Electronics Installation

[SubmersibleGeek]

Hello all. It is with great pleasure that I make my first post as a new Triumph owner. I picked up my 2007 215CC this past week. I looked forward to a long relationship with my new baby and her mother ocean. I also look forward to spending some quality time with the good people in this forum when we are all waiting for our new trip out to sea.

Of course as a new owner I have about 101 questions and am anxious to do some modifications while waiting for the paperwork to catch up. I would like to start with a few now if I could.

I have spent some time looking through the archives any really like the way NCangler set-up his console on the 210 and would like to do the same on mine (although I don't have nearly as much equipment as he).

I will try not to ask question that have already been answered in other thread but I will make up for it my asking questions that I should probably already know the answers to.

What is starboard? (and I am not referring to the right side of the boat as you look forward).
Where can I get it and how much does it cost?
Is it easy to work with, what tools will I need?

Are there any modifications to the electrical system that are recommended of the bat?
Does anyone have a wiring diagram for the 215?

Where is a good place to mode radio speakers on the 215? I was thinking of just putting them in the console for ease of installation.

I hope my questions aren't too mundane but any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Genelie]

Hey there I will try and answer a couple for you.

#1 Starboard is well for a lack of a better word, is kinda like a hard plastic...kinda of like a kitchen cutting board. This stuff can cut just like wood, so you can custom fit it to what ever you are working on. You can find in most Marine stores, such as West Marine. The stuff is noty cheap, but will last forever.
#2 As for the speakers I have seen at my local dealer, they have mounted on the sides of the center counsil..
If you do a search on the electrical system, I have seen many mods done for charging, and splitting of the loads of the batteries.
hope this helps, and welcome to the board.

 

[SubmersibleGeek]

Thanks Genelie, I found the starboard on West Marine's website. What thickness do you recommend to support electronics. I was thinking 1/2", is this enough?

Will look at the electrical stuff. I did see that someone put in an additional fuse box that is always hot for the bilge pump, radio, etc. I think that is a worthwhile mod.

 

[OspreyVic]

Welcome to the web site and congratulations on your new boat.

Just a couple of suggestions that I hope will help you.

1. The "Search" feature works pretty good on this web site.

2. Please don't forget the "Articles" section.

3. As you make your modifications / additions, please share your pictures so others can learn from you.

Again, welcome and we hope you enjoy your new boat as much as our family does.

 

[pamarine]

Questions

Welcome to the club!

Starboard is a brand name of High-Density Polyethylene Sheeting made by King Plastic Corporation. There are 3 varieties, Starboard (most commonly available), StarboardAS (a textured non-skid version), and StarliteXL(a low-density, lightweight version). I would recommend you tot he website, but it has either been hacked or taken down. You can find the regular starboard at most major marine suppliers. It is fairly expensive, 1/4" runs around $.15-$.17 per square inch, 1/2" is between $.30-.35 per sq in, and 3/4" is $.46-.50 per sq in. It is available in roughly the same dimensions as plywood as Full sheet (54"x96"), Half sheet (27"x24") and quarter sheet (12"x27"). to compare to marine grade plywood, a 48"x96" sheet of 1/2" will run roughly $.02 per sq inch.

It is easy to work with using standard woodworking tools. It has a uniform expansion rate of roughly 1/32 inch for every foot of length or width over a 40-degree temperature range. I have included a link to the brochure on working with it.

http://www.kingstarboard.com/CMS/Media/Docs/workingwith.pdf

Hope This Helps.

 

[SubmersibleGeek]

Vic, Thanks and yes I have already been in the articles. Your article on "why you bought a triumph" it was great help.

pamarine, thanks for the very detailed specs on the starboard. Good to know about the expansion rate. I will temperature adjust it to room temperature before a cut and fit to make sure I am in the middle of the range.

 

[Dave LeGear]

Welcome Aboard,
I have heard some of the guys report back in the past that they save quite a bit of money by getting the plastic cutting boards instead of getting Starboard at a place like West Marine...

Though I have not done such myself, it does sound logical since you are not paying for the Marine "name" usage however, I could not attest to the material differences between the two products. I guess in the long run that anything other than wood would work for such and you may want to poke around in Lowe's or Home Depot for some other low cost products (like plastic decking maybe?) that would hold up just as well and as easy to work with

I also hear about some newer 190 deck covers cracking so I will assume that some dealers may have a couple sheets laying around that you "might" be able to get your hands on if you want to make a few calls... Never know, you may be able to get it for a pretty low cost since the cover can really be no longer be used for much of anything else I would think....

 

[NCangler]

When I did the console electronics insert modification I had my dealer, Merritt Marine, used a router to cut the side board tracks for the starboard insert and they cut a piece of starboard for me that fit the insert. I then used a rotozip to cut out for my electronics using the patterns that came with each piece of gear. You might check with your dealer to see if they have pieces of starboard that they could cut and rout for you or I believe Merritt Marine would make the insert and side panels and sell/ship them to you if you like. Contact Chad Merritt at Merritt Marine to see.

 

[SubmersibleGeek]

Puter and NC, Thanks. I looked at Starboard at West Marine today to get a little perspective. I think nothing less than a 1/2 inch thick will do. I will drop Chad a line, if I can get a precut piece of starboard from him installing my own electronics will be doable and I may even end up with a quality product. I don't think I want to get into cutting to fit and routing my own board.

 

[SubmersibleGeek]

Console Install kit from Merritt Marine

I just spoke to Chad and Dick at Merritt and in about 2 minutes ordered myself a kit to do the electronics install. Piece of cake and I just saved myself a half days work and 1/4 tank of gas. All I have to do is fit my electronics. SWEET!!

 

[NCangler]

Excellent! I spoke to Chad and suggested that they add the console electronics insert kit to their shipstore. I think they are selling the two side panels with routed track and the blank insert for $125.00.

You can then use your electronics templates and a rotozip to cut out your electronics to mount as you desire. I was able to hook up and drop in my electronics in a matter of about 3 minutes and could close and lock the console lid if desired. And at the end of the day it was easy to disconnect the electronics and take them in the house for safe keeping.

Here is a picture of my original install that Chad did.

I later bought the new Furuno FCV 620 and moved the CD/Stereo to the back wall of the console for permanent mount and I cut out an access area (as seen below) to reach back to the stereo and to be able to store wallet, keys, etc. behind the electronics when underway. I was very pleased with the result.

 

[MolarBoater]

Man, that sure is one high tech file cabinet!

 

[OspreyVic]

Molar -- now that made me laugh and I needed that.

 

[NCangler]

Made me laugh too!

 

[Genelie]

definetly a SWEET set up, I see we have the same navnet system, I went with the 582 fish finder...all in all great systems. Did i meantion I really like your set up/// I am drulling here.

 

[fridaysoff]

Randy,
Would that fit the 195CC console? If not will Chad make one to fit? Thanks.
John D.

 

[NCangler]

I'm not sure if it would fit the 195 or not but I'm sure Chad can make a kit for other models. I'll forward this to him to respond.

 

[SubmersibleGeek]

Completed Electronics Install

I finally got around to finishing my electronics install with the kit I got from Merritt Marine. I think it turned out pretty well but I am biased. Couple things to note if your are going to go this route.

If you look at NCangler's electronics pic you will notice that his board is mounted vertically. When I got my kit from Merritt the side pieces were cut to mount the electronics board sloping back at about 20 degrees. I think this made for a better end result but it also made the install more difficult.

If you order a kit from Merritt I suggest specifying what angle you want the board mounted at. You can see from the other pics that I had to cut a hole in the back of the console to have space for the pigtails on the back of the VHF and radio. This was due to the slope of the board, not the size of the console or the electronics. The other thing about the slope is that I cannot remove the board without first removing all the electronics from it. So the install is semi-permanent (no high tech file cabinets for me). This is fine because it means its very difficult for anyone else to remove the electronics also.

The other thing, as you can see in the pics is the the bottom of the board is flush against the front of the electronics box. It doesn't leave any room for the cord of the VHF mic. I have to make sure I have the cord tucked in properly to prevent pinching it when I close the console cover.

I think the slope does make for a better viewing angle so if you can handle leaving your electronics installed I would go with the angle, just make some measurements first and specify what angle you want to Merritt or just cut it yourself.

 

[NCangler]

Nice work and thanks for sharing it! Actually my install was at a slight angle but I had to figure the height and depth of my electronics that determined where to put the insert tracks in order to still be able to close the console lid.

 

[Genelie]

Okay you guys definently are making me jealous....such nice work....if it were not for the fact that I do not have a electronics box slash storage box above...I would surley do this...it looks as if they came from the factory...well done.