Navpod alternative or repair

[pbyrne]

During the process of installing a Vesper Marine Cortex VHF/AIS, I've removed the old RAM mic connector, and cigarette accesory plug to free up some room on the top instrument Navpod.  It looks awful with the holes and screw holes and I can't cover them up properly with the Vesper mount and hand set.

I'd like to replace the top Navpod with something that will take the instruments, and isn't frustrating to open and close.  The Navpod screws (whatever they are) are dumb, and the gasket is mind explodingly annoying to work with to put back at the same time you're trying to close things up.

I looked at Navpod for a possible replacement and the $$$ is also mind blowing for a piece of fiberglass. 

Any other companies out there, or ideas on how to seal up holes in an attractive way so it's not such an eye sore?

[robbjd]

I recently upgraded my Raymarine instruments and the cutouts for the old instruments didn't work for the new instruments on our NavPod. I had Abbott boats make a new face plate out of 1/4" King Starboard, and the new instruments look great. I'll post a picture of the new set up when I get back to the boat. I agree with you on the NavPod quirks. Beware of over tightening the bolts as I had one pull through the fiberglass. A Starboard patch would be a quick and easy way to cover the holes.

[pbyrne]

I recently upgraded my Raymarine instruments and the cutouts for the old instruments didn't work for the new instruments on our NavPod. I had Abbott boats make a new face plate out of 1/4" King Starboard, and the new instruments look great. I'll post a picture of the new set up when I get back to the boat. I agree with you on the NavPod quirks. Beware of over tightening the bolts as I had one pull through the fiberglass. A Starboard patch would be a quick and easy way to cover the holes.

That seems like a good option.  May I ask how much that cost?

[waughoo]

I used pvc cement to glue in pieces to fill areas of my nav pod when I revamped my instruments.  The hard part was making the shapes close enough to get it to fit tightly, but other than that, it worked quite swimmingly.

The starboard is also a great option.  It is frankly VERY easy to work with and available at many boat stores and plastic shops.  It cuts with common wood tools.  For your application, this might be the simplest solution.

[Noah]

 Cover the entire face of the Navod with 1/4 starboard material (through bolted withe #6 counter sunk machine screws) then recut the holes for your current equipment. Router round outside edge a bit if you like.  It is pretty easy to cut and sand. Gluing can be an issue. Bed it with Sikaflex or butyl.  See below how I did mine to "correct " for my new 12 in. MDF that was a different aspect ratio than original unit.

[Wurlitzer1614]

After looking at Navpod prices, I opted to design something custom for our Vulcan 7. It allows easy access to the cables and the entire Vulcan unit can be removed without tools in seconds for safe storage. As a bonus, it gave me a place to add much-needed cupholders for all five of us. A local sheet metal company manufactured the two SS brackets for me ($50ea). Aside from hardware, the rest of the material is Starboard from the scrap bin at work. If your electronics don't require a sealed enclosure on the back side, something like this is fairly simple and could be made with router templates if you don't have access to a CNC router.