Upper Helm Refit

[Dave_E]

Hi All,

I guess my post from yesterday wasn't well asked... The wood on my upper helm dash is shot, gauges are gone, removed the CB and cassette player etc.. I am going to rebuild the dash area, all new instruments, compass, VHF, MFD etc.. Looking for ideas. Example, one owner showed me his dash that he covered with formica. Anyone want to share ideas and or pictures of their upper helm?

Dave

 

[Comodave]

While I have not rebuilt the dash on my current boat since it is not in bad shape, if I were going to do it I would probably use Starboard. I did rebuild a dash on a previous boat with Starboard and it worked great. It is not damaged by water or sun and is as easy to work with as wood is, almost. You can route it easily and use the same tools that you would use for woodworking. The only down side is that it does not glue easily although there are now some glues out there that will work but I have not tried them. So if you are able to mechanically fasten the Starboard it woulf work well.

 

[Comodave]

I meant to add that the problem with a high pressure laminate like Formica is that water can get in around the edges and the laminate can start to delaminate from the wood. High pressure laminate is fine when used inside, but outside exposed to the weather it is just a matter of time before it will come loose.

 

[GFC]

Here's a photo of my upper helm. The panel on the left with the boat name on it was made by a friend of mine who is in the business. He can make them to just about any size and cut holes for instruments. If you're interested in getting his info just PM me.