Flybridge panel

[coolair]

whats the general consensus on material and design to replace the plywood panel on the fly bridge under the helm?
Was thinking either something like starboard or using a thin sheet of core material and covering with fiberglass.

[Tony Meola]

Plywood is easy to work with, not that big of a piece so weight is not an issue. No real rot issues up on the bridge.

But if I was doing it I would go with Coosa, Penske board or something like that. You might be able to glass the back side and edges and formica the face of it to make it easy, or get a fiberglass skin and glue it to it.

[DanielM]

Matt, if you decide to go with coosa don’t buy a full sheet for that. I may have a left over piece in my shop that would probably be about that size I could give you. I’ll look around the shop tomorrow and see what I may have.

[Yannis]

Matt,

Mine is a thin (2-3mm) plastic like surface, that looks like carbon fiber.
It’s cracked all around the screws that keep it in place, but I assume that it would have looked nice and sporty when it was new...hmmm, say, some decades ago.

[Donmystic1]

I have a used panel from a 28 Bertram
Pm me for pictures

[Craig Mac]

I am in process of redoing my panel as well-----original was 5/8 plywood covered in Formica-----lasted 43 years --can't complain.

Wanted to use a piano or soss hinge for the doors instead of a butt hinge---will probably need to go to 3/4.

[DanielM]

Matt, I have a few scrap drops from my last coosa project that would be big enough to work for you. ¾”. Yours if you can use them. I’m thinking plywood would be fine for what you’re doing as well. But if you want to see what Coosa board is like to work with, these are just gathering dust at my place.

My shop is about a ¼ mile from that guy in Brazoria county that had the North Coast boat with the Cummins engines on pallets you looked at awhile back. I make it up to Harris county every now and then as well.

[coolair]

Thank you for info. Thanks Danny.
I talked with the guys at the local fiberglass supply and they recommend i try a light weight foam core because its not structural. Couple layers of mat on each side and it should be good. the sheet is cheap enough so.. we will see how it turns out.

[HyenaLuv]

If you could use it, I have a gauge panel off a 28 at my house. In Houston.

When I re-did mine, I used some sort of starboard knock off junk.

If I were to do it again, I'd go with marine ply with a nice veneer. Stain it to match the rest of the wood. Go for an old school classic look.

[Craig Mac]

I was under the bridge this weekend and noted the wiring harness has a lot of mold----is there anything I could spray down with that won't be harmful to the

wiring?

[Tony Meola]

As in black mold or is it green? I assume you mean on the wire casing and not the connections.

If it is truly mold, I would first wash it with a good detergent and if that did not work, then I would try a 5% bleach to water solution.

[Craig Mac]

Yes--black mold on the plastic casing.

[Mark]

You could also try Hydrogen Peroxide or Benefect Decon 30. Bleach could make the wiring brittle depending on the age of the wiring.

Peroxide will take a little work meaning brush it on and keep applying until it stops bubbling and the brush/wipe off.

The Benefect Decon 30 you just spray on. You can wipe off or leave it. Up to you. I used the regular Benefect to disinfect or walls after a bad mold issue during the rebuild of our house. Many restoration companies use it. Oh...it also kills Covid-19. The difference between the Benefect Original Disinfectant and Benefect Decon 30 is that the Decon 30 has an added surfactant to help with cleaning and use on vertical surfaces. I think the Decon 30 has a little less thymol in it though. I have no affiliation with the company. Might be hard to find now, though. Usually Amazon has it or janitorial supply companies.

Mark

[Tony Meola]

Mark

I never heard of Benefect Decon 30 but I just came across a product called Anti3. That is the website also. Hospital grade cleaner disinfectant, that kills mold. They do not ship to all states.

[Mark]

Tony,

Benefect is also hospital grade. I originally saw it being used at HSS in NY several years ago. I know insurance professionals use it for clean up including drug and blood related cleanups. And it is all plant based. You can spray the disinfectant on your counters and let it dry. No need to wipe off or rinse. Once dry, ok for food contact. Website below. No reason why it can't be used on a boat that I can see.

Anti3 looks like a good product but its active ingredient seems to be ammonium chloride.

https://benefect.com/us

Mark