Switch Panels

Trey

New Member
Oct 14, 2019
3
Boat Info
Sea Ray 280
Engines
4.3
We have been looking to purchase a 280 or up to 320 and have heard horror stories about the cost to fix the switch panels at the helm station. How reliable are these? Do they often fail and are there any cheap fixes? What do I look for when purchasing boat, or do I just try all the switches and hope for the best?
Thanks all for any advice
 
Anytime you put computers in a wet ,damp. enviornment ,that stuff happens. Not to mention the drive-by-wire systems going out of whack. Hard wired switches have worked so well for so long and even when soaked they work. Try soaking the EIM and see how long it works..
EIM`s are expensive to replace not to mention the switch membrane panels but it is possible to hard wire everything back .
 
One of the reason these systems fail is naïve owners leave the canvas open when not at their boat and the dash and other electrical components get soaked. Keeping the electrical components dry will go a long way to avoiding problems.
 
In many cases is not a switch but control box what fails. Some of them are no longer available. You can order replacement thru Sea Ray dealer, which comes from Italy and cost around $1000. Those are about 2 times larger than original controller.
 
Most of the p
We have been looking to purchase a 280 or up to 320 and have heard horror stories about the cost to fix the switch panels at the helm station. How reliable are these? Do they often fail and are there any cheap fixes? What do I look for when purchasing boat, or do I just try all the switches and hope for the best?
Thanks all for any advice
roblems I have encountered are relatively simple to fix. It's finding the actual problem that's the trick. Faulty grounds and corision in wiring being the big issues in my part of the country. Find you a decent guy that can chase a wire or two and things will be at least reasonable. My guy charges $100 @ hr and he has chased down what I just gave up on.
 
Thanks for the replies and suggestions, one other question, when did Sea Ray start replacing traditional switches with the membrane type switches?
 
In the interest of maintaining some level of context....fixing those fancy membranes is on par with the cost to fill up the ole gas tanks. If you're potentially basing a boat purchase decision on whether or not you will have the replace those at some point in the future you may be missing the bigger picture :)

When you create your checklist for things to look at on potential boats I'd suggest (personal opinion) that the switches/EIMs should be near the bottom, if they even make the list. Unplanned boat bucks get spent a lot more quickly in the engine room than they do at the helm.
 
In the interest of maintaining some level of context....fixing those fancy membranes is on par with the cost to fill up the ole gas tanks. If you're potentially basing a boat purchase decision on whether or not you will have the replace those at some point in the future you may be missing the bigger picture :)

When you create your checklist for things to look at on potential boats I'd suggest (personal opinion) that the switches/EIMs should be near the bottom, if they even make the list. Unplanned boat bucks get spent a lot more quickly in the engine room than they do at the helm.

I would counter that since these are a known issue to replace I would make sure they are checked out prior to any purchase. This way if there is a related issue it could be accounted for in the offer. However, if they are working and show no severe signs of wear I would venture to guess that they may work for the foreseeable future.

As mentioned previously, I would treat them well, keep them covered and certainly not soak them with water - especially from a hose nozzle. These still are fairly reliable and there are thousands out there so I would expect to hear of some issues after 15+ years but it is not like they are all failing. They are very much like your BCM in your car.

-Kevin
 
Sorry to make it sound like the switches were the only thing I was looking at in a pre enjoyed Sea Ray, not intended to replace a thorough inspection and survey.
 

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