I have spent the summer readying and restoring my 1973 60-foot Roamer. One issue I am having trouble with is a solution to make my trim/rudder gauge seaworthy. The structural bolts that hold the gauge set in the dash are held in by an old epoxy repair. Please see pic. Does anyone know who may be able to make a good repair for me on this gauge? A used replacement? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, New Roamer owner and forum member- John B.
Hi, For a short term fix can you not build some support for the unit behind that will reduce the load on the faceplate?
Short term / long term Thanks for the reply. That is what I am doing now, but it's not a good-looking fix. I am looking for a long-term fix, restoration or replacement. I am trying to match the quality of the rest of the vessel as we have restored her pretty well. My hope was that there was someone around who I can pay to do this or if there was a faceplate around (or nice substitute). Thanks - John B.
Hi, Can you reuse the gauges that are mounted in it? If so I would imagine it would be possible to have a piece of Alu Plate milled and engraved to suit what you need. The only faceplate manufacturers I have had dealings with is a company called Mid Atlantic who make custom faceplates for 19" Racks used for our AV/IT Installs. Middle Atlantic Products - RSH Custom Rackshelves It might be worth dropping them a line to see if they could supply you one with the holes and engraving you need that might be able to be trimmed down to size.
Years ago I rebuilt a dash panel with all the original gauges and switches on a 68' Roamer. I found an engraving company that did high-end plaques and signs for architectural customers that was capable of working outside of their comfort zone. They have the capability of cutting specific size and shape holes to make a new panel, as well as engraving the appropriate legends. The company I found is in San Diego, and it involved a lot of one-on-one time with the engraver. These days, there are a lot more options, as I just found out by entering "custom boat dash panels" into search (google).
For small aviation projects, a lot of us have used: Front Panel Express: Front Panel Design Software and CAD Conversion Service They allow you to download a panel designing program that makes things quite easy ands their estimator gives you a ball park price before youi order it.. Jim
It has been restored - thanks for all of the help! "Gulf Coast Composites" here in Galveston did a superb job in restoring the gauge for me. Kudos to Gulf Coats and thank you to all that offered info and help! John B. The Triton