Ditto! exactly as stated above.

I did mine last year to incorporate a Garmin 740 gps and other gauges. I ended up getting water jet cut aluminum panels. I went with 1/4 inch thick aluminum. This was good and bad. Good because I had some thin sections around the
Garmin so it provided some additional strength, bad because the water jet tended to cut the thick material on a bevel instead of straight through so it took a little clean up on my part after the fact. The covering is the 3M stick on carbon fiber look vinyl. That was just too easy and looks good. The water jet panels were $130 and the carbon vinyl was about $50 with plenty left. Good luck.

Dan

Actually had the same experience, I wish you posted before I used them. They took 3 months to make them giving me every excuse from the broke them, lost them, had to re-design them, tornados wrecked their shop but then they were open again some how, family problems, etc after they orignially promised a 10 day turn around time.

Then they were just like you said, cheap, terrible looking, I got carbon fiber, or more like a piece of crap that was supposed to look like it. Then all of the print started peeling after 3 weeks on the boat.

Their customer service sucks, promised a new set of panels, never got them, promised money back, never got it.

Had to pay another shop to make real carbon fiber panels, 2X the amount but should have done it from the start!!!!

Sent template to ensure dash panel would be correct. First dash panel that was shipped was wrong. Second panel was so poorly packaged that it was broke in many pieces. Now they don't answer the phone and it has been over 2 months and still no dash panel. Please BEWARE!!!!!!

I can make you a panel if you still need one

A custom aluminum is the only way to go. Alum is easy to work with and powder coat. An electrical hole knock out tool works great in place of hole saws and they are are easy to work with. Alum can be cut with carbide blade wood tools also

1/8 or 3/16 aluminum would definetly be the cheapest way To go
http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant...=76&top_cat=60
Material in under 100 you can machine it yourself w hole saws and a router, cut to size with a table saw. Just easy to work with in general
I just re did my dash in carbon fiber and bought pre made pieces From these guys
http://www.dragonplate.com/
To save a little money and make my life easier I bought the smaller panels in 3/16 thick cf, and the large main panel i used a cf veneer and glued it to 1/4 lexan. I have pics on my iPad I can email, but don't know how to post from apple stuff