Dashboard / repair replacements

[timbad]

Any of you good fellows recommend where to buy the laminate walnut effect or carbon fiber effect laminates found on marine dashboards, my dashboard is aluminum plate with a laminate stuck on & is starting to peal away, nothing wrong with the plate & studs so looking to repair with replacing with new laminate. Willing to have a go at cutting myself or does anybody have any suggestions?

 

[gibbowolfie]

ebay to the rescue!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CARBON-FIBRE-VINYL...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[marine]

Try Tim Stone
@ Axon Components 01977 681781
Currently replacing my dash panels for a Fairline Targa 30/33
with them.

 

[ians]

Agree with Steve, Axon did my dash panel last year and came back like new.
realy good company to deal with.

ian

 

[Nick_H]

Are they off a Sealine, aluminium panel with weld studs in the back and a thin film laminate with lacquer on top. If so, I re-faced mine earlier this year and can talk you through it. I also have some laminate left over I could send you. It was a fiddly job, but the end result is very good.

 

[timbad]

Hi Nick,
Yes ally plate with studs then lamination on top, not from a Sealine but a Princess V42

 

[Nick_H]

It sounds quite similar then. What I did was first remove all the old laminate, which on the Sealine was more of a film that needed sanding off, then clean back to base aluminium and clean with white spirit. I then applied a formica laminate with two part epoxy glue, using some pieces of old kitchen worktop and a few clamps to act as a press (You have to drill some holes in the worktop to accomodate the studs in the dash panels)

When the glue had set I cut roughly around the shape of the dash panels, finished off the outside edge with an electric sander, and then finished the inside holes where the instruments fit on a router table.

You can of course see the thin edge of the formica, but mine were flybridge panels and this was hidden when a silcone bead was applied. I stuck with the birds eye maple that Sealine use but chose a darker shade than the standard one, I have a lot left over if you want me to send you some.

The finished result :

By the way Sealine wanted just shy of £1,000 to supply new ones!