I’m planning my electronics install and would like to make some changes to my center console to accomodate a larger GPS. As you can see in the photo below, the compass is built into the console. I’d like to remove the compass, remove the base for the compass and finish it flush like the rest of the console.
Is this feasable? Is it a large project? Can someone make that look seamless and how much would you expect to pay someone to do this?
Me personally, I would squeeze as big a unit as possible in the space you have. Very poor design on the part of scout on not having enough open realestate on the helm. Just another case of trying to make it look prettier than it needs to be.
Done a lot of fiberglass work and that’s not a easy fix, not impossible, just not a simple job. Possibly you could just cut out the compass base protrusion and incorporate that cutout into the larger cut out for the new gps unit, assuming a flush mount installation. One would only have to deal with the very top edge of the compass base then, mounting it as high as possible would make less of the compass base cutout to deal with also.
Yeah Hairball, the console layout is the only thing I don’t like about the boat so far. I’m not sure what they were thinking. I’ve printed a bunch of GPS/Chartplotter templates and tried to arrainge them on this console and nothing really works well. Removing that compass mount will allow me to mount the electronics higher, moving them away from the wheel when tilted up. When the wheel is tilted down, I have a clear view of the entire console. Not only that but the switches are mounted backwards in many cases. For example the fresh/raw water hose comes out the port side of the console but the on/off switch for the pump is on the starboard side. The horn switch (red button above) is on the starboard side but the boat is operated from the port side. Same with the livewell, it’s on the port side, but the pump switches are on the starboard side. Not huge issues but I wish they would’ve thought a little more about all of this. I also wish they would’ve gone with more of a sailfish layout of the console, where you have that large blank area up top for electronics and the engine monitors down on the bottom. Other than that, I LOVE the boat and it’s perfect for my needs.
