CONTINUOUSWAVE

My 1986 Outrage 18 started life with a 1986 Yamaha 150. I had a tachometer and a trim gauge. The Yamaha was still running strong, but a 30-year-old motor that has spent almost half its life in saltwater was just stretching my luck. I boat mostly a section of the North Coast of California with sometimes many miles between ports and always rocky shores.

I took advantage of Evinrude's promotion of a seven-year warranty and discounted rigging. I opted for the electronic shift and throttle (EST) package with ICON Pro 3.5-inch gauges. I added water pressure, engine temperature and trim in 2-inch gauges. I also added the auxiliary battery charging system.

I am particular about my rigging and of the two Platinum Evinrude dealers in Northern CA neither could understand how I wanted my rigging accomplished, so I decided to do the rigging myself and have the dealer hang the engine and make all the connections.

I had both a NEMA 0183 and 2000 networks running already. My VHF radio and my Garmin chart plotter communicate via NMEA-0183. The Garmin chart plotter and my Garmin 600 AIS communicate via NMEA-2000 network. To keep everything in a neat package (and since at age-58 I can’t easily fit into the console to work and mount things) I had built a “box” that mounted the networks, electronics power distribution, VHF and AIS into one package that could be slipped into the pocket in front of the fire extinguisher box at the front of the console. My VHF is a remote microphone model and all controls are operated from the microphone.

I needed to extend the NEMA-2000 network to accept the new network T-connectors for the ICON Pro gauges. Evinrude wants to power the network from the key switched 12-Volt terminal. The NEMA 2000 network was already powered by my Garmin chart plotter, and I wanted to be able to use the chart plotter,depth finder, and AIS with the engine key off. So I removed the terminator and added an extension cable to a Garmin power isolator to break up the network power. One side is powered by the Garmin chart plotter the other by the Evinrude gauges. As I had already read in one of Jimh’s articles, the Lowrance T-connectors and the Garmin T-connectors have some different mounting characteristics, so I used all Garmin T-connectors to keep everything nice and neat.

There were a bunch of other pieces that had to be installed in the console:

--the gateway (Evinrude network to NEMA 2000 network)

--a power switching relay

--fuses, and

--the Evinrude ESM-network hub.

I mounted all of this equipment and the NMEA-2000 network extension on a board that is mounted on the side of the console behind the fire extinguisher box. I routed the backbone for the Evinrude ESM-network out of the console, under the deck, and over the fuel tank, to the panel on the starboard side of the boat (I’m not sure what that panel is called, I have one on both sides adjacent to the console). The cable from the engine to the hub is 15-feet long and it’s less than 10-feet to the hub. The best thing is it’s in a nice dry spot.

The oil tank is in the console with the oil line and sensor wires routed through the rigging tunnel. The oil line and sensor wires were long enough to make it to the stern easily.

I had to manufacture a new instrument panel. I had some sheet aluminum (from an old street sign). I striped the paint, cut to size with my Skill saw, and filed the edges smooth. I cut the proper holes with my drill press and the correct size hole saws (3-1/8-inch and 2-1/8-inch). I painted the panel with zinc-chromate primer and then with black wrinkle paint. To get the wrinkle paint to wrinkle with consistent small wrinkles, I had to cure the painted panel in a 200-degree oven for an hour. The Outrages of that era had a black vinyl panel between the two metal instrument panels. I found some peel and stick sign vinyl that looked very close.

The ETS top-mounting control was a close size to the old Yamaha binnacle. It looked like I could get all the old hole covered with the new binnacle. The only problem was that none of the new mounting hole hit anything. I added some backing where the old hole was, filled the hole with a plywood sandwich that was the correct size and filled everything up with epoxy. When everything was setup, I cut a new hole with a 3-inch hole saw and drilled the three mounting holes.

I also put in new, CG-approved fuel lines with my new Oetiker clamp kit, from the fuel tank to the water separator, and from the water separator to the new primer bulb.

Give us a look at some of the rigging details. I would love to see some pictures.

As you may be aware, the console on a 1986 Outrage 18 is not a very large space. With my electronic upgrades, I had several constraints I had to deal with. Space, accessibility, upgrade ability and I wanted to make few changes I couldn’t reverse easily.
The VHF and the AIS both had minimum distances they had to be away from the compass. The compass is on top of the console, directly in front of the helm, slightly to the port side of the console top. I wanted to preserve as much space as I could in the console. So I built this box -





There is a terminal strip to mount the NEMA 0183 network for the chart plotter and VHF, I also used part of the strip to hook up the AIS signal wires (turns AIS silent and emergency) to switches on the switch panel. There is another terminal strip to provide 12V + and – for the chartplotter, VHF and AIS. The Garmin chart plotter powers the NEMA 2000 network. The whole box fits in the very forward starboard side of the console forward of the fire extinguisher box (the fire extinguisher box is on the starboard side of the console). All of the connecting wires i.e., the 4 AIS signal wires, the 12V + and – are on quick connect connectors so I can take the whole box out of the console to work on it if needed. This system has been working well for 18 months.

When I decided to upgrade to the E-TEC, with the incentives Evinrude was providing, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add the EST and ICON Pro gauges. The console hadn’t gotten any larger and I hadn’t gotten any more limber, I had all of the same constraints as my earlier electronics install. I mounted all of the components I could onto a board that I could fit in the console. It is placed in the console on the starboard side abaft the fire extinguisher box.



The board mounts the gateway, the Evinrude network hub, an extension of the NEMA 2000 network, a terminal strip for the key switched B+ (violet wire), posts to distribute battery 12V + and -, and the fuse harnesses. I also bundled all of the excess wire into semi neat bundles.
The ETS binnacle plugs into the Evinrude hub on the proprietary Evinrude network and the key switch. The ICON Pro tachometer plugs into the NEMA 2000 network and the rest of the gauges “daisy chain” from the tachometer. I didn’t use the included speedometer or the NEMA 2000 GNSS antenna. I don’t need the speedometer (the seas dictate my speed and again, available space is a limiting factor) and I already have the required NEMA 2000 GNSS information provided on the network and already being used by the chartploter and the AIS

My old instrument panel had a tachometer, trim gauge and a horn button. My new instrument panel will have water pressure, engine temperature on top, the tachometer and then the trim gauge on the bottom (gauges placed in order of importance and easiest scan). None of the existing holes matched the new needed holes, so a new panel was in order. I had some old street signs that I had previously “salvaged”. The street sign aluminum was virtually the same thickness as the old instrument panel thickness (as measured with my plastic slide caliper) and cut easily with my Skilsaw. I filed the edges smooth and cut the holes with a simple drill press. I had a bit of difficulty finding the proper sized hole saws. As a general contractor I have a pretty good selection, I had 3”, 3 1/4”, 3 1/2”. I needed a 3 3/8”. I had 2”, 2 1/8”, 2 1/4”… I needed a 2 1/16”. I checked Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware and a couple of local specialty wood working shops, none available. Amazon Prime had them at my door in two days. I already had the mandrel required. In the same industrial complex where my granite fabricator is located is also a powder coating shop. I stopped by to check on the cost to powder coat the two instrument panels flat black. The price quoted was crazy high ($80 retail with a $20 discount because they “already had a batch of flat black in process” = $60). For two 5” by 11” panels, I decided paint would work just fine. I had some black wrinkle paint in the shed from a previous project along with some zinc chromate primer. After a few test panels with scrap aluminum, I found the best “wrinkle” was obtained when I cured the painted panel in a 200 degree oven for an hour. After an hour I turned the oven off and left the panel in the oven for the rest of the afternoon. I primed the panel first, the next day painted the back and edges with regular flat black paint. A couple of hours later I painted the front three heavy coats 5 minutes apart with the wrinkle paint and off to the oven to cure. It came out great.





The Instruments mount very simply. Slide them in from the front, slide the retaining ring on the back and hold everything together with a couple of nylon wing nuts. The tachometer is the primary gauge in the wiring system, all the other gauges “daisy chain” from the tachometer. Once I had all the gauges mounted and wired, I connected the tachometer to the NEMA 2000 network and the key switched B+ (violet wire) and mounted the instrument panel to the console.
Two items I am still working for the instrument panel. The original panels had a nice pinstripe detail around the panel, I couldn’t find a way to duplicate that feature. The original panels also had nice counter sinks on the four mounting holes and the panels mounted with flat head type screws. I was unable to consistently duplicate the counter sink with my tools. I choose to use straight holes with round head type screws.

I'll post some more pictures when I get the boat back from the shop.