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Hellow fellow A-fourians,
I hope this note finds you well.
I'm planning a project with some parts I bought from MMI and I was hoping that you might be able to give me some advice. I spoke with Ken today and got his opinions and advice. Now it's your turn!
Goal: Have Tach (new), water temp (old), oil pressure (old), volt (new) all in cockpit.
I also have Amps (old) and hour meter (new) that I originally wanted in the cockpit but I am willing to mount them in the cabin if it makes this project drastically simpler. I also want the existing starter button and choke to remain recessed and in a control panel. I want to add an ignition toggle switch and a blower switch so I can start the boat without leaving the cockpit. I would also like to leave room to add the early warning system that MMI sells, however I don't own this yet.
Project options and challenges:
The amps, oil, and warmer temp are already outside.
In the attached photo you can see the existing instrument panel and my new shift/throttle controller. The old throttle has been removed from the center of the old instrument panel and the hole simply taped over.
The part of the instrument panel that is now empty (because of the throttle removal) is slanted inward and therefore if I was to reuse that area and surface mount gauges there, they would be angled toward the floor and only easily visible from someone sitting on the opposite side of the boat.
The existing cutout for the existing box is approx 6in wide and 9in tall. Most replacements are shorter that this 9 inches and this is one of my pitfalls.
I will label option A as keeping my existing box (moving the amps from the cockpit to the cabin, replace it with my tach, leave oil and water where they are, add volts and maybe hours to the blank spot that is angled down.
Option B is removing the existing panel and replacing it with another box that is either the same size or slightly larger. I already purchased the MMI box seen here that seems like it would only fit if mounted vertically however it is meant to be mounted horizontally and the plexiglass door hinges are oriented for the that use too. Ken recommended that I not use this enclosure now that I realize it doesn't fit. I could make a frame for it that would take up the gap but i haven't seen pics of a good execution of this idea to use as a guide.
The cutout required for this MMI box is 8x10.5wide, which would leave me with an inch of empty space and raw fiberglass to have to hide. It is also slanted on the long side opposite of the hinge so it will drain and I will loose that feature by mounting portait orientation as opposed to landscape orientation.
Option C is find another box that fits my existing hole better or requires a cutout that is feasible with no gaps to fill. MMI custom orders thier enclosures so i cant just order the next size up. SSI has a box but it is still 1/2 an inch to short for my existing cutout: SSI 12" Panel
Advice and thoughts are appreciated.
Thanks!
PassionOne
This photo just shows the new instruments that were temporally mounted inside this spring as a way of just getting the boat into the water.
And a sketch of how it would look when I was fantasizing this winter. However Ken suggested that I should limit it to water temp, oil pressure, Tach and volts for cockpit gauges.
I hope this note finds you well.
I'm planning a project with some parts I bought from MMI and I was hoping that you might be able to give me some advice. I spoke with Ken today and got his opinions and advice. Now it's your turn!
Goal: Have Tach (new), water temp (old), oil pressure (old), volt (new) all in cockpit.
I also have Amps (old) and hour meter (new) that I originally wanted in the cockpit but I am willing to mount them in the cabin if it makes this project drastically simpler. I also want the existing starter button and choke to remain recessed and in a control panel. I want to add an ignition toggle switch and a blower switch so I can start the boat without leaving the cockpit. I would also like to leave room to add the early warning system that MMI sells, however I don't own this yet.
Project options and challenges:
The amps, oil, and warmer temp are already outside.
In the attached photo you can see the existing instrument panel and my new shift/throttle controller. The old throttle has been removed from the center of the old instrument panel and the hole simply taped over.
The part of the instrument panel that is now empty (because of the throttle removal) is slanted inward and therefore if I was to reuse that area and surface mount gauges there, they would be angled toward the floor and only easily visible from someone sitting on the opposite side of the boat.
The existing cutout for the existing box is approx 6in wide and 9in tall. Most replacements are shorter that this 9 inches and this is one of my pitfalls.
I will label option A as keeping my existing box (moving the amps from the cockpit to the cabin, replace it with my tach, leave oil and water where they are, add volts and maybe hours to the blank spot that is angled down.
Option B is removing the existing panel and replacing it with another box that is either the same size or slightly larger. I already purchased the MMI box seen here that seems like it would only fit if mounted vertically however it is meant to be mounted horizontally and the plexiglass door hinges are oriented for the that use too. Ken recommended that I not use this enclosure now that I realize it doesn't fit. I could make a frame for it that would take up the gap but i haven't seen pics of a good execution of this idea to use as a guide.
The cutout required for this MMI box is 8x10.5wide, which would leave me with an inch of empty space and raw fiberglass to have to hide. It is also slanted on the long side opposite of the hinge so it will drain and I will loose that feature by mounting portait orientation as opposed to landscape orientation.
Option C is find another box that fits my existing hole better or requires a cutout that is feasible with no gaps to fill. MMI custom orders thier enclosures so i cant just order the next size up. SSI has a box but it is still 1/2 an inch to short for my existing cutout: SSI 12" Panel
Advice and thoughts are appreciated.
Thanks!
PassionOne
This photo just shows the new instruments that were temporally mounted inside this spring as a way of just getting the boat into the water.
And a sketch of how it would look when I was fantasizing this winter. However Ken suggested that I should limit it to water temp, oil pressure, Tach and volts for cockpit gauges.
A few weeks ago at Marine Consignment in Fall River, Mass. Check out their website and call each location separately when looking for a specific product. If you are willing to pay shipping I think they will send you an item and refund your money if u send it back because it was the wrong item. 20 minute drive from my house so it's perfect. 
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