paint it or use the chrome trim idea.

If it was me, I'd use a nice piece of 1/8" aluminum, with the appropriate holes where you want them. I'd cut it a fair bit (an inch or so) larger in diameter then the current dash board hole and mount it over the outside of the dash, screwing it down tight with some oval head screws, directly to the 'glass dash board beneath it. You can paint this, polish it, maybe do some "turning" work on it, etc. It solves the edge of the hole trim problem and can look custom too.

Simply put, try not to over think this thing, just make a panel, shape as desired and screw it down to the existing 'glass dash. If you don't want screw heads visible, then some bracketry will be necessary, but not difficult.

Thanks for the response PAR. Hopefully these photos will do a better job at describing than my words did.

Yes, what I am doing is making a new panel, and I have cut the holes with a hole-saw (albeit 2mm too small. Need a 85mm, only got an 83mm. Toolshop visit this weekend).

Yes, I agree with your comments around the MDF. Hence my suggestion of coating the exposed edges with resin. The front and back are both veneered. Note that this is a ski boat which spends most of its life in a garage, and sees fresh water use only. Very seldom, if ever, will the dash be exposed to anything more than atmospheric water. But I do still have doubts, and means that I should probably go and get a section of marine ply instead.

I get your suggestion about cutting the panel out, and slapping an oversized new panel over the top of it. But that is not the finish that I am after.

In this picture you can see that the existing gauge holes are drilled straight into the hull of the boat.
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And here you can see what about the thickness not being consistent
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If I cut this panel out, 5mm small than the bezel, I could run a router around the edge to create the rebate I was talking about. But you can see here that there is a small lip above the instrument panel, so a router would not sit flush.
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Here you can see the panel that I have cut out using the bezel as a template. Holes drilled.
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Close up of the bezel. I want to reuse this. It is metal construction, and an original part.
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Back of the bezel. Here you can see the bolts that hold it in place. Original mounting was a threaded rod. Screwed into the bezel, mounted onto the dash through holes, and then a nut on the back.
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Full shape of the bezel.
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And my new panel section sitting on top of the bezel, showing that I have cut it a shade smaller than the bezel.
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You're on the right track. If you can get the new, larger gauges in the space provided with the old bezel, go for it. Just cut out the area behind the gauges, leaving a rim so the bezel has something to land on (and screw to apparently). Of course, attachment of the new panel will require some inventiveness, but nothing difficult, maye a few well placed blocks of wood, so you can run some hidden screws in from behind.

Again, MDF will not survive, even if just left in a garage or in a car port. Even epoxy will fail with this material, as it's so hygroscopic. It doesn't have to be marine grade plywood, but it does need to be exterior rated. A nice hunk of solid mahogany would look nice too.

PAR,

Thanks for encouraging me to go with my gut feel and against the idea that I posted. I ended up turfing the MDF piece and replaced with ply. The local hardware store stocked 6mm marine grade ply, so in the end it was a no brainer.

I also gave up on the idea of flush-mounting the new panel into the dash board, and instead just cut a great big hole and mounted the new panel proud. Pictures say a thousand words, so I won't describe it. Just look at the pics. The plywood panel was cut to the exact shape and size of the chrome bezel, which means that once attached, the edges of the ply are visible. I intend on getting some chrome edging to hide these edges.

I had some jarrah stain lying around so I used that to darken the panel. Although I think the finish is better than a clear, it did turn out a little more orange than what I had hoped I'm still happy with the overall end product.

(And as an extra bonus, after spending an additional few hours rewiring the whole boat, everything worked first time!)

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(EDIT: Funny stuff happening with images.. In the preview they're showing in the post, but after posting they're just showing as links. Sorry, don't know how to fix it!)

Rewarding isn't it . . . Good job and you can hide those end grain edges with some banding. They can be applied with an iron (don't let the other half catch you with it, trust me on this) or you could wrap some sheet aluminum or steel around it too. Even paint would work on the edges. I'd probably go the aluminum route, just because it's easy to shape and cut. Buff it up and hit it with some clear coat and you're done.