How to remove/replace VHF radio on MkII?

Breakin Away · December 24, 2016, 08:29:35 PM

Hi all, Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to all of you. The timing of this message has more to do with my free time (off from work) than any urgency, so please don't interrupt your holiday time to respond immediately. It can wait.

This winter I would like to replace my outdated non-DSC VHF radio. I have a very nice GX2150 VHF/DSC/AIS receiver that I brought over from my previous boat. But when I look at my current radio, I don't even know where to start to remove it. You can see in the attached pic that it's installed in the fiberglass liner beneath the electrical panel at the nav station.

Do I go in through the electrical panel from above? (There's a shelf that's in the way - I couldn't see whether it's removable.) Do I somehow remove the nav table and try to get there from below? (All the surrounding fiberglass seems to be one piece.)

I know that someone figured out how to install it in the first place, so there must be a way. I'm hoping one of you has done the job before and can give me some hints.

Noah · December 24, 2016, 10:32:15 PM

Maybe it is just a pressed fit or caulked into the hole in the bulkhead? Have you tried just prying under the bezel? The VHF may pop right out?

Breakin Away · December 25, 2016, 05:28:32 AM

Good idea. I know that Standard Horizon sells flush mount brackets that are screwed in from behind, but maybe they didn't use them. I'll try gently prying it out.

Roc · December 25, 2016, 12:12:19 PM

Merry Christmas!!! If you crawl into the louvered hanging locker at the nav station, you can peek your head inside and get a view of the other side of that fiberglass section. It helps if you unscrew the frame, which will let you take the frame along with the door out, to give you a bigger opening to crawl your torso into. That's the only way to view the other side of that part.

Stu Jackson · December 25, 2016, 01:26:03 PM

Good ideas, Roc. That's why part of my tool kit are an assortment of different sized mirrors. Great for getting into those hard to see places. Cameras are also a useful tool.

Roc · December 25, 2016, 04:06:41 PM

Obviously, torso size can be an issue in getting in enough to get your eyes in far, but yes mirrors help. However, you do need to get at least one hand in there to do anything.... one handed as always on a boat . I can squirm in far enough which I've done many times to access that area. If you've seen later models MKII's, Catalina changed that area with a removable teak panel that you can unscrew from the front. In seeing this in boat shows in the mid-2000's, I did the same to my nav station area. I cut out that area and made a teak panel to fit. I now have easy access.

KWKloeber · December 26, 2016, 05:09:32 PM

Download the instructions and see how it's likely mounted? Maybe there's a trick to the bracket, like a stereo bracket/faceplate?

Breakin Away · December 26, 2016, 05:48:31 PM

Quote from: KWKloeber on December 26, 2016, 05:09:32 PM
Download the instructions and see how it's likely mounted? Maybe there's a trick to the bracket, like a stereo bracket/faceplate?

There is no trick to the bracket. The included flush mount brackets, if they are used, screw in from the sides to prevent the radio from coming out. There is no faceplate, because the radio's face is larger than the body, so it's basically a built-in faceplate.

I'll have to re-check, but my locker aft of nav station is cedar lined, and I thought the forward cedar panel blocked access to that back area. So I would likely have to remove the cedar lining. Even if I can get to it, there's a stereo mounted right next to the VHF which prevents access to the aft side of the radio's bracket, so I'd have to remove the stereo to get to the VHF bracket, and that still does not solve the problem of how to get to the forward side of the radio. It gets messy real fast. My best hope is that the original installer bypassed this mess by just pressing the radio into the hole and maybe adhering it with caulk. Otherwise, it becomes a real hassle to rip out something that's basically working OK.

I just realized that this radio does have DSC, so I'll have to go check whether it's interfaced with GPS/chartplotter and whether the MMSI has been programmed. The radio allows changing the MMSI once, so I'll also have to figure out whether that's an option or I need to contact on of the previous owners to ask them to transfer their MMSI to me (if they even know how to do that).

tonywright · December 27, 2016, 02:54:35 PM

In your photo, you have a piece of teak trim on the right side of the white panel. I can see a screw at the base of this trim. Have you tried removing the trim left and right to see if the panel just slides out? (pull it toward you using the front of the VHF/stereo). This is what the wood panel does on the 2003 model. If this was not removable as built by the factory in 2001, maybe the installer made it so? Usually VHF units are fastened from the rear of the cutout.

Breakin Away · December 28, 2016, 09:11:10 AM

Thanks for all the advice. I may have never tried just pulling out the radio if I hadn't seen the suggestion here.

I went down to the boat yesterday and tried pulling on the radio and it wouldn't budge at first. Then I tried pulling on the adjacent stereo, and it came right out. I figured that if they didn't go behind the bulkhead for the radio, they probably didn't for the VHF either. So I reached under the radio bezel and felt around (couldn't see down there, and camera could not focus that close), and it seemed like there was some caulk down there. So I went at it with a putty knife to break the seal and gently start prying. After some effort, the combination of black adhesive pad and clear silicone caulk released all around the radio and it came out. (see pics below) I haven't pulled it all the way out because I want to understand the wiring first. But it looks like this project will be a lot easier than had I feared. I may have some additional questions about completing the install (RAM mic compatibility between different generations of radio, etc.) but I will start a new thread if/when I've exhausted other sources of info first.

Quote from: tonywright on December 27, 2016, 02:54:35 PM
In your photo, you have a piece of teak trim on the right side of the white panel. I can see a screw at the base of this trim. Have you tried removing the trim left and right to see if the panel just slides out? (pull it toward you using the front of the VHF/stereo). This is what the wood panel does on the 2003 model. If this was not removable as built by the factory in 2001, maybe the installer made it so?...

That is what I originally hoped to do, but close inspection showed that the fiberglass bulkhead there is part of one very large molded piece including the adjacent closet to aft, which extends all the way down to the floor under the nav station and also wraps around to the front of the closet. So if yours is removable, it was either a design change or a cut in the fiberglass was made by the installer.

KWKloeber · December 28, 2016, 10:53:24 AM

Your stereo mount may differ but typically it locks into the bracket that looks to be remaining in the panel. You remove the faceplate,and slide tools into each side that simultaneously unlocks the lock-in tabs on each side. The tools look like a small flat sheet metal key about an inch long. But YMMD, the lock tabs may have been disabled.

http://tinyurl.com/jl92f7u

tonywright · December 28, 2016, 01:07:41 PM

Roc clearly had it right! A design change on later model Mk IIs. I have had that panel out numerous times, when replacing/adding wiring, adding a tank monitor, etc. I would recommend the mod he made. The access makes everything much easier.

Tony

Breakin Away · December 28, 2016, 06:36:30 PM

One quick question to get me going on my replacement:

I need to enlarge the hole for the GX2150 radio. I've managed to avoid cutting fiberglass for many years, so I know little about how to do it. What is the best tool? Manual coping saw? (I have one, but it may be too wide to fit.) HarborFreight electric Multi-tool? (Just bought one under Ken's direction, but have never used it.) Sawzall reciprocating saw? (Don't have one, and think they're scary looking suckers.) Something else?

KWKloeber · December 28, 2016, 07:54:01 PM

It kinda depends on whether cutting a straight or curved line and how much room one has to work.
A roto-zip (or equivalent) works really great, as does a 1/8" rotozip carbide bit in a Dremel.

Also a saber saw or a B&D VersaPak recip saw are my old go-tos (w/ a metal blade as FG is really tough on blades). A harbor freight Body Saw would work as well.

With the Dremel you need to have a steady hand to make a long straight cut.

A hacksaw blade in a Stanley Multi Saw handle also works (cheaply) for short straight cuts.

Roc · December 31, 2016, 06:33:46 AM

For straight lines, a multi tool is probably the best and least messy (messy meaning when you cut fiberglass, it creates a ton of dust if you use a jig saw or a cutting blade that moves extensively. A multi tool vibrates and cuts down on the dust. When you cut a rectangular opening, don't cut the corners as sharp angles. The point is a stress point that can propagate a crack. First use a drill and make 4 holes in each corner, so they are "rounded". Use a large bit to create a soft curve in the corners.

About getting into the nav closet and the cedar panels, you definitely would have to take the panel out. This opens up the space to access behind the wall where your radios are mounted. Before re-installing the panel, you can re-configure it so the next time you need access, you don't need to pull it out. Also, you may need to take off the frame and door of the nav closet to get the cedar panel out.