Marine Electronics – Marine How To

New Depth Sounder With an Old Transducer

Rod Collins — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 14:44:54 +0000

Old Transducer Coax Cable

Preface: This article assumes you’re vessel is not yet into the 21st century with regard to your marine electronics and that you’re not using NMEA 2000 transducers.

It’s mid season, your boat is in the water, and your old depth sounder dies. What are you to do? There is often a good chance that your transducer is fine and it’s only the display that has died. Despite the transducer being old there is a chance it may be the same frequency as the new depth sounder. If it’s a 200Khz transducer it will likely work with Raymarine and some others that are 200Khz.

I’ve done this a number of times and it works. While certainly not an ideal, or the perfect solution, mixing old and new, this can save you many hundreds of dollars in a short haul expense if you need the changing out of a drilled through the hull transducer. Either way, if you’re in a pinch, it is worth a try.

The new transducer that came with the display can always be installed when you haul for paint, or for the winter, if you are in an area where the water gets hard for half the year.

To use an old transducer you will want to ascertain what the model number or brand is and then hopefully you can track down the frequency. Often times the old depth sounder manual will tell you the frequency in the specs. The transducer frequency must match that of the display head to make it work.

In order to do this you will likely need to cut the old connector off the end of the coax. Many older depth sounders used an RCA connector and some used a BNC type. The center conductor of the coax cable is hot or the signal send wire and the shield becomes ground or the signal return wire.

To confuse everyone the new Airmar transducers, Raymarine, Garmin, Furuno and many others use Airmar as their transducer supplier, are often three wires, hot, ground and a shield.

When using an old coax transducer just make the center conductor hot and the shield the ground. On the Raymarine ST-60 for example you can just ignore the shield input and use ground/black and hot/blue and it will work fine if it is a 200 kHz unit.

Most of the old transducers for depth were either 200 kHz or 210 kHz but there were also some other frequencies used as well. If if your old transducer is a 210 kHz it won’t work at all or not accurately with a newer 200 kHz display.

For this post I used a 31 year old Radarsonics 200 kHz transducer with a 2010 Rayamarine ST-60+. This transducer also worked with a 2006 ST-60 non + model before it got hit by lightning. Interestingly enough the ST-60, and every other piece of electronic gear, was wiped out by that lightning strike. The only thing still working was this trusty 31 year old Radarsonics transducer. I also have the Raymarine/Airmar P-79 unit that came with the ST-60 mounted as a “shoot through” for back up, but currently disconnected at the instrument.

STEP 1 – Strip the jacket back about 3″ and be careful not to cut the shield wires of the coax cable.

Unbraid The Coax

STEP 2 – Using a mechanics pick or other pointy object carefully unbraid the shield wires all the way back to the wire jacket.

Twist The Shield Wires

STEP 3 – Once the shield strands have been unbraided carefully straighten and then twist the wires into a single conductor.

Install Heat Shrink

STEP 4 – Cut a piece of heat shrink about 3″ long which is large enough in diameter to get two smaller pieces of heat shrink under, one for the pos/send and one for the neg/return wires. Once this is on you can slide it out of your way for now.

Install Negative Wire Heat Shrink

STEP 5 – Using a smaller diameter piece of black heat shrink slide it over the twisted shield wire leaving enough poking out the end for a crimp terminal.

Crimp The Terminals

STEP 6 – Apply a heat gun to shrink the tubing then simply crimp your terminal to the negative wire.

TIP: Use a heat gun, rather than open flame, on heat shrink tubing. It will melt more evenly and will result in less burning and blistering of the heat shrink.

Install the Positive Wire Heat Shrink

STEP 7 – When the negative/return wire is done strip a little off the end of the main conductor to fit a crimp terminal.

Next wrap the main conductor with aluminum foil, this replaces the shield you just removed, and slide some red heat shrink over it. Now hit it with the heat gun and shrink it.

Finished Terminations

This is what the finished cable ends will look like. You don’t have to use red for your signal send wire and could ideally use whatever color matches your new instruments color codes. In this case, with a Rayamrine ST-60, that would be blue.

For DC simplicity I chose to used the standard red/black for pos/send and neg/return.

Wrong Way

This photo shows how not to hook you your old transducer to an ST-60 display.

The silver square on the ST-60 is simply for the third shield wire of the newer Airmar three wire transducers. The blue is hot/send and the black square is for the neg/return wire.

The red wire in this photo is in the correct socket but the black/neg/return signal wire is not.

Factory Wire

The three wires pictured here are from the factory Airmar transducer that came with the Raymarine ST-60 Depth instrument.

Black = Transducer neg/signal return wire

Blue = Hot/signal send wire

Silver = Signal wires shield wire

Just because they no longer use a two wire coax does not mean an older two wire transducer won’t work in a pinch, or even for many, many years..

Correct Wiring

Here is how to correctly connect an older 200 kHz transducer to a Raymarine ST-60 depth display. Your transducer will work very well wired this way and can buy you time until a haul out.

Shield goes to the black socket and the center conductor goes to the blue socket.

For the sake of keeping a back up I am still using the now 31 year old transducer despite having the new one completely installed up to the back of the display, and ready at a moments notice. It’s always nice to have a back up.

While I am not recommending this as a primary installation it’s a good way to get you through until a haul out. This of course assumes it was your display that failed and not the transducer.

Because I left both transducers wired and in-place it has given me an opportunity to compare both transducers side by side. They perform identically down to within 0.1 feet. Both also perform at about the same response speed and are equally as fast, or at least no discernible response time difference. Not bad for a 31 year old transducer.

It Works Perfectly

This wiring of the new display to the old transducer should take you about 20 minutes to perform, and it works very well.

Good luck & happy boating!

The post New Depth Sounder With an Old Transducer appeared first on Marine How To.

Chart Plotter Mount For Edson Pedestals

Rod Collins — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 18:39:30 +0000

Simple & Symmetrical

A few years ago I was asked by a customer to come up with a mount for his 7″ chart plotter that:

1- Was not one of those “gawd awful looking” NavPod boxes (his words not mine).

2- Could utilize the existing 1″ Edson feet and 1″ pedestal guard top plate.

3- Was symmetrical and not off to one side.

4- That looked professional, like it came from the factory.

5- Still provide a hand hold.

6- Make the plotter easily removable.

7- Not cost an arm and a leg.

8- Kept the plotter and cables mostly out of harms way.

View From Above

I gave the idea some thought and agreed with my customer that there was a product missing for mounting a single plotter between the two legs of a 1″ pedestal guard, without an “unsightly & large” NavPod box and that did not look “cobbled” together..

This is the design I came up with and it will fit most all 4″, 5″ and 7″ chart plotters.

Since designing this mount I have been continually asked to do more and more of them. I finally decided to stop making the mounting plates on a one-off basis and now make them 10-20 at a time.

This allows me to sell them to boat owners who don’t want to take the time to make one themselves. At $58.75 it is actually a very good value when you consider your time, the tools needed, and waste material. They are all pre-cut, shaped and ready to go..

Back Side

The design is simple, symmetrical, easy to install and the wires are kept out of harms way. They are protected by the pedestal guard, the mount plate and tucked under the plotters bracket.

This is a 7″ Garmin 740S chart plotter and it fits like a glove on this Sabre 34 MKI. This is a boat with a relatively small cockpit that really can’t afford an offset pedestal guard and large NavPod box.

1″ Clamp Collars

In order to make this mount work you will need four 1″ Clamp collars. I buy them from McMaster-Carr. I’ve searched high and low for a better price, even going direct to the manufacturer but McMaster-Carr is literally selling these at about 5% over their cost.

I generally use the 316SS version but the 303/304 version will work too IF brightly polished. The 303/304 collars run about $17.00 each and the 316SS run about $32.00 each.

Either collar type will greatly benefit from polishing. They come in a mill finish which will show rust spots if not polished bright…

NOTE: McMaster-Carr links are odd and your back button may not work once you get there. Bookmark this page before you click the links below.

1″ Clamp Collar – 303/304 Stainless PN# 6436K38 (LINK)

1″ Clamp Collar – 316 Stainless PN# 9633T19 (LINK)

NOTE: Clamp collars are always purchased based on the tube, pipe or shaft OD. So a 1″ pedestal guard gets 1″ clamp collars or a 1″ prop shaft would also get a 1″ clamp collar.

Here the four collars are shown mid-buffing…

To install the mounting plate set your bottom collar height first. Now using some long nose pliers, preferably with electrical tape on the jaws, press the top and bottom collars together while tightening the set screws. This makes for a nice stiff mount that does not wobble.

The Pedestal Guard

In many cases, but not all, you may need a new 1″ pedestal guard to clear the compass. Many OEM 1″ guards are simply too short. Edson has stopped producing 1″ straight guards, perhaps in order to sell more top plates and new feet. Certainly a nice sale $$$$$ wise for them. This design allows you to retain the top plate and your original pedestal guard feet.

NOTE: Other brand pedestals do not use the Edson 9.5″ hole centers. Be sure you have an Edson pedestal with 9.5″ hole centers before ordering a new pedestal guard. We offer new pedestal guards that fit an Edson pedestal in our web store;.

1″ OD X 58″ Tall Straight Pedestal Guard 316SS

The biggest problem with any of these upgrades is that many pedestals have the assembly bolts frozen into the pedestal. More than one owner has totally destroyed a steering pedestal by snapping off a SS bolt in the aluminum pedestal. This design does not require you to remove the pedestal guard top-plate and replace it.

For mocking it up in my shop I simply clamp the pedestal guard to my table saw, as shown, but a work bench will work too. This makes setting your height, installing the collars and mounting the plotter yoke to the mounting plate quite easy.

While Edson dropped the 1″ straight pedestal guard we can now offer a beautiful 1″ X 58″ tall straight pedestal guard (see link above). This pedestal guard ships tall enough to cut to the exact height you prefer. This pedestal guard is beautifully mirror polished and cost less than the now discontinued Edson guard did..

1″ OD X 58″ Tall Straight Pedestal Guard 316SS (LINK)

Cut To The Height You Want

As I mentioned the replacement pedestal guard is 58″ tall & 1″ OD. A 58″ height is pretty tall on many boats. This extra height allows you to decide just how tall you want to make it. I general find cutting 3-4″ off is the perfect height for most owners. This still allows for a good hand hold and room for the plotter to clear even a fully enclosed compass.

For cutting 1″ SS tubing I use a Ridgid pipe cutter with Ridgid stainless cutting wheel. A standard cutting wheel can certainly work to cut two SS legs but will be toast afterwards. I find a pipe cutter to make the cleanest cuts in marine SS tubing. I generally recommend buying Ridgid pipe/tube cutters because parts and cut-off wheels are always available at any plumbing supply house. I can still get parts for some of my 40+ year old Ridgid pipe cutters.

Before the Ridgid name was in Home Depot, they were the plumbers tool line of choice. Home Depot simply bought licensing rights to use the Ridgid name. Do yourself a favor and buy one at a plumbing supply house. You’ll save some money and not get the home-owner grade product.

Once the legs are cut to length be sure to de-burr the inside of the legs. I use a Dremel and grinding wheel to do this. You don’t want the guard legs to mar or slice the wires jacket or the wires themselves..

One Leg Cut

Here one leg has been cut to length and I am in the process of cutting the other leg. These close quarters Ridgid pipe cutters work well between legs if a standard cuter is too long..

De-Burr The Tube

One of my peeves is installers who install marine electronics into pedestal guards and make zero effort to de-burr the holes they’ve made, or to smooth the cut ends. Quite often I see horribly molested wire jackets and sometimes wind up cutting myself on this sloppy workmanship. Frustrating to say the least.

Please, please, please take the time to de-burr any holes you make in the pedestal guard. This hould be done anywhere wires pass through or exit the guard.

I start with a rough rasp in a Dremel type tool..

Make It Smooth

Once the heavy lifting is done I move to a fine grade stone in the same Dremel type tool. I run my fingers over the surface to ensure there are no sharp edges that could damage the wire..

The Rotary Tool Bits

I have a pretty good collection of Dremel bits, unfortunately they are no longer in the original packaging. This means I really have no clue what the part numbers are?

Just look for bits like these and you’ll be doing well. The rasps are great for getting the big chunks off then I move to the stones a good for final surface smoothing. The round ended bit works well in small holes, as may be used for a single wire. It works well to smooth the back side of the hole inside the guard if you can’t get the angle with a straight wraps or stone.

Buff & Polish The Clamp Collars

In order to buff the clamp collars I use a buffing wheel and some Tripoli or stainless specific compound. These wheels and compounds are available at Home Depot and will fit most bench grinders. IMHO every boat owner could benefit from a buffing wheel. I use mine all the time.

I get my wheels from Grizzly and some of my compounds too.

Grizzly Buffing Wheels (LINK)

Grizzly Buffing Compounds (LINK)

Home Depot / Ryobi may be easier but the quality of the wheels from Grizzly is much better.

Buffing Compound/Rouge

Here is an example of the Home Depot / Ryobi version of Tripoli compound. It is inexpensive and works quite well.

I Clamp To Scrap Tubing For Polishing

TIP: Buffing & polishing stainless steel creates some pretty good heat and can be tough on your hands. In order to buff the clamp collars I use a scrap piece of 1″ stainless and simply clamp the collar to it. Easy, simple and cuts buffing time dramatically!

Drill The Wire Hole

Once you have decided upon the height of your mount and clamped it in place you are now ready to drill the hole for the wires.

I first drill a 1/4″ Pilot hole into the pedestal guard to center my hole saw into. For drilling a large enough hole I use Lenox Bi-Metal hole saws. They make easy work of 1″ SS.

Once the hole is drilled please be sure to do a good job at de-burring this hole. Again, for this, I use a Dremel type tool but a small round file can work too. The important thing is to have a smooth hole that won’t destroy the wire when pulling it through the guard..

TIP 1: When drilling stainless steel use a very slow drill speed, lubrication and don’t stop or pause. Stopping or pausing while the work area is hot can cause the stainless steel to work-harden. If it work hardens you’re pretty much going to go through drills like like Teddy Kennedy went though alcohol. Don’t let that happen!

TIP 2: For drilling into stainless I use drills made by Viking/Norseman. Viking/Norseman are actually the same company but go to market under two different brands, like Johnson / Evinrude did..

These drills are made here in the USA and are very good quality. One of my favorite drill sets for the boat are the Norseman/Viking 29 piece round drill index sets 1/16″ to 1/2″ in 1/64th increments.. They are in a round plastic container with screw on lid and an EXCELLENT gasket seal. The set is totally waterproof and stays closed in a tool bag, unlike metal indexes.

I use this set for 85-90% of the drilling jobs I need to do on boats. These drills also eat SS for lunch… Both Norseman and Viking offer the same sets under different part numbers. I think at last count I had three of these drill indexes.

I like them because KL Jack, a local nut & bolt wholesaler, stocks the replacement drills from Norseman/Viking and when I break one I can easily replace it with a matched drill of the same quality. The crap you get these days at Home Depot, Lowes or other retailers is pure unadulterated JUNK!

Running The Wires

You have many options here for running wires as you can use grommets, split loom or hose as I have on this one.

On this guard I ran the wires through some tubing and into the pedestal leg. For this Garmin 741 everything needed fit in a single leg of the 1″ guard. The wires included the power/data cable, Garmin network cable for radar and a NMEA 2000 drop.

Garmin 741 On a Bristol 40

This is one of the production mounting plates on a Bristol 40. The owner really liked the finished product and loved that it did not change the overall feel & aesthetics of his beautiful boat. He liked that it did not get all “gawdy looking” like he had a “40” plasma TV at the helm”.

View of Compass From Standing At Helm

You want to ensure you can see the compass from standing at the helm so adjust your height accordingly.

IMPORTANT: Installing any plotter, at the helm like this, will create some level of interference with your compass. Any time you do, you should have your compass professionally swung and a deviation card made. I’ve have yet to find a plotter that could not be swung, even magnet door plotters like those from Raymarine, Garmin, Simrad, Lowrance HDS units etc..

RANT: I believe magnetic doors on plotters are a dumb, arrogant and an ignorant move by the plotter manufacturers. It is common knowledge that your navigation compass will be close to the plotter yet they still install magnets in the chart doors. A magnet door is simply unnecessary.

COMPASS ADJUSTMENTS: For those located here in Maine Dave Witherill of Pathfinder Compass does exceptional compass work.

Laying Out A Raymarine e7D

This is a prime example of an OEM pedestal guard that was simply too short. I did not want the owner accidentally grabbing the plotter when looking for a hand hold so we opted for the taller replacement pedestal guard..

Mocking It Up In The Shop

I know most of you don’t have a spare pedestal kicking around, to do mock ups with, but with careful on-boat measurements you can easily figure and calculate your needed height. Here you can see why this factory OEM Edson guard was simply too short. The mounting plate is where I needed it to be in order to have good visibility for the compass and this left too little room for a hand hold..

You will need to measure to the top of the compass dome and then add about 4-5″ clearance between compass top and the bottom of the mounting plate. This height will vary slightly depending upon your physical height.

e7D Installed On An Ericson

This was one of the original prototypes holding a Raymarine e7D. This owner had a very, very tired pedestal and he went hog wild on an all new set up.. New complete steering pedestal, new pedestal guard, new plotter, new folding wheel, new compass etc. etc..

Side View

The original plate design was narrower but I have since made it deeper to accommodate a wider range of plotters.

Total Project Cost:

1 – Compass Marine Mounting Plate = $58.75

4 – 316 SS Clamp Collars = $142.28 ($78.96 if using 303/304SS)

1 – Replacement Pedestal Guard = $184.52

TOTAL = HIGH RANGE $356.75

TOTAL = LOW RANGE $265.75

Cover Your Pedestal

I am continually amazed at the sheer number of sailors who don’t cover their pedestals when not in use. Any canvas maker can make you a pedestal cover that will literally pay for itself in reduced UV and water damage to your expensive pedestal and electronics. Compasses, pedestal paint & electronics are not immune to constant attack & exposure to the elements.

Pedestal covers prevent moisture ingress, limit UV damage and keep your gear out of sight, out of mind for thieves.

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The post Chart Plotter Mount For Edson Pedestals appeared first on Marine How To.

Nav Pod Installation Tips

Rod Collins — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 03:18:12 +0000

Heavy Duty Card Stock Templates

It occurred to me, after seeing a guy at the boat yard destroy a $200.00 + NavPod, that some may benefit from tricks I’ve learned on how to handle drilling and mounting instruments to them.

TIP: If they offer a pre-cut NavPod for your instrument BUY IT! Do not cheap out on this and try to cut it yourself, if it can be avoided. NavPods are made of a plastic and plastic is inherently finicky to drill and cut into especially when tolerances for instrument bezels need to be very precise. Here are some tips that will help.

Step #1 Print your template from the manufacturers web site being sure to have your printer NOT using the “scale to fit paper setting“. If your template is too big bring it to Staples or Kinko’s and have it photo copied onto heavy weight card stock. Always be sure measure the hole centers after you print out a template to double check the proper scaling and to ensure the proper template size.

Step #2 Use a heavy weight card stock for the template! I can not stress this enough it is very important that you use a heavy weight paper as it will not get twisted up in the drill, hole saw or jig saw.

Brad Point Drill Hits The X

Step #3 Center, align and securely tape your template, after trimming to size, to the face of the NavPod.

Step #4 Use only BRAD POINT DRILLS. Black & Decker “Bullet Point” drills, or similar, are not brad point drills and do not work nearly as well. Brad point drills have a very sharp center tip and also make very clean cuts at the outer edge of the hole. One tip to make the cut even smoother is to cut through the outer layer of NavPod with the drill running in reverse.

If you don’t have brad points please do yourself favor and buy them. Many instruments, such as some of the Garmin plotters, require VERY, VERY precise holes. A drill that wanders even a 1/32nd or 1/64th of an inch can make a real mess and potentially ruin a $300.00 pod. On Garmin 3200 series plotters you have 1/16 of an inch variance before you’ve ruined the NavPod..

Dirty Hole = Started In Forward

Step #5 Always start the drill and or the hole saw in reverse then switch to forward once through the surface skin and through the template. You’ll thank me for this tip when drilling through gelcoat as well.

This dirty hole is rough and tore the paper because the drill was started in forward..

Clean Hole = Started In Reverse

Here is the same diameter hole made using the same brad point bit only this time I started the cut with the drill in reverse direction not forward. You’ll notice that it did not even tear the paper. If it can make this clean of a cut in paper it will make a very, very clean cut in the surface of your NavPod or gelcoat or teak or what ever surface you decide need a hole in it.

Step#6 When using a hole saw pre-drill the arbor hole using a 1/4″ brad point drill first. This will ensure your hole is perfectly centered over the X on the template and that the instrument hole will line up with the mounting screw holes.Most all hole saw arbors use a 1/4″ bit whether it’s a Starrett or a Lennox but do confirm your hole saws arbor bit size first.

Step #7 When using a hole saw, like you’ll need for mounting Raymarine ST-60 type instruments, start in reverse then switch to forward. This will give a nice clean entry with no chipping of the plastic.

Step #8 Use the absolute slowest speed your tool will run. If the plastic begins to melt stop, let it cool, and then start again. I use my air compressor to blow the chips away as I cut and to keep it cool too. It took about 5 minutes to rig the set up so that it would automatically blow where I was cutting. If you have an air compressor this may be worth while. A simple 3.5″ hole may take as long as 15 minutes to cut while trying to prevent melting of the plastic. Patience is a virtue..

Accurate Bosch (Left) / Sloppy Ryobi (Right)

Step #9 When using a jig saw tape the entire face of the NavPod with blue tape to prevent marring of the surface. Also use a high quality jig saw such as a Bosch. While I’m as big a fan of inexpensive tools as anyone this is no place for a low grade jig saw.

I would not ever consider using my Ryobi (pictured on right) to perform this task as it is too far from accurate. Poor quality tools can make or break a project.

Bosch Clean Cut Blades

Step #10 Use the right blades for your jig saw. I use these Bosch “Clean Cut” blades and they make beautiful clean cuts and don’t even rip the paper template. If they can cut paper cleanly….

Protective Base vs. a Metal Scratch Prone Base

Here’s a photo of the non-mar base that comes with the Bosch jig saw. Even with this plastic cover I still tape what ever surface I’m cutting with blue easy release masking tape. I’ve had my Ryobi actually rip the tape but that has never happened with the plastic non-mar Bosch base..

The Finished Result

By using the right tools, for the right job, your finished result will work, look and perform as intended. Both of these pods required custom cutting and mounting.

Be patient, use the right tools and techniques and the project will go smoothly.

Good luck & happy boating!

The post Nav Pod Installation Tips appeared first on Marine How To.

Making a Cabinet With Teak Veneer

Rod Collins — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 03:17:39 +0000

The Old Stereo Enclosure

I had been meaning to address the issue of our boats stereo for a while and figured while doing the full Monty re-wire was as good a time as any.

The old stereo box bugged me because the PO (previous owner) had stained mahogany to match the teak. Most boat owners could live with this and never even notice, but the mismatch had me noticing it.

The major issue was the PO did not allow any room for air circulation in the old stereo enclosure. The stereo sat directly on the wood and scraped the edges as it slid in. It was so tight there was not even room for the face plate adapter which the stereo slides into.

To make a long story shorter the stereo would heat up, distort and eventually shut down due to over heating. Something needed to be done.

Begin The Cutting

After measurements were taken I chose the physical height I needed the enclosure to be, for air circulation, and then I ripped some 1/2″ marine grade Baltic birch plywood.

Because teak faced marine ply is soooo expensive, about $225.00-$275.00 per sheet, for 1/2″, I decided on a veneer.

My friend Tim was kind enough to drop off some extra-density veneer scraps he had kicking around.

Cut The Sides To Length

For the ripping part I cut them a little long then stacked the side and cut them together. I did this to be sure both sides were the exact same length. I could have used my saw stop, for repeatability, but it took less time to just stack them.

Clean Cuts For Veneer

When using any veneer you’ll want to use sharp blades in order to make clean cuts. I used a 40 tooth thin kerf Freud blade in my table saw, for expensive plywood though I sometimes rip with an 80 tooth. I used an 80 tooth Freud blade in my chop saw for cross cutting.

Dado The Sides, Glue & Brad Nail

The next step was to dado the edges where the sides and bottom met. I also used the dado blade to cut the front face so it to sat into the front not just on top of it. Once these cuts were made I glued and brad nailed the sides on.

For a small marine project like this I use 18GA stainless steel brad nails. These days stainless brad nails are available from places like Amazon but years ago you had to find a special woodworking supplier to get stainless brads. I use Bostich brand stainless brads. If you fill the nail head holes with wood flour or glue & sawdust you should be fine with even steel brad nails, especially under a veneer. I like the stainless brads because they never rust & bleed through in the moist marine environment.

The Face Plate

This is the face that the stereo will eventually sit into. I did not nail & glue it into the box until I had cut the opening for the stereo and confirmed the fit. I’d rather mess up before it has been glued and nailed to the enclosure because this would make starting over, due to a blunder, that much easier.

Mark The Centers

I marked the center of the face plate and then marked the center of the stereo case insert so I could align them for tracing. Once the outline was traced it was time to make the cut.

Cut The Face Plate Opening

To cut the opening in the face I was forced to use my Dremel Multi-Tool. Unfortunately my Fein Multi-Master was on a customers boat. Having back up tools is never a bad thing unless of course you get stuck with a POS tool like the Dremel multi-tool.. (grin)

In some instances, like this one, I really prefer an oscillating tool for precision work vs. a jig saw. For this task my Bosch jig saws base plate would not have even fit on the face plate without making it unstable. I often find I can do more accurate straight line cuts with an oscillating tool than I can with a jig saw. I use my Fein quite a lot and once you get used to it is a very versatile tool.

Test Fit The Face Plate & Stereo Adapter

Next I test fit the stereo’s metal mount into the box. From the original cut it did take a little bit of fine sanding with the oscillating tool before it slid in. With these DIN mounts there’s not much room for error. The front flange or lip is quite slim meaning any errors in cutting can result a do-over. These DIN boxes really need to fit almost perfectly.

Make Sure Everything Fits Perfectly Flush

Once the stereo case fit perfectly into the box I glued and brad nailed it to the rest of the enclosure. I then went to town with a long board and sand paper making all the surfaces perfectly flat for the veneer. The edge on the right is still a little proud in this photo, but I took it down flush with the rest of the box.

Apply The Veneer Glue

Tim dropped off a newer product I had not used before called Heat Lock. Heat Lock is a water based veneer glue that gets activated by the application of heat.. I rolled two coats onto both the veneer and the enclosure letting it dry about 20 minutes in-between coats.

After The Fist Coat of Veneer Glue

Here’s some veneer, and the enclosure, after the first coat of the Heat Lock glue.

Glue The Veneer To The Plywood

Once the second coat is dry you position the veneer, and orient the grain to your liking. You then use an iron, on high steam, to seal the veneer to the plywood. It really could not be any easier. After one use of Heat Lock I am a solid convert. I will likely never use contact cement, or wood glue, for veneer work again. I used to really dislike veneer work but Heat Lock makes it very easy.

Once the veneer and wood cooled I used my router and a bearing guided flush cut laminate bit to trim the edges. You’ll want to orient the veneers edges best for your situation. I had the sides over hang the bottom as no-one will be looking at the bottom and they will be seeing the sides.

Before Finishing

This is the finished stereo enclosure. I still need to do a final sanding, acetone wipe then varnish it to match the interior of the boat. The veneer Tim gave me is beautiful, quarter sawn, and quite thick. It was sourced from Boulter Plywood in Somerville, MA.

Wiring

For my wiring I wanted it neat and clean. I used adhesive lined heat shrink crimp connectors and nickel plated brass terminal strips from Blue Sea Systems. The speakers are all on the longer t-strip and the power & ground on the other to make it simple & neat.

The Finished Product

While not technically finished, because I will put a few more coats of varnish on, I wanted to complete the wiring and fitting first then I will sand and add a couple more coats. I’ve learned over the years that a coat or two in the shop is not a bad thing as it prevents handling stains from greasy fingers or some errant grease on a work bench that can mess up a beautiful piece of teak.

Over all the whole project took me about two hours to complete but it certainly looks a lot better than a plastic stereo housing like those sold at West Marine. This is an easy way to learn veneer work and an inexpensive enough project that you don’t go broke on teak veneer if you mess up.

A 2′ X 4′ sheet of quarter sawn teak veneer from Boulter Plywood runs about $33.00.

Good luck & happy boating!

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