Meet the new La Rea!

Liberty44140

LR my reverso is only oil on mains and genny, not connected to trannys

Yea given the volume of oil that little bit of dirty going back in doesn’t bother me, nothing online about it being a problem and you get a heck of a lot more than sucking it out. 

LaRea

I took a major step in my winter helm upgrade project:  bought an entire suite of Furuno navigation electronics!  

Black Friday sales don't normally cover high-end boat electronics, but CitiMarine (awesome marine supply store in Miami) had huge discounts on all of my big-ticket items.  On top of that, Furuno has a generous year-end rebate program. With these cost breaks, I was able to upgrade some items without busting the budget.  

Next step:  Demo Day.  Take some "before" pictures, then rip everything out and get busy.  

aero3113

Looking forward to seeing this project @LaRea !⚓️

LaRea

DEMO DAYYYYYYY!  I tore out about 16 miles of cables and wires, including about 10 ghost wires that weren't connected to anything at all.  Removed the satellite antenna too.  What an awesome day!  

aero3113

Very cool, and in the rain!

Liberty44140

Awesome! Great looking helm. So I must ask, did you or the admiral measure the 16 miles? 

captkevin

Amazing upgrade. Congrats

LaRea

Today I made a cardboard mock-up of the new helm pod.  It looks ... well, it looks like a big cardboard box!  But it helped me work out the geometry and the framing plan.  The big displays are surprisingly heavy and will need some hefty structure to hold them in place.  

The top is angled to keep the original sight line to the bow.  I'll finish it in matte black to minimize reflections.  I haven't decided how to finish the sides, so I'm open to suggestions.  There's no way to match the rest of the boat (Australian Myrtle), so I'll look for a contrasting finish.  The boat has some black accents so maybe a piano black lacquer, or a burl walnut with an almost-black stain. 

YYZRC

I would build it out of 1/2 plywood with 3/4” radius edges and finish it in black vinyl with some exposed stitching so that it looks like an automotive dashboard.

LaRea

Oooh, that's an interesting idea.  Too bad my favorite upholstery guy retired.  

Aqua_Aura

YYZRC said:

I would build it out of 1/2 plywood with 3/4” radius edges and finish it in black vinyl with some exposed stitching so that it looks like an automotive dashboard.

But it's a boat 😏. I do like those styles of boat panels or stained and varnished wood if it's more of a classic style boat like a Sabre. 

YYZRC

@larea check out a 46 Cantius helm. 

Rich_

Myrtle on Birch Plywood | Plyco

LaRea

@Rich_ -- they don't ship to the US.  They sell 4'x2' sheets, which would work if I could get them.  If I could find a US supplier for Aussie Myrtle, I'd buy some in a heartbeat.

Rich_

Maybe some company makes a wood vinyl wrap. Not the most ideal if it will be a big exposed area, but if it is just edges between screens it might work?

Rich_

Have you tried contacting Maritimo to see if they will ship a sheet to you as an owner?

LaRea

@Rich_ - No, Maritimo hasn't been much of a resource.  They are focused on selling new boats.  

Here's a small fraction of the zip ties that sacrificed their lives for this project.  I think the previous owners must have interned at Rinker! 



And here's a shot of the new hailer, spotlight and horn I installed last weekend.  The new horn is because the original sounds feeble and faces the stern.  The spotlight is a GoLight GT LED, which has a wireless remote for the helm plus a handheld remote.  

LaRea

I also tore out the stereo yesterday and found more major wiring sins.  For example, the four speakers in the bridge are wired with tiny, wimpy little 18-gauge wire!  

But here's the worst part: there was a dangerous feedback loop in the power wiring.  The amplifiers are powered by a separate 12-volt battery and charger, which is fine.  But they were also connected to a circuit from the house bank.  That means the stereo battery could feed current back to the house bank, which is definitely unsat.  



And the battery wasn't secured, and it was a starter instead of deep cycle, and the terminals were corroded and uncovered, and ... you get the picture.  I wish I could go back and slap the installer.  

Liberty44140

Looks like a decent fusion amp Whats up with the knots in the wires? Cant think that is ideal? Struggling to understand why the horn would face aft.

YYZRC

Horn facing aft would reduce water intrusion. 

It’s not Rinker wiring unless there are unsealed butt connectors, please. 

captkevin

That is quite the project you are taking on. Should be amazing once completed.

LaRea

Yeah, it has two nice Fusion amps, total 4250 watts.  It's ironic that the wiring is so terrible.  

@captkevin - it's intimidating and thrilling and more than a little scary.  If I didn't have the experience gained from that engine room refit on my Rinker a couple years ago, I would not have tried a project this big!  

LaRea

@YYZRC - your suggestion to finish the helm in stitched leather/vinyl is looking more and more attractive.  The time savings would be huge.  Instead of stain-grade finish cabinetry with 5 coats of poly, it's plywood with visible edges.  Sand it, seal it, and take it to the upholstery shop.  

YYZRC

Yup. Easy to build, not too expensive, and it will look awesome for years. 

LaRea

BTW I have over $5k of boat parts listed on eBay.  Discounts available to forum members.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ssn=rck1858 

Aqua_Aura

I sent you a message/question on eBay. 

Liberty44140

Wish that raymarine starter kit was available last spring when I was adding an antenna. Ended up buying pieces. Some nice deals there…

LaRea

And I wish I still had the N2K cables that I sold a few months ago when I was still planning to stay with Raymarine!  Coming soon:  Garmin 2kw radar, Volvo Penta engine monitors.  Also willing to sell my soul in exchange for a successful outcome of the helm refit! 

Liberty44140

Tuned in on the Volvo engine monitors 

LaRea

@Liberty44140 - I listed the engine displays.  Forum pricing available.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/155935554934

I replaced them with a 7" color display that serves both engines.  It was stupid expensive because it's a VP part, but these two 4" LCDs would have looked out-of-place with the rest of the equipment.