Boat in build pics (2013 Fairline Squadron 78)

[Elessar]

Next, the dashboard. The standard Fairline dash is below. IMHO the ergonomics are perfect in terms of mounting the screens close to you, so you can prod the plotter screens from your seat. But imperfect in terms of having the two nav screens either side of the helm (like, they thought they were designing a car or something, where the driver is always right in front of the wheel). I want to create a nav station with two massive screens and no steering wheel in front of the navigator, plus I want to move the wheel to the boat's centreline, and fit in 3 helm seats instead of the usual 2. So the Essex Boatyards team cut along the red rectangles marked below



Then they swapped the 2 cut out pieces left-to-right, and reglassed it all, to make this (photoshopped)...

A useful improvement and nearly perfect!

Just wondering why you allowed such a large and almost redundant item to retain such a large amount on dash real estate? There are smaller, neater and just as useful alternatives........

 

[petem]

JFM, good to see your photoshop skills have moved on from your very crude MS Paint!

On the way into work this morning I had another idea for the a name for the next Match (after this one), how about "Match v3" or "Match v3.0"?

Something also occurred to me the other day is that the capital letters for MATCH are all symmetrical (something that is appealing to an OCD geek like me). MATCH V3 would be the same!

 

[BartW]

do you find it handy to have the throttles that low ?
while manouvring I alway's stand up, and move the throttles while standing,
mine are almost on top of the dash, which I like.

I remember there was a similar discussion in the Match 1 thread,
at that moment I didn't have a opinion on this

appart from that I think its a brilliant dash layout,
I prefer this to Match 1, not ?

 

[jfm]

A useful improvement and nearly perfect!

Just wondering why you allowed such a large and almost redundant item to retain such a large amount on dash real estate? There are smaller, neater and just as useful alternatives........

Don't worry. Something is in hand! The helm seats are being ordered with arms and cabling for joysticks and marine iDrives. Still researching this some more - I'll post again in the new year. Plan is to have something quite cool, in little fabricated and polished s/s boxes on the ends of the arms. Early days, software bods scratching heads, and parties involved want confidentiality for a while, hence little detail from me for a little while longer, sorry.

I am aware of the after market joystick controllers (my brother's boat has a recent simrad joystick install) but they're not quite what i want in terms of size and functionality

I think the wheel is redundant most of the time but I'm happy to keep it for occasional use, and I need it as part of my resale-price-maintenance strategy, which involves adding clever things but not frightening off the buyer (Match 1 was sold to a family owner-driver and a no-wheel helm would have spooked them)

Remeber the navigator/captain sits to the right of the wheel and the whole boat and a/pilot are driven from the screens

 

[jfm]

JFM, good to see your photoshop skills have moved on from your very crude MS Paint!

On the way into work this morning I had another idea for the a name for the next Match (after this one), how about "Match v3" or "Match v3.0"?

Something also occurred to me the other day is that the capital letters for MATCH are all symmetrical (something that is appealing to an OCD geek like me). MATCH V3 would be the same!

The C is only symmetrical about a horizontal line though Pete, as would be the 3. sorry to spoil your day!
I think Match2 will be officially Match Z - I'm having to start filling paperwork and become committed to a name. The letter Z, alas, isn't truly symmetrical about any line...

PS, actually that one is in MS Paint .

 

[jfm]

do you find it handy to have the throttles that low ?
while manouvring I alway's stand up, and move the throttles while standing,
mine are almost on top of the dash, which I like.

I remember there was a similar discussion in the Match 1 thread,
at that moment I didn't have a opinion on this

appart from that I think its a brilliant dash layout,
I prefer this to Match 1, not ?

Yup they are low deliberately. It's where they were on M1 and I really liked them there. There was discussion about it on here but in practice the positioning felt perfect and even chief boat tester Jack Haines agreed! When manoevering and standing up there is a slight, very slight, stoop to reach them (same as Match 1) but that's ok. So while the choice might not be to everyone's liking it is a carefully made very deliberate choice!

Overall, yes, this dash is much better than the s78 original dash and it is imo a little bit better (same function, but nicer styling) than my custom M1 dash. And a lot cheaper!

 

[DTIM]

Why are some mods being done at EBY? is it simply a time thing or would these additional mods put your over the Fairline customization limit? just curious.
Dave.

 

[Elessar]

The C is only symmetrical about a horizontal line though Pete, as would be the 3. sorry to spoil your day!
I think Match2 will be officially Match Z - I'm having to start filling paperwork and become committed to a name. The letter Z, alas, isn't truly symmetrical about any line...

PS, actually that one is in MS Paint .

Yes it is! It's two 7s.

 

[Elessar]

Don't worry. Something is in hand! The helm seats are being ordered with arms and cabling for joysticks and marine iDrives. Still researching this some more - I'll post again in the new year. Plan is to have something quite cool, in little fabricated and polished s/s boxes on the ends of the arms. Early days, software bods scratching heads, and parties involved want confidentiality for a while, hence little detail from me for a little while longer, sorry.

I am aware of the after market joystick controllers (my brother's boat has a recent simrad joystick install) but they're not quite what i want in terms of size and functionality

I think the wheel is redundant most of the time but I'm happy to keep it for occasional use, and I need it as part of my resale-price-maintenance strategy, which involves adding clever things but not frightening off the buyer (Match 1 was sold to a family owner-driver and a no-wheel helm would have spooked them)

Remeber the navigator/captain sits to the right of the wheel and the whole boat and a/pilot are driven from the screens

I thought the answer would be resale. I am considering a rally quick release for E4 to get the thing out of the way. Back on for courses.

 

[Elessar]

Don't worry. Something is in hand! The helm seats are being ordered with arms and cabling for joysticks and marine iDrives. Still researching this some more - I'll post again in the new year. Plan is to have something quite cool, in little fabricated and polished s/s boxes on the ends of the arms. Early days, software bods scratching heads, and parties involved want confidentiality for a while, hence little detail from me for a little while longer, sorry.

I am aware of the after market joystick controllers (my brother's boat has a recent simrad joystick install) but they're not quite what i want in terms of size and functionality

I think the wheel is redundant most of the time but I'm happy to keep it for occasional use, and I need it as part of my resale-price-maintenance strategy, which involves adding clever things but not frightening off the buyer (Match 1 was sold to a family owner-driver and a no-wheel helm would have spooked them)

Remeber the navigator/captain sits to the right of the wheel and the whole boat and a/pilot are driven from the screens

The hole on the top is that a storage locker? It would be nice to have a big Perspex lid on that nice flat bit of dash for the back up nav. So few mobos have this an my new one only has it at the lower helm. Even with big screens I like having the overview in front of me.

 

[jfm]

Yes it is! It's two 7s.

But being fully OCD, in fact CDO, about it, that doesn't make it symmetrical. Symmetry involves mirror imaging, not rotation, surely.

 

[jfm]

I thought the answer would be resale. I am considering a rally quick release for E4 to get the thing out of the way. Back on for courses.

I don't think you'll get that in 316 stainless as a catalogue item so you're into custom machining. All doable of course. In my case the wheel is out of the way so far as the navigator is concerned. Navigator sits to the right, with all the screens in front of him and (hopefully) iDrive in his arm rests. So I have no reason for a quick release wheel. I can see the logic of the QR wheel if you have a bit less width to play with

 

[jfm]

Why are some mods being done at EBY? is it simply a time thing or would these additional mods put your over the Fairline customization limit? just curious.
Dave.

Yup, puts me over the limit with Fairline. They are already doing way more on this boat than any other they have built, so I'm not complaining - I'm delighted with what they have agreed to do. The problem is me, not them . It just made loads of sense to get the cut n shut fibreglass reworking done off line in Essex, and also to get the Awlgrip painting done there where they have lots of skills/experience/facilities

 

[jfm]

The hole on the top is that a storage locker? It would be nice to have a big Perspex lid on that nice flat bit of dash for the back up nav. So few mobos have this an my new one only has it at the lower helm. Even with big screens I like having the overview in front of me.

Yup the hole in the top is a locker. It will indeed have a dark grey smoked heat curved perspex lid, in thick (100mm I think) perspex

It will contain music related stuff though, not nav gear. All the nav gear, main plus back up, is on the main dash, cos it is fully waterproof and doesn't need perspex lids

 

[P4Paul]

Navigator sits to the right, with all the screens in front of him and (hopefully) iDrive in his arm rests.

Out of interest, is the upper helm steering hydraulic or electronic? I guess what I am trying to ask is, will your 'idrive' be connected into the electronic steering system or to the auto pilot or is there already a control net you can plug into to send engine, trim and steering inputs?

 

[Trundlebug]

Well, you do in cardboard Rafiki. You should see my place here. Full cardboard prototyping facility here in central London

That will be the "state-of-the-art full 3D CAD facility" then -

Cardboard Aided Design.

I've used it myself for years and still swear by it. Very impressive when you can pick up any piece and rotate it in front of your eyes in any orientation.
Far better than any computer screen, and can be done in full scale too

 

[jfm]

That will be the "state-of-the-art full 3D CAD facility" then -

Cardboard Aided Design.

I've used it myself for years and still swear by it. Very impressive when you can pick up any piece and rotate it in front of your eyes in any orientation.
Far better than any computer screen, and can be done in full scale too

I completely agree TB. CAD is underestimated. As is, for example, a full size flybridge footprint laid out on a wooden floor with masking tape. My place sometimes looks like a crime scene, except the masking tape shapes on the floor aren't bodies.

The trick with the cardboard imho is to get it looking right. Spray paint it or whatever, so it doesn't look a pile of manky packing tape. If you did it really well, you might not actually need to buy the real boat

 

[jfm]

Out of interest, is the upper helm steering hydraulic or electronic? I guess what I am trying to ask is, will your 'idrive' be connected into the electronic steering system or to the auto pilot or is there already a control net you can plug into to send engine, trim and steering inputs?

Steering is hydraulic so any electrical signals you generate can only operate the power steering pump, but that's ok. NMEA2000 can handle that. The steering is an independent thing, not connected to engine j1939 or anything like that, but that's ok. And there is no integrated trim on a fat boat this size, just trim tabs operated manually from the dash with NMEA2k connectivity serving only to display the tabs position on the nav screens

 

[Elessar]

Yup the hole in the top is a locker. It will indeed have a dark grey smoked heat curved perspex lid, in thick (100mm I think) perspex

It will contain music related stuff though, not nav gear. All the nav gear, main plus back up, is on the main dash, cos it is fully waterproof and doesn't need perspex lids

My backup is paper .........

 

[Trundlebug]

The trick with the cardboard imho is to get it looking right. Spray paint it or whatever, so it doesn't look a pile of manky packing tape. If you did it really well, you might not actually need to buy the real boat

Not sure it would be quite as weatherproof though, or that the Oiled Lovelies would be convinced enough to adorn it in quite the same way!