new dash panel ??

[moeMC]

I need to replace my dash panel , cheap plastic holding tach., fuel, oil psi ,ammeter. was going to do it in teak . very expensive , leaning more towards using King starboard . has anyone trid it ? done a bit of reading I know to alow for expansion n contraction . any other suggestions ??

[stevieray]

Moe, Starboard is nice - easy to work with but looks kind of "cheap". I have used a piece of clear 1/4" Lexan (poycarbonate sheet) - get it at HD or Lowe's in the window dept. Cut your holes, test fit the gauges & then paint the BACK side of the Lexan whatever color you want (I used black). It will give a nice glossy finish & is next to indestructable.

[FREDDYPD]

Cool thread. I need to do that also and Lexan was suggested to me.

[tashasdaddy]

moe, if it's a flat dash you can use just about anything you want, teak, mahogany. curved dashes are the problem. using 2 pieces of lexan, you can customize, by sandwiching, some 70' paisley material, picture of current significant other, or the dog, between them.

[moeMC]

thanks for the suggestions... was moving away from wood product ..want to keep it maintainance free . never thought of the lexan . will it hold up being pounded on the waves of lake erie . and can you just sand the edges to clean then up after cutting?

[FREDDYPD]

I have a 94 sea ray and want to do the same type thing. How would I go about getting some cool sea ray logo or stripe to sandwich between the glass? Would I go to a printer? What kind of paper or product would I use that would stand up to the salt water?

[stevieray]

Moe - lexan is all but bullet-proof. I worked in the sign industry about 20 yrs ago (when I was just a bald faced boy) & some of the stuff I did on it is STILL up & looks good. To cut it clean, put down masking tape & draw your guidelines on it & cut with a fine-tooth jigsaw on medium slow speed (too fast & it will melt & weld up behind the blade). You can sand the edges as smooth as you want - use finer & finer papers as you go.

Freddy - find a logo you like on a brochure or something & take it to a place like Kinko's or Sign-a-Rama & they can print you whatever size & color you want on paper & laminate it in plastic. That should hold up if you do the sandwich thing.

[moeMC]

beauty ... thanks stevieray

[i386]

For logos, you'll want to use the best artwork you can get your hands on. Preferably you want a file that's in a vector format. Graphics saved in these file formats can be scaled as large as you like without any loss of quality. EPS, Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw files etc... NOT .bmp, .jpg, .gif, .png, etc...

This should get you started.


Something that wasn't mentioned about the Lexan. Drilling the stuff. A regular bit will tend to just screw itself into it. You can get a special bit or modify a bit you already have. You want it to scrape the plastic rather than cut it. And same as the saw, don't get it too hot.

[FREDDYPD]

Cool deal can't wait to start this project!

[stevieray]

Something that wasn't mentioned about the Lexan. Drilling the stuff. A regular bit will tend to just screw itself into it. You can get a special bit or modify a bit you already have. You want it to scrape the plastic rather than cut it. And same as the saw, don't get it too hot.

Good point, i386. Also, be sure to pull off any factory-applied protective coating that comes on the Lexan before doing any work. Coat the whole thing with strips of 2" wide masking tape (the regular tan color painter's stuff) so you can mark your layout on it & keep it from getting scratched up. It will also help prevent the heat weld-up from the power tools. Good luck!