petem
Well-Known Member
Alongside getting more important issues on the boat fixed, I'm working on a refurb of the rocker switch actuators. Each dashboard switch is made up of two components, a switch body (the actual switch) and a switch actuator (the cover). The bodies come in many types, on/off, momentary on, on / off / on, etc. The actuators are either solid or have one or two red lines for illumination purposes.
In common with all Fairlines of that era (late 90's to mid 00's I think) the boat has Carling V Series Contura III switches. The Contura II's having bobbles and the III's having lines. I believe the legends for these switches were screen printed and you won't see a boat with the original switches where the legends haven't faded. My boat is better than most having had them all replaced at some point in the past (the originals were in a bag in a locker). But as you'll see, some legends have completely faded again.
After extensive searching I've not been able to find anyone who can supply a complete replacement set. Most of the legends are available for download on the Carling website but it appears that Fairline had some custom legends made, the artwork for which is lost.
One refurb solution in to replace the switches with the more readily available Contura IV, V & VII. These are a different shape (more rounded) but will still fit the original bodies and dashboard panels. They are also more easily customizable having laser etched legends. You can buy them online from the states see https://rockerswitchpros.com/ and they cost $10-12. I've seen some Targa's where this replacement has been done, usually they've only done half the job and left some of the originals in place (yuk).
Being a fussy sod, I want the replicate the original actuators so have looked around for suppliers that can custom paint blanks. I found a company in the UK who said they may be able to 'digital print' actuators (screen printing being uneconomic for such small volumes) however the paint wouldn't stick. After a long wait they sent me an engraved switch with a white paint fill. These are too crude for me and I have now found a company in China that I'm hoping will supply and screen print low volumes of actuators. Stickers are another option however I think these will peel in the sun.
I'm currently creating the vector artwork for the the switches based on the Carling legends plus designs from scratch based on the faded switches that I have. I#ll share these later.
If anyone else is interested in a new set of switches please let me know. What would be VERY helpful is photos of Fairline switch banks as I suspect there are switches out there that aren't on a T34 (e.g. for A/C, holding tanks, gensets, U/W lights, pasarelles, etc).
Pete
In common with all Fairlines of that era (late 90's to mid 00's I think) the boat has Carling V Series Contura III switches. The Contura II's having bobbles and the III's having lines. I believe the legends for these switches were screen printed and you won't see a boat with the original switches where the legends haven't faded. My boat is better than most having had them all replaced at some point in the past (the originals were in a bag in a locker). But as you'll see, some legends have completely faded again.
After extensive searching I've not been able to find anyone who can supply a complete replacement set. Most of the legends are available for download on the Carling website but it appears that Fairline had some custom legends made, the artwork for which is lost.
One refurb solution in to replace the switches with the more readily available Contura IV, V & VII. These are a different shape (more rounded) but will still fit the original bodies and dashboard panels. They are also more easily customizable having laser etched legends. You can buy them online from the states see https://rockerswitchpros.com/ and they cost $10-12. I've seen some Targa's where this replacement has been done, usually they've only done half the job and left some of the originals in place (yuk).
Being a fussy sod, I want the replicate the original actuators so have looked around for suppliers that can custom paint blanks. I found a company in the UK who said they may be able to 'digital print' actuators (screen printing being uneconomic for such small volumes) however the paint wouldn't stick. After a long wait they sent me an engraved switch with a white paint fill. These are too crude for me and I have now found a company in China that I'm hoping will supply and screen print low volumes of actuators. Stickers are another option however I think these will peel in the sun.
I'm currently creating the vector artwork for the the switches based on the Carling legends plus designs from scratch based on the faded switches that I have. I#ll share these later.
If anyone else is interested in a new set of switches please let me know. What would be VERY helpful is photos of Fairline switch banks as I suspect there are switches out there that aren't on a T34 (e.g. for A/C, holding tanks, gensets, U/W lights, pasarelles, etc).
Pete
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