Helm Redesign

[man7sell]

Upgrading the old depth sounder (Originally from Noah's ark I think) for another Garmin unit. But I am disliking all the open wiring and not a great fan of looking up to see depth and chart info.



So I am thinking of building a box lower to mount the two top Garmin screens, and getting rid of the smaller Garmin and relocating the compass and autopilot control.

[Blues]

That should clean it up alot. I’m thinking about a similar winter project primarily driven by the need to redo the ac and dc panels. Right now there is a 38 year old hodgepodge of electronic stuff and switches of every description, old gauges and new state of the art stuff. It’s an interesting challenge deciding what needs to be where.
Keep us posted.

[Barking Sands]

There is a ton of space on the flat area where the gauges are. I might be inclined to move the gauges to the new location and put the Garmins in the large space the gauges are in. The engine gauges could be consolidated to a much small space. That is - if the Garmins can fit there.

[man7sell]

Originally Posted by Barking Sands

There is a ton of space on the flat area where the gauges are. I might be inclined to move the gauges to the new location and put the Garmins in the large space the gauges are in. The engine gauges could be consolidated to a much small space. That is - if the Garmins can fit there.

I thought of that but the two Garmins are too big for the area. Although maybe extending the panel up to make it all look like one console might be good.

[mvweebles]

You are really on the path to an MFD, not just moving existing standalone screens. Regardless, if you move stuff, you may want to consider life under a single 12-inch (or 16-inch) MFD.

MFD and A/P controls are stuff you interact with a bunch during operation, so it makes sense to have them within reach. Engine controls....not so much. You need visual check but no need to 'touch' them. As an out-of-box idea, move engine controls and gauges overhead into a decent box. That opens-up your dashboard for all the toys your heart desires. Not a cheap ordeal.

Look forward to updates on how you decide to proceed. Sounds like a fun project.

Peter