I am into a restoration project for a 1999, 38ft Scarab, twin 502 magnums and its time to make some decisions for the instruments and controls.

What is the forum consensus for going to a digital vessel-view type system [retrofitting the instrument cluster panel], -OR- staying with analog (trustworthy) gauges and keeping it simple.

Would i be missing out on better controls and on-board diagnostics by NOT going digital ?

Is there end devices that must be changed when installing a digital system ?

An important question for forum members that have made this sort of change is what costs would I be looking at and how far to go I go with the upgrade ?

I typically try to keep things original, and simple, however if there is overwhelming benefits to going digital I would like to know.

I do not have the level of experience [with monitoring systems] to make these sort of decisions and reply upon the vast experiences of forum members that have been there done that.

Whatever info i can get from this forum, what to do and what NOT to do would be very much appreciated.

Thank you.

I removed all my analog gauges for a simrad GO9, except for a boost gauge. But my motor is smartcraft capable, so all I had to do is run one smartcraft cable from the engine the helm. When I priced it out it was cheaper to do this, the analog gauges are not cheap once they add up, plus I also got navigation, chart plotter, and a bunch of other stuff I don’t use with the simrad, radar capability etc.

i may add a couple small analog gauges to have best of both worlds, but having all the motor data accessible with one device I think can’t be beat.

Depending on how much time and money you want to commit you have plenty of options. My set up is a sort of hybrid one. I'm working with a tiny dash for an old Cigarette 28 Standard. I wanted to integrate a full function GPS unit without it looking like an add on so I went with a Simrad NSS9 to display all other gauges except the speedo and tach. I have a Simard IS35 to act as a backup instrument display and fluxgate compass display. There are manual oil pressure, fuel pressure and coolant temp gauges on the engine for backup.

For non-digital engines there are converters on the market to analog sender signals to NMEA2000 or other standard digital signals that can be used by most modern full function GPS units. The one I'm going with is called "Noland CANbus Engine Data Converter". It can convert all engine data plus tank levels and trim levels to digital signals.

70open28, who did the side switch panel? Very nice!

Livorsi Marine. I had them do it to match the carbon fiber faces on the tach and speedo.

before i comment on the other portion of this thread, I too am curious about the panel bezels you had made

This is excellent info for me, it gives me new direction on making the changes to my gauge cluster once i figure out what I need and how i want to arrange it

the availability of bezels like this is a game changer for me, are there many companies that can make these ?

am I being tacky by asking how much was the cost for that small bezel you had made ?

Getwet, this is what i was looking to hear from others, I searched pricing and actually looked at these a few months ago while continually planning for upgrades for this boat.

The analogue gauges are expensive and I plan to leave the basic analogue gauges mounted to ensure i can read, oil, water, fuel, elec, etc... in the event I lost smart controls.

Otherwise a 1,000.oo average cost system would suit me fine, capturing everything from engine stats, to gps chart-plotter, depth, an on.

70, so you left the speed and tach as well ?

You also chose SIMRAD same as GetWet

I think I have some direction with this info and can get focused on a new smart system, leave the basic gauges in place as stand-by and enjoy the new technology making multiple functions available all on one screen.

I have also been worried I am taking away from the nostalgic value of the boat, but I think the technology outweighs the nostalgia

I dont feel a bit of updating and taking advantage of current tech will diminish the value of your boat. Do it so it flows well and looks nice will only increase value of the boat. Of course workmanship has to be of a high level or any improvement will be negated. As these boats get older this question is going to come up more often. Whats nice about these boats is they can be changed either updated or restored to any degree there is no right or wrong, it only takes $.

Upgrading/redesigning an instrument cluster can be agonizing. Whether or not to maintain originality or go with new technologies, there's a lot to think about. I think the highest priority is for functionality and reliability. I originally planned to go with all analog gauges and a GPS unit in the center but as I drew up the options it was clear the dash was going to be very cluttered. That's when I looked into using the GPS display panel for most of the engine monitoring and the trim display, I have digital trim senders on the tabs and drive. Going digital allowed a cleaner set up and opened lots of display options. I can also control my audio system (Fusion Audio) from the GPS unit. But as I stated before, I do have manual gauges (Marshall gauges) directly on the engine for reference.

As for the switch panel, it was not cheap. Livorsi's custom work is very expensive but top notch. My panel was $450. I could have gone for a cheaper solution, there are several custom panel sites, but I wanted the panel to match the face of the LIvorsi gauges.