Practical Boat Owner – May 2018

The two access holes were cut out
and the fl at, hinge-down lower door
section trimmed and fi tted to the lower
panel, and my existing instrument panel
hinged and fi tted into place above it.
All my displays were installed and all
cleared the coachroof as intended – a
benefi t of mocking up a rough template
right at the start of the process.
I worked out places for the engine stop
pull and winch handles on the side of the

console prior to

adding some wood

trim and the winch

handle mounts. For

these I used simple

plastic plumbing pipe clips –

an idea I got from PBO.

Strips of quarter round mahogany

helped to give a neat edge where the

console butts up against the

companionway bulkhead and coachroof,

and I fi xed various strips of varnished

wood on top and round the access

hatches to really fi nish it off.

It was quite a lot of effort for a one-off

but if you’ve got the time, it’s worth it. It’s

diffi cult for me to price because I already

had most of it, but I wouldn’t put the GRP

material costs at more than £80. This

instrument console would probably fi t

several other boats – so if anyone is

interested, I still have the mould.

Fitting the console

Practical Boat Owner t http://www.pbo.co.uk 75

BUILD AN INSTRUMENT CONSOLE

Washed off and ready to trim and fi t Console on the boat with all the displays fi tted

The completed

instrument

console with its

attractive wood

trim suits the

boat well

Completed

TOP TIP

Try and plan some

extra space on your

console for more

instruments – chances

are you’ll need it at

some point in the

future!