Making an Instrument Pod

Norman_E

Norman_E

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I need to make a new instrument pod to take my new instruments as the old one is cracked and the cut-outs in it are in the wrong places. I have thought of making it from PVC sheet, but that is only available in grey, and will not look good. My preferred method is to make it from WBP plywood glued with PU and, with all edges and corners routed to a smooth radius. As I want a durable white finish should I coat it with flowcoat, or paint it. If the latter what should I use? My only fear with flowcoat is that expansion & contraction of the ply may crack it. Is that likely? The plywood hull stringers in the bat are coated with flowcoat, with no signs of failure, but they are not subjected to big extremes of temperature.
 
hatch2.jpg

I made mine of marine plywood sheathed in epoxy and glass and painted in two pot polyurethane.It could look better but I couldn't be bothered at the time.It's been in place for ten years and no problems.
 
The old pod is not GRP but just thin plastic, and it is too small for the new instruments, so no point trying to repair it. I have no experience working with GRP so ply is my preferred medium, I just want to know if it is a good idea to coat it with flowcoat, or whether to paint it. It will be in the Mediterranean sun.

This is the old pod, and the new one has to be slightly taller.

TurkeyApril2008022_zps1dc6087d.jpg
 
You could use white UPVC soffit board, available in a variety of widths and lengths from Wickes.

It's 9mm thick, great to work with and has a nice shiny white finish on one side, with a more matt white finish the other.

I've recently used it to make an internal cupboard, and a combination of s/s screws and white waterproof adhesive / sealant have made a lovely job.

I had the same dilemma as you, in trying to match existing cupboards in grp but making a mould etc was too much work.
Wood required coating or painting, so self-coloured UPVC was the answer.

Can't post photos at the mo, but I'm really pleased with the result.
 
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I made a facia from marine ply for exactly the same reasons to fit new instruments. Could not think what to cover it in, tried spraying it - but it just looked DIY. So in the end I bought some Carbon fibre look vynil covering and carefully bonded it in a nice warm room. It took prefectly and asaik (sold the boat now) is still going strong after 3 years outside. CF is not everyones cup of tea, granted, but its another option.
 
Trundlebug said:
You could use white UPVC soffit board, available in a variety of widths and lengths from Wickes.

It's 9mm thick, great to work with and has a nice shiny white finish on one side, with a more matt white finish the other.

I've recently used it to make an internal cupboard, and a combination of s/s screws and white waterproof adhesive / sealant have made a lovely job.

I had the same dilemma as you, in trying to match existing cupboards in grp but making a mould etc was too much work.
Wood required coating or painting, so self-coloured UPVC was the answer.

Can't post photos at the mo, but I'm really pleased with the result.
Click to expand...

I looked at that stuff in Wickes yesterday, but decided against it because it is in fact a type of foam with a glossy surface on the outside. Rounding it off would leave the interior structure exposed.
 
Norman_E said:
I looked at that stuff in Wickes yesterday, but decided against it because it is in fact a type of foam with a glossy surface on the outside. Rounding it off would leave the interior structure exposed.
Click to expand...

True, but you could always fill the edges with gelcoat repair, or even silicone sealant suitably smoothed off?
Otherwise, other than aesthetics, leaving the interior structure exposed wouldn't do it any harm.

I guess if you're after a rounded panel it's not the most suitable material, but for a box type structure (as it would appear you're looking for, albeit with rounded edges) it's ideal.

Maybe worth considering a bit more?
 
Norman_E said:
I need to make a new instrument pod to take my new instruments as the old one is cracked and the cut-outs in it are in the wrong places. I have thought of making it from PVC sheet, but that is only available in grey, and will not look good. My preferred method is to make it from WBP plywood glued with PU and, with all edges and corners routed to a smooth radius. As I want a durable white finish should I coat it with flowcoat, or paint it. If the latter what should I use? My only fear with flowcoat is that expansion & contraction of the ply may crack it. Is that likely? The plywood hull stringers in the bat are coated with flowcoat, with no signs of failure, but they are not subjected to big extremes of temperature.
Click to expand...
Apologies for those who remember seeing this pod before but I was rather pleased with it.
I avoided awkward construction difficulties by making a timber fascia and backing it with water resistant (IP 66 or 67 whichever ) electrical boxes. Cutting the bottom out of the box to allow for the back of the instruments and sealing it to the fascia allows easy access to the cabling by unscrewing the "top". There are any number of polycarbonate (strong) box sizes available. I could dig out details if you are interested.
 
Norman_E said:
The old pod is not GRP but just thin plastic, and it is too small for the new instruments, so no point trying to repair it. I have no experience working with GRP so ply is my preferred medium, I just want to know if it is a good idea to coat it with flowcoat, or whether to paint it.
Click to expand...
IMO ply will look naff whatever you finish it with. But if you build up a layer of glass cloth and resin, then flowcoat it, you should be able to sand it into something presentable.
 
Many thanks all - these are really helpful suggestions. I wonder if this new look forum has a facility to gather together these web links for future reference....
 
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