Dashboard ideas

[F14CRAZY]

The dashboard (the part underneath the windshield, not the part that holds the gauges) on my Capri, I'm guessing, is black gelcoat. It has a lot of small cracks and is really faded. It clears up with some 3M marine wax but doesn't stay nice for very long.

I was thinking of painting it like a semi gloss white. Is there a such thing as a paint that dries with a rubbery, slightly soft texture? In calm seas its tempting to set an iPod, cell phone, etc up there without it sliding all over the place. At any rate I think it would look nicer being white instead of black.

Think it'd be nicer to just cover it in vinyl? I just thought of that and it would work pretty well and look nice

Would garage floor paint give decent results?

Thanks guys.

 

[oops!]

Re: Dashboard ideas

hi 14 !...

the reason the dash is black is to cut glare.....boat dash boards are never white......you wouldnt be able to see thru the windshield.

and the dash is (or should be) a plastic.....standard us marine.

you might try a non skid rubber matt....like the kind used in cup boards or kitchen drawers..... it would give you the color u want and stop your cell phone from hitting the drink !

 

[SBTOM]

Re: Dashboard ideas

That glare comment makes a lot of sense... never would have thought of that myself!
Its kind of like what Oops suggested, but these no slip car pads are pretty effective:

http://www.topoftheline.com/no-slip-pad.html

doesn't help you with the cracks though

 

[F14CRAZY]

Re: Dashboard ideas

hi 14 !...

the reason the dash is black is to cut glare.....boat dash boards are never white......you wouldnt be able to see thru the windshield.

and the dash is (or should be) a plastic.....standard us marine.

you might try a non skid rubber matt....like the kind used in cup boards or kitchen drawers..... it would give you the color u want and stop your cell phone from hitting the drink !

I was thinking Bayliner was still Brunswick in 1985...but anyway...

I was kinda thinking about glare (my reasoning for something other than gloss white) but it seems like you're trying to get me to keep it black, which is probably a good idea

I was kinda thinking about that non skid cabinet stuff too. My mom's used like a dozen rolls of that stuff in our motor home...a piece between every plate and bowl in the cupboard. Do you think I should try waxing the rest of the dash or just paint it black then go with the rubber stuff? If I don't like the rubber in white, it's easy enough to swap out.

 

[F14CRAZY]

Re: Dashboard ideas

That glare comment makes a lot of sense... never would have thought of that myself!
Its kind of like what Oops suggested, but these no slip car pads are pretty effective:

http://www.topoftheline.com/no-slip-pad.html

doesn't help you with the cracks though

I've seen those too. It'd work if I could find one big enough for the dash

 

[redfury]

Re: Dashboard ideas

anything anti slip is going to be anti-get-it-cleaned-when-it-gets-dirty. I'd think a piece of silicone bakeware ( like a cookie sheet ), might do the trick.

You could always make one with some silicone caulking ( clear ) on a piece of heavily waxed fiberboard. Squeeze out the tube and spread to the thickness you want, let dry, and then cut to the shape you want. It'll be heavy and grippy enough to hold onto the dash, and keep your stuff from sliding around, plus you can take it off and wash it in the dishwasher at home.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Dashboard ideas

Just get one of the "no slip" pads they make for car dashboards. I've seen 'em in big box stores and other places. They're basically a sticky silicone pad meant for exactly what you want.

Alternatively you can build/buy a "phone holder" pocket like a cupholder that fits an ipod (or, actually you can get a padded adapter to fit an ipod into a cupholder).

Erik

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Dashboard ideas

DIY bedliner

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Dashboard ideas

Never tried this stuff but it is rubbery and might provide a non slippery coating. You could try it on some test material first to see what kind of results it yielded.

Dupli-Color Paintable Undercoating is a flexible, paintable black undercoat.

Air Sprayable protection against rust and mechanical abrasion, for undercarriages of cars, trucks, trailers, boats, ect.

It combines the flexibilty and sealing properties of rubber with superior coating capabilities.

Excellent rust preventer for autobody repairs and sealant for house gutters, fence posts and trees after pruning.

Black Color

Easy Application

 

[scoville]

Re: Dashboard ideas

Try the Krylon spray paint for plastic, I just did my dash in a 1996 Larson and it looks great. You can buy this stuff with a bit of fleck in it, the amount of grit is shown on the lid of the can, comes in a ton of colors. I think it would give just the right amount of non slip with minimal labor involved. Just clean the area and spray it on, it also fills cracks nicely too.

 

[Speakrdude]

Re: Dashboard ideas

hi 14 !...

the reason the dash is black is to cut glare.....boat dash boards are never white......you wouldnt be able to see thru the windshield.

and the dash is (or should be) a plastic.....standard us marine.

you might try a non skid rubber matt....like the kind used in cup boards or kitchen drawers..... it would give you the color u want and stop your cell phone from hitting the drink !

Not even Close. Most of the newer boats have a Gloss white dash, with and without non-skid. The last two of my rebuilds, I went from faded old black to high gloss white. I love the way it looks and so do my clients.



Here's one in light gray, very tastefully done. Lots of bling.





One of mine. You can almost see the white dash in the background.

 

[NoKlu]

Re: Dashboard ideas

Just because they do them white does not mean it's good. On oops! bayliner capri you can't see a thing out of the windshield where the white parts of the dash reflects the sun. If I remember correctly the passenger side is white and the other in front of the driver is black. There is a big difference in the visibility between the two sides. Could be the angles are different on those other boats that lets them get away with white but on the bayliner white is a poor choice.

 

[F14CRAZY]

Re: Dashboard ideas

Thanks for all the ideas so far. I'm still dwelling on it

 

[NoKlu]

Re: Dashboard ideas

Taking a second look at speakerdude's last pic you can clearly see the white reflecting on the windshield at the helm. The view through the glass on the other side with the dark piece is much closer to the center panel without any glass.

 

[F14CRAZY]

Re: Dashboard ideas

Taking a second look at speakerdude's last pic you can clearly see the white reflecting on the windshield at the helm. The view through the glass on the other side with the dark piece is much closer to the center panel without any glass.

indeed...

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: Dashboard ideas

I always wear sunglasses. Snowmobiling in all that white is really really bright, the glasses knock it right down. At night the glare on the glass from the all around light can be a bit annoying, I usually go above the windscreen at night.

 

[oops!]

Re: Dashboard ideas

i have found that (as noklu said)...if you have a white dash....you cant see. period...its that bad.....you dont really know whats happening till it comes to yor attention....

i asked the guy i work with about it....he said in all the yacht flybridges he did....(lots of 100 ft plus) the dash was never white for that exact reason.

i know for me...the glare off the dash in the bilge liner is allmost a hazzard.

 

[83vert]

Re: Dashboard ideas

Starboard, a little pricey but nice stuff.

 

[F14CRAZY]

Re: Dashboard ideas

I've seen that "marine lumber" which seems like a good (but expensive material).

This is my new dash, still in progress, btw. 1/4'' birch. I really don't think I'll have any glare issues.

The part I'm asking about though is the flat surface about the gauges, right under the windshield