Helm Electrical and Instrument Panel Reconditioning

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Author Topic:   Helm Electrical and Instrument Panel Reconditioning

Bert Zwueste posted 07-08-2009 10:25 PM ET (US)
When I re-powered my Outrage 25, I also replaced the meters and the binnacle control. The existing panels were faded and had some holes that did not match the new meter layout. So I tried to buy new panels and was offered aftermarket panels for $90 each pre-drilled. This was a bit to much so I decided to redo the old ones.
I started with closing the holes with epoxy with a filler. On the front side I used blue masking tape to get a flat surface. After the epoxy had cured I drilled two new holes for the additional hour meters. Then I sanded the panels and sprayed them with green aluminium primer and two layers of Krylon flat black. Of course I wanted the white striping bak so for this i used a 0.7mm permanent white marker, a ruler and a quarter for the corners. To finish I sprayed the panels with two layers of semigloss clear coat also from Krylon.
You can see the results on http://picasaweb.google.com/zwueste/Panel#
jimh posted 07-09-2009 08:17 AM ET (US)
Some time ago I reworked the instrument panel in my boat's helm. Instead of repairing the old panel, I just made a new one from aluminum. Your results look very good, but I don't think that repairing large holes in aluminum with epoxy filler is perhaps the best solution to this problem.
Compare at: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/conventionalGaugeRigging.html
Bert Zwueste posted 07-09-2009 01:45 PM ET (US)
Jim,
You are absolutely right. In this case I did it because of cost and also because the hole was relatively small (3/4”) . Even with the hole the panel was structurally sound and could hold the meters without a problem. It also shows what an amazing stuff system West epoxy is.
What I really wanted to show is a way to mark the white lines back on the panel to restore the factory look
Newtauk1 posted 07-09-2009 03:08 PM ET (US)
nice job> Thanks for sharing
Tom Hemphill posted 07-09-2009 06:19 PM ET (US)
Likewise, nice job, and thanks for sharing it with us. The white pin-striping is, indeed, the "icing on the cake." Can you provide more details on the marker you used?
Bert Zwueste posted 07-10-2009 07:09 AM ET (US)
I bought the markers in a hoppy shop. They dry up pretty fast so you need to keep them capped when you don't use it for a second. The markers I used had a 0.7 mm tip and are similar to the ones on this site:
http://www.4expertise.com/Paint_Markers.html
Newtauk1 posted 07-10-2009 10:33 PM ET (US)
www.4expertise.com/Paint_Markers
Newtauk1 posted 07-10-2009 10:34 PM ET (US)
www.4expertise.com/Paint_Markers.html

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Author	Topic: Helm Electrical and Instrument Panel Reconditioning
Bert Zwueste	posted 07-08-2009 10:25 PM ET (US) When I re-powered my Outrage 25, I also replaced the meters and the binnacle control. The existing panels were faded and had some holes that did not match the new meter layout. So I tried to buy new panels and was offered aftermarket panels for $90 each pre-drilled. This was a bit to much so I decided to redo the old ones. I started with closing the holes with epoxy with a filler. On the front side I used blue masking tape to get a flat surface. After the epoxy had cured I drilled two new holes for the additional hour meters. Then I sanded the panels and sprayed them with green aluminium primer and two layers of Krylon flat black. Of course I wanted the white striping bak so for this i used a 0.7mm permanent white marker, a ruler and a quarter for the corners. To finish I sprayed the panels with two layers of semigloss clear coat also from Krylon. You can see the results on http://picasaweb.google.com/zwueste/Panel#
jimh	posted 07-09-2009 08:17 AM ET (US) Some time ago I reworked the instrument panel in my boat's helm. Instead of repairing the old panel, I just made a new one from aluminum. Your results look very good, but I don't think that repairing large holes in aluminum with epoxy filler is perhaps the best solution to this problem. Compare at: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/conventionalGaugeRigging.html
Bert Zwueste	posted 07-09-2009 01:45 PM ET (US) Jim, You are absolutely right. In this case I did it because of cost and also because the hole was relatively small (3/4”) . Even with the hole the panel was structurally sound and could hold the meters without a problem. It also shows what an amazing stuff system West epoxy is. What I really wanted to show is a way to mark the white lines back on the panel to restore the factory look
Newtauk1	posted 07-09-2009 03:08 PM ET (US) nice job> Thanks for sharing
Tom Hemphill	posted 07-09-2009 06:19 PM ET (US) Likewise, nice job, and thanks for sharing it with us. The white pin-striping is, indeed, the "icing on the cake." Can you provide more details on the marker you used?
Bert Zwueste	posted 07-10-2009 07:09 AM ET (US) I bought the markers in a hoppy shop. They dry up pretty fast so you need to keep them capped when you don't use it for a second. The markers I used had a 0.7 mm tip and are similar to the ones on this site: http://www.4expertise.com/Paint_Markers.html
Newtauk1	posted 07-10-2009 10:33 PM ET (US) www.4expertise.com/Paint_Markers
Newtauk1	posted 07-10-2009 10:34 PM ET (US) www.4expertise.com/Paint_Markers.html