Clarion remote by ignition - I've seen it

[bergermaister]

Somewhere on the forums I've seen a Clarion remote mounted on the same plate as the ignition switch. I've been looking for a while this afternoon and can't find it. I'm thinking of moving mine there and using the old remote spot for my new ballast controls but I kind of want to see the finished product before I go cutting a big hole in my dash.

Whoever did this I recall it looked awesome - not sure how tight of a fit it is though... By eyeballing it, looks really tight.

Can anyone help me find it??

[bergermaister]

Nevermind - found it! Aquaholic is the dude.

[newty]

I have the hole saw for it if you need.
You still working on that thing?

BTW I love drilling holes in boats!

[bergermaister]

Yeah I've been distracted lately by sinking and fixing other boats... That day I was talking to you while out fishing with the kids a rivet popped loose in the floor of the little 12 ft aluminum creating a nice geyser and started taking on water pretty fast. Just got that fixed. The R/C boat will be in drydock for a while since I believe the radio gear is shot after going in the drink. Trying to get it all out of my system before I put the Moomba in the water.

Got my switch plate 70% done and decided I didn't like the originally planned location since I'd bump it with my arm every 2 minutes when I'm driving. So going to transplant it to where my driver stereo remote is and move the stereo remote over by the ignition. Plus that will make it easier for passengers to change songs, volume, etc. However it looks like I need to pull the steering wheel to make the cut.

One last big hole to drill but you'd probably be bored with that since it's above the water line!

[newty]

Might be too late but, this thread reminded me of a switch plate you can use from west marine. You can do as little as 2 switches, to as many as you want. Check the thread for details. Makes for a really nice finished install.

http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=777819

[bergermaister]

I've checked those out from West Marine but opted to go custom. I think I've seen parts of that guy's thread but not the whole thing. Man he has a ton of room in that engine compartment! Interesting how all the seats come completely out too. I don't have extra room on the dash anywhere so going to the side near the throttle for switches, but with room to grow or change in the back of my mind. I'll make sure to throw up some pictures and a writeup to show the madness behind the method, uh, method to the madness... I like the flexibility in making my own plate though and so far it has gone pretty smooth, just tough finding time to devote to it.

Then when you do, it's amazing how plans change once you test to see how things fit and get new ideas. If I have time tonight and it's not pouring rain I may pull the steering wheel and cut the new hole for the remote.

[cab13367]

If I have time tonight and it's not pouring rain I may pull the steering wheel and cut the new hole for the remote.

Berg,

Another option is to remove the switch plate then drill the hole in it if that's easier than removing the steering wheel. If it's anything like mine, it's really easy to remove. Just remove 4 nuts from behind it. I've had mine off several time now.

Al

[bergermaister]

I like the way you're thinking Al - I removed the switch plate and snapped off one of the mounting studs that will be in the way but I will still have to cut through some fiberglass under the switch plate. I need them to line up dead straight because the bracket on the back of the remote will be taking the place of the mounting stud that was there to hold one side down.

But of course by the time I got home other things got in the way and the rain returned...

[cab13367]

I like the way you're thinking Al - I removed the switch plate and snapped off one of the mounting studs that will be in the way but I will still have to cut through some fiberglass under the switch plate. I need them to line up dead straight because the bracket on the back of the remote will be taking the place of the mounting stud that was there to hold one side down.

But of course by the time I got home other things got in the way and the rain returned...

Gotcha. Mine is different in that there is no fiberglass behind it. Behind my panel is an opening the same shape as the panel except about a 1/2" smaller all the way around. Sounds like it's off with the steering wheel for you then!

[bergermaister]

Quick update - I finally got back in the boat for a little while last night, did a few more measurements, had a few beers, and pulled out the hole saw. I was a little worried at first but in the end I like it and should have put the remote here the first time!

Had to pull the wheel which was no big deal. The screws were actually a bit loose.


I made a paper template to make sure the clarion remote would fit and follow the lines of the plate, which it does quite well.


The fiberglass here was actually surprisingly thick.


I'm happy with the end result. The backing plate bracket for the remote actually holds the ignition switch plate to the fiberglass as well since I had to remove one of the mounting studs that held it before. Luckily I left myself enough slack to run the remote cable, power lead for the lights and ground over from the original location by the throttle without having to rewire anything.


My new ballast switch plate is going where the remote used to be and will cover the 3" hole there. Everything should be more accessible now with less chance of getting bumped and switches turned on, etc.

Now back to the ballast mods...!