A Searay before and after. Beauty is skin deep.

This was a satisfying project. In the panel above was a dead B&G Quad VHF, GPS, and a Lowrance X75 depth sounder. Under the panel, was the VHF radio encased in a 1/2" black starboard wedge structure, that was made of pieces that looked like they were chewed out by beavers. This was also a lousy location for the radio. You couldn't see the VHF's screen from the helm, with out cricking your neck. The first operation was to remove the non-functioning gear stat, leaving a bunch of holes in the dash. A new overlay panel was made, matching the the width of the panel above Another panel was was made to cover the hole left by the VHF radio. The boat had a nice Furuno Navnet system with radar, but it was not interfaced to the surviving B&G autopilot. The remaining B&G gear (Pilot and Depth) was reconfigured, and the Furuno Navnet system was interfaced to the auto pilot. An Ipod and Sirius cradle interfaces were also added to the vessel (See the below article).

The vessel now looks much better, and has lost some weight. The ACR controls were remounted in the new panel, along with the VHF radio. As a last note, never hire beavers to work on your boat. They work hard, and cheaply, but everything looks a bit gnawed on.