Carver Owners Forum

I've been working with New Wire Marine on ideas for redoing the dash on my 360 Sport Sedan. Unfortunately, the dash is broken up into a lot of different areas which makes having any kind of modern system difficult. My main question for the collective wisdom here, has anyone replaced the steam gauges on the top panel with digital displays or have any ideas?

So far the only display that looks like it might fit is the Simrad IS35 since the maximum vertical clearance on that panel is about 4.25 inches (105mm). I hate to introduce another manufacturer just to make it fit. The rest of the equipment is Garmin, but the GMI 20 looks like it is too big and too limited.

I really wanted to go with Veratron Oceanlink 4.3" displays because they include an analog to NMEA2000 gateway. This should work to make engine parameters available on the network until my next project to install the Fox Marine boxes.

And if I can get a numeric readout of the RPM for each engine I won't need the sync gauge. I can tell sync by sound, but not all of my crew can.

This is the area I'm referring to. Those five gauges would ideally be replaced by three displays--port and starboard engine with rudder and nav on centerline.




The crazy idea I last floated to New Wire was to fill in the top, left, and right panels as one panel using standoffs for support. In my mind this would allow cutting the mounting holes for the displays closer to the bottom of the top panel area without them hanging off the bottom of that panel. They haven't gotten back to me on how crazy that is yet.

Just following along.

I've been considering something similar - wanting to replace these gauges with digital displays. I've looked at the ones from Seaboard Marine, but they're kinda pricey for me right now.

https://www.sbmar.com/product/smx-digit ... l-display/

And I'd need one for each engine. Ouch! Good luck and I'll definitely be watching this thread.

Everything is more expensive with diesel, eh?

New Wire got back to me and said combining those panels is perfectly practical. Their Luxmatte product is stronger and shouldn't be any trouble with a couple sets of hands. Their other ABS products would be bendy at that length, but still doable. It figures since we are leaning towards an ABS product called "Graywood" instead of Luxmatte now that we received some samples.

I would likely still need to go with a smaller rudder angle gauge on centerline unless there is a small form factor display I haven't found in my research. There is no getting around the steering hump that reduces the vertical clearance there. A Veratron Oceanlink 52mm rudder angle indicator will fit fine. It's also small enough that if some other solution comes to market I'll be able to switch it out.

I have a tentative yard date of January 27 for some other prerequisite items. Depending on how hard the yard hits the boat budget, the panel upgrade may follow soon after. I'll keep this thread updated. I'm still open to any other ideas.

I have a tentative yard date of January 27 for some other prerequisite items.

Not to derail this topic, but what what yard are you using?
Kyle

Lamb's Yacht Center in Jacksonville.

Lamb's Yacht Center in Jacksonville

Thanks, I just called them yesterday about a bottom job. Only problem is I want to do some DIY work at the same time which they don't allow, so my search continues. Thanks again!

This I will follow for sure.......

A bit of an update. The top panel is at a different angle than the side panels which makes things more interesting. My wife and I have decided to go with Graywood material after receiving samples. I'm hoping to have time to do panel tracings this weekend and will see if there is any way to make my crazy idea work. New Wire has an option to laser cut cardboard pre-production templates, so I can get a set of those and see.

2025 is off to a heck of a start for the boat project list.

After trying to trace with the panels in place it has become clear that I need to disassemble the dash to get usable tracings. This also made me realize that trying to combine the side and top panels is probably not worth the trouble. So this project will take longer than I hoped to get going, but is still very much on the 2025 project list.

The instruments will be two of each:

• Veratron 85mm 5000 rpm tach
• Veratron 52mm 120C/250F coolant temp
• Veratron 52mm 10 bar/150psi oil pressure
• Veratron 52mm fuel gauge

And one Veratron 52mm rudder angle gauge.

If anyone has any experience with these gauges or other suggestions, please let me know. I'm hoping that using Veratron Oceanlink will allow me to simplify the wiring behind the helm. Right now the wiring is quite a mess. Being able to have a single harness going to each tach and then out on the NMEA 2000 network and Oceanlink gauges should reduce 75% or more of the wires behind the helm.

I took some pictures of the current wiring behind the helm this past weekend.


I'm planning to organize this better using terminal strips and the Veratron EasyLink connectors. I like being able to easily tell what wires go where and switch out components if/when needed.

This is especially important since getting access to the back of the helm requires laying on your back and working somewhat blind. Thankfully I have long arms. Adding a foot or two to the leads should allow panels to be removed and set aside while connected. Right now the panels will only pull off about 3-4 inches before the wires are taught.