Advice on first family boat

[LBRodders]

LB, really enjoyed seeing what you’d done with your Sunfury. I have the same boat and have done many upgrades. I think they’re great boats for a family weekend. I’m particularly interested in the upgrade you did to the dash and instrumentation as it’s the final upgrade I want to do. Any recommendations on where to get this done ?

Yes, the Sunfury is probably as much bang for your buck that is reasonably achievable. I have subsequently put up some other videos of some adventures, more evidence of how capable the boat is.

The dash was not initially a project, well we were naïve enough to think so ? . But when you have a new engine requiring different throttle and steering control and new electrics, it all sort of happened by itself.

As far as dash makeovers go, ours is a cheapy. The boat yard GRP chap did the overlays to fill in the holes and strengthened where needed for the steering and new throttle. The dials / meters were an an engine upgrade, and the nav display was bought straight out of the chandlery as were the new switches and fuse units. Whilst the dash was apart to do the new engine work [dials, steering and throttle] it made sense to get it all done.

The GRP chap in the boatyard had done our transom work [2 holes to 1!] and so did the dash as a 'tea break' job. I don't think we got invoiced separately for it as the transom work covered it. In the end, I think he wanted us out of his workshop!

All good fun and has transformed the helm, but not a job to be underestimated in time and cost. Because like all boat things, once you start taking things apart you end up doing many other jobs not even considered.

ABC Powermarine [Anglesey, North Wales] did the work, and the GRP chap is within their boatyard but trades as an independent. Cant fault them.

 

[BruceK]

Doing the dashboard was actually one of the easier jobs for me. There is the perennial favourite of carbon fibre board but I wanted a wood finish and something that was also an insulator so went with electrical epoxy board and 3M Di Noc vinyl covering. Wood would have been too weak given the thickness, or more correctly, thinness required by the instrumentation




Finding board the correct size and quantity was a bit problematic but got there in the end.

It was then a matter of choosing the instrument layout and switches. My switches were old and made I think from bakelite which had become extremely brittle. Thankfully all my switches are low current operating relays so I could use small densely packed units.

 

[ontheplane]

Lovely job done there!

 

[Westymarlow]

Wow BruceK great job. Do you have a CNC or something to cut all the holes ? I know 3M Di-NOC very well, it’s a great product and there’s a huge choice of finishes https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1582595O/3m-di-noc-sample-book-2018-2020.pdf . Not sure I’d have the confidence/competence to do the wiring/ fitting myself though. If I source the Perspex and find somewhere to CNC cut it I could happily fit the Di-NOC but would need a professional to wire in the new instruments. Are there mobile boat electronics guys who do fitting ? South East - Windsor/ Marlow way

 

[BruceK]

If you can contact the maker's TAG team and get the wiring diagrams. You'll be surprised how easy they are to follow. Otherwise the best thing for a gang of switches is have a common solid bus bar for all positives in a line and all negatives. That way you are only dealing with one wire when a circuit is made. Makes things neat and simple.
CNC? No. Basic geometry and a holesaw.

 

[PDF]

BruceK, great job! Where did you get the labels please?

 

[BruceK]

Boat Cabin Signs and Deck Labels