Drilling a hole in top of upholsterd R series dash

[sailor55330]

So, since we are not boating right now, I've decided I'm going to permanently mount my Simrad. I used a Ram mount last year and frankly, hated the look---way to big and bulky. The only place to really put it is on the top of the dash (and I don't like it there either) near the windshield support, but that will involve at least 3 holes. Two mounting bolts and one hole for the wire (and the wire hole is probably the largest). I've tried to position it in just about every place possible.

Has anyone punched a hole through the textured dash? I'm pretty nervous about it---I have visions in my head of the dash ripping and unraveling. Someone in the marine industry advised to just go slow with a drill bit in reverse to keep it from cracking, which I get, but not sure if that will stop the bit from catching the dash covering.

Any tips, thoughts, or tricks?

Thanks in advance...really not looking forward to this.

[akorcovelos]

I wouldn’t do it. Chart plotters are like computers, in a few years it’s going to look dated and not support newer tech. The odds of finding a new replacement that at least covers the old mounting holes is a crap shoot. That’s why I never mounted my Lowrance and opted for the window mount. Might not look factory but it’s in a functional spot I can see easily, and if I upgrade I remove the old one and you never knew it was there. We all know fixing or replacing the dash on these boats isn’t an easy task.

[Big Block Power]

No way Jose!! I won't buy it anymore

[jhnmdahl]

I cut an "X" in the upholstery and peeled it back slightly before drilling mounting holes for bolts for my mount. I ended up running the wire up to the edge of the dash after unscrewing it from the fiberglass/windshield assembly a bit, but also considered doing a water-resistant marine cable grommet something like: https://www.defender.com/product3.jsp?n ... 6&id=28613

I decided the bulk of the grommet would look worse than simply having the wire run across the dash behind the mount, so opted not to in the end.

See the second page of this thread for pics of my install: viewtopic.php?f=21&t=176&start=15

[BobRae99]

So, since we are not boating right now, I've decided I'm going to permanently mount my Simrad. I used a Ram mount last year and frankly, hated the look---way to big and bulky. The only place to really put it is on the top of the dash (and I don't like it there either) near the windshield support, but that will involve at least 3 holes. Two mounting bolts and one hole for the wire (and the wire hole is probably the largest). I've tried to position it in just about every place possible.

Has anyone punched a hole through the textured dash? I'm pretty nervous about it---I have visions in my head of the dash ripping and unraveling. Someone in the marine industry advised to just go slow with a drill bit in reverse to keep it from cracking, which I get, but not sure if that will stop the bit from catching the dash covering.

Any tips, thoughts, or tricks?

Thanks in advance...really not looking forward to this.

What year is your boat? Do you plan to keep it long term?