This dash can't be stock. What to do? ('67 18' Classic)

[usm34me]

The wood dash appears to be mahogany. One observer suggested that the gauges may be Teleflex. Has anyone seen a vintage Donzi with such an arrangement? I'm thinking that we just refinish/varnish the wood and be done with it, rather then attempting to take her back to "stock." Opinions?

http://www.pbase.com/usm34me/image/47499307/medium.jpg

The engine water temp gauge is out-of-commission. In a brief net search, I'm not finding a gauge to match this set. I'd just as soon not replace all seven gauges just to have all match. Can anyone identify the mfg and model of this gauge and direct me to a source to purchase a replacement?

http://www.pbase.com/usm34me/image/47499269/medium.jpg

Thanks,

[donzi182003]

I would definitely leave it like that. That wood varnished or coated in teak oil would look awesome. I would replace those guages though with updated Livorsi's. Thats just my style. I bought a 2003 only so I could get the MONSTER GUAGES. Thats just my personal taste. Nice boat and good luck.

Ed

[usm34me]

I would definitely leave it like that. That wood varnished or coated in teak oil would look awesome. I would replace those guages though with updated Livorsi's. Thats just my style. I bought a 2003 only so I could get the MONSTER GUAGES. Thats just my personal taste. Nice boat and good luck.

Ed

Ed, good point on the oil.... that wood could very easily be teak!
We'll just have to see about those monster gauges :smileybo::shocking:

[MOP]

I am with you do a re finish, the gauges appear to be stock Tele the same that Merc uses. Not sure how much work you might be into but the bezels are brass and look great polished, I will try to shot a photo of one done locally.

Phil

[Formula Jr]

For a closer view

http://www.pbase.com/usm34me/image/47499269

For a much closer view click on original lower right hand.

Nice Humor section by the way!!!!!

[mattyboy]

I saw an 18 with a dash plate like that one, not wood but still cool , and a cig with a mahogany dash plate, with some tlc you can get that one to look great

http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=6391

http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3650

[Mr X]

Well......... since you asked......sorry but I think it looks like a sailboat :(

I would pull it off and re-finish the gel-coat underneeth.

[Formula Jr]

Under that dash, I would imagine that he has a wide, flat, bucket shaped cut out to match the dashes of that era.

I think it looks cool. And will look better with some teak oil. :)

[Just Say N20]

The gauges are Medallion. In the bottom center of each gauge is a highly stylized "M."

[Cuda]

I thought those looked like Medallions. I might have a Medallion temp gauge. I had a whole set I took out of my 1981 Formula. I don't know if I got rid of them or not. I'll check.

[YoAnthony]

Lou,

Is the gauge pegged without power applied, with the key off?

The resistance of the temperature sender in the block lowers proportionally to the heating of the engine making the gauge needle move toward hot. So, a shorted sender or the sender wire shorted to ground anywhere between the sender and the gauge you will get the condition shown in your picture "pegged meter".

If there is no power to the gauge and it is still pegged, the gauge itself is probably bad.

Good luck,
Anthony

[rustnrot]

Get rid of the wood. And I like mahogany boats as much as anyone :). It looks rotary cut to me which says it is plywood. And I doubt you can get those stains out. Either go with an aluminum CNC'd plate like on Scott Pearson's boat or redo the dash and gel.

[Formula Jr]

Lou, I've had great luck with these guys in California,

http://boatrecycling.com/

They'll need an email pic of the guage and the diameter.

Very easy to deal with. And fast shipping.

Good luck.

PS, like the prior post, I also thought the pegged high condition a little suspicious. Take it out and tap the lead C (-) and the S lead (+) with a 9 volt battery and see if it swings back and forth. But it must return to the left peg each time without power to know if the spring tension is still there. There should be four leads to the gauge, two are just for the light. I don't know of any water temp guages that were tensioned high and then spun to low with voltage. But stranger things have happened. It may have been wired up wrong in the first place.

[usm34me]

Thanks for the input. I'll see about a fix first and then pursue a replacement as may be needed.

[Formula Jr]

Lou, I'll have to change my opinion about the dash.
You have one of the very rare triple hatch 18's.

http://www.pbase.com/usm34me/image/47464228


This is worth restoring back to the original dash, professionally, and would add value to the boat. Is the keel at the transom a sharp V or is it radiused, ie, rounded?
Don't want to confuse you, but your's IS a collector boat. And we'll need more info as to its state of originality. Either way, you scored, big time, finding that boat. The sharp keel, full strake bottom on the early 18's was probably Don Aronow's first real design decision.

Also, you are about 5 miles north of another member here, Blewbyu. He runs an X-18 on Lake Wash.

[olredalert]

-------I believe the Rayson Craft in "other boats section" has the style of guage package you probably need. Maybe some sort of horse-trading could be done. While the guages are probably original to the Rayson as it was Holman-Moody outfitted they are not nearly so important to that boat as to yours. I cant quite see what guages are in his panel but the shape is definetly correct! Makes one wonder if DONZI sourced that guage panel from H-M or if they both sourced the panels from the same vendor.............Bill S

[Cuda]

I looked for that temp gauge yesterday. I KNOW I had one just like that. I couldn't find it in the garage, but that doesn't mean it's not there. I'll have Debbie search, if she can't find it, I must have given it away. I had a whole set, and they all worked.

[Formula Jr]

The orginal dash looked something like this:

http://www.donzi.net/hull/C18-225/dashgauges.jpg

[usm34me]

Lou, I'll have to change my opinion about the dash.
You have one of the very rare triple hatch 18's. This is worth restoring back to the original dash, professionally, and would add value to the boat. Is the keel at the transom a sharp V or is it radiused, ie, rounded?
Don't want to confuse you, but your's IS a collector boat. And we'll need more info as to its state of originality. Either way, you scored, big time, finding that boat. The sharp keel, full strake bottom on the early 18's was probably Don Aronow's first real design decision. Also, you are about 5 miles north of another member here, Blewbyu. He runs an X-18 on Lake Wash.

http://www.pbase.com/usm34me/image/47464228/medium.jpg

Formula Jr, I'm thinking that the hull has been bastardized to the point that a restoration isn't economically feasible.... for us, anyway. The hull, deck and pan have been painted black (it's rough) over the original red. The gas tank is now plastic. Don't know yet how many holes in the fiberglass exist behind the wood dash. The 351 is overheating and just blew an exhaust hose. $$$$ For now, we'd like to get what we have in safe, running order and I don't see us making any additional non-stock alterations from it's current state. BTW, Blewbyu has been over to see the boat and I've seen his. Huge difference in condition. I wonder if he'd trade :rolleyes:.

[usm34me]

I looked for that temp gauge yesterday. I KNOW I had one just like that. I couldn't find it in the garage, but that doesn't mean it's not there. I'll have Debbie search, if she can't find it, I must have given it away. I had a whole set, and they all worked.

Cuda, I'll play around with the gauge this weekend and see what's up. I may need you... or Debbie, yet.

Thanks!

[Formula Jr]

Oh,
well then heck, go for the trim tabs also!

Your original thread on over heating got lost in the board crash. There's about a zillion ways a boat can over heat. So that would need its own thread under donzi performance. MOP will have it figured out in about 1/2 a second.
Glad you met up with Jeff. Great Guy!

And hey! Welcome to the PNW/CAN Donzi Gang! Which is up to about 14 boats now!