2003 246 WA Dash Layout

[Lucky Lady]

Anybody found the perfect set up for flush mounting a fish finder/plotter and VHF in the new style dash? OK how about those of you who have done it and wish you done it different.

My plan is to install my Garmin 238 on the upper right part of the dash (it has buttons on the right side so I can grab the dash with my fingers and push buttons with my thumb in a seaway), and the VHF somewhere under that. That way if one day I want to install a LCD radar I still should have room.

Any feed back would be welcome.

Also, any tips on cutting that new gel coat with out chipping would be appreciated. Have heard that putting masking tape minimizes the chipping.

[No Tacks]

hey graig I dunno about the layout of your goodies but I can tell you that the best tool I found for cutting fiberglass and the plywood behind it is the ROTOZIP...Caution...Practice first on a piece of ply so you get the feel of it...And you dont need to use tape around the area..Its a high rpm tool and its easier to cut in one direction than the other..Good luck..bill...

[MC]

Use the tape to outline your cut out areas (I routinely use the blue 3m tape). It will eliminate any potential fragmenting, and help get a nice clean cut line. You can use a regular jig saw, just use the correct blade- new.

[Lucky Lady]

As followup, I used a drill and jig saw (fine teeth so chipping was minimal) to cut thru the console facing. I did cover the area with masking tape to prevent scaring by the saw. The console face is heavily built and was about 1 inch thick with lots of laminate and 3/8" of ply.

As the layout goes, I ended up with the layout that is in the 2003 catalog. This worked well as the sounder/plotter is directly in the line of sight when running. Only issue is that the placement of the radio has to be near the top to clear the throttle handles, and does cause 2-3 degrees of compass error.