Gauges - group by function or by engine?
 

As I'm going through my virtual project (virtual, as it exists only in my head... being boatless and broke is starting to affect my mind, I think...), I'm at the point where I'm building a new dash with modern gauges.

So, would you group the gauges by function, ie oil temp together, water temp together, etc, or would you group them by engine?

How do the manufacturers group them? My last boat was a single, and I'm hoping my next will be twins. Just wondering if there is a general consensus on how it should be done...

I like function. That way I can look at guages and instead of looking what they are and were they are pointed I can just look and see that they are pointed in the same direction and I am good.

Jon

by function

i think i'll hafta agree with audio on this one because . . . well . . . . his opinion actually counts now that he has a working boat in the water :D . . .


hey as long as we're on the subject how do you feel about rotating the gauges so that when in operation the needls all point straight up. i have seen race cars set up like this so that all you need is a quick glance to know if anything is off . what do ya think :cool:

Glassdave I think we are all a little to vain to have our guages all over like that :D:D Porsche started that with the Tachs.

Jon

:D :D :D . . i dunno . . i'm a little to vain to blow up my chit, i want good engine info . . . :D . . .


by the way, my opinion carries a little less weight as of 8:00 pm this evining . . .i sold the day cruiser, so i have no working boat. dont pick up the new boat for atleast a week or two. :cool: :rolleyes:

my preference is by function

Without a doubt - By Function

RPM - RPM
Oil - Oil
Water - Water
etc.

Check out a military fighter's cockpit sometime. It's designed for a fast scan in a life or death environment! Think about it.

That's kind of what I was thinking - you need to be able to grab a quick look-see as you're bouncing across the waves. Is it pretty much SOP for the builders to group them by function? I'll have to take a closer look at the fall boat show next week...

Mine are grouped by engine. I know sometimes I'll grab a quick glance at them and think the oil pressure is the temp gauge and my heart is in my throat for a second. I agree, by function.

function.

I also agree that the best way to ensure nominal readings is to rotate the gauges so the needles point up. Looks really kooky though.

Another option is to use gauges with built-in warning lights. Gaffrig makes some.

FloScan (the fuel flow folks) used to offer as a catalog item some incredibly cool gauges. They were attractive and modern looking and were available in both black and white. They were all 2 in 1 gauges, with 110 degree sweep needles opposing each other in a standard 2 1/8" gauge (also offered bigger ones). They were available in either "single engine" (with temp/pressure in one, etc..) or "twin" (temp1/temp2, oil1/oil2). They also contained bright warning lights an internal alarm horns. The best part is that the alarm function was user-selectable for both HIGH alarm and LOW alarm for each gauge. Furthermore, the alarm function could be "suspended" by dropping current to the alarm circuit (this could be used to mute the alarm OR to tie the alarm function(s) to a relay that enabled the alarms AFTER the engione was up to temp OR after the throttles were advanced beyond a certain point (using an external microswitch). Custom printed gauge faces were available via special order, but there were a great many available as special order standards (with no printing charge).

These gauges were available for around $130 each. Those days are over. The gauges never became popular due to lack of advertising and no OEM contracts (the gauges were simply more money that the OEM's wanted to pay - FloScan claims they were selling at a break-even in hopes that volume would later reduce their costs, so they could not offer OEMs a better deal than Joe Shmo buying direct).

The gauges have not been in their catalogs for three years now. I asked them about the gauges at the Miami show, and the rep told me that the gauges were still available but were built to order by hand and that the price was around $300 each, less for quantity.

I designed (one of those "one of these days" kind of things) a new dash for my boat with gauges for a zillion functions using these 2-in-1's. Too cool, brother.

by function-

Baja usually groups theirs by engine (mine are)

function. :D