Another Project -- 2003 Air Nautique 226 Team Edition

[Stevemo14]

I said something like that with mine too, Just gotta get the " ( place just about any item )" working /replaced. 2 years later down the rabbit hole, and I'm still not "done". the term B-O-A-T is running true for me, LOL!!!!!!!

[NautiqueJeff]

Ok, I did a LOT of work testing gateways, gauges, etc today, and I made some interesting findings.

First, I was able to source a new gateway from another PN member, so I swapped that in this morning. Unfortunately that didn't fix any of my issues! I still can't believe it, but I guess my original gateway is still good after all!

I swapped the original gateway back in, and still had my same issues with the tachometer needle not working properly and the digital display on the tach not functioning, and the voltmeter not working.

Next, I pulled off the dash and checked the connections on the gauges. I found that the serial connector going to the tachometer had the rubber seal all bunched up, stuck in the hole for the plug! The plug was connected, but not making a good connection. I removed the rubber seal and reattached the cable without the seal, and the digital display on the bottom of the tach came to life!

Unfortunately, the tach needle still didn't work, and the voltmeter was still dead.

Since the digital display on the tach was able to display the volts (14.2), I know the signal from the gateway is good, and the volt gauge must be bad.

Since the 2003 voltmeter and tach are unobtainable from dealers these days, and the gauges I have are quite weathered, I went looking around for a complete replacement set from someone who had done a gateway bypass. I found a full set of gauges from a 2007 that will fit great, look great, and they are plug-and-play with the 2003 gateway!

These gauges are now on their way to me, and I should have a fully-functional dash again soon! (Oh, and I can use one of the blue rubber seals from the wiring harness that will come with these gauges to replace the crushed one from my harness, too.)

[NautiqueJeff]

This will give me a good chance to pull this dash apart, clean everything, and make it look new.

See how weathered these gauges look?

[TexasTom]

Jeff, would you be interested in selling the old fuel gauge? mine no longer works, everything is fine coming from the gateway as i stil get my low fuel warning. Would love to find a full set im good condition like you did, the rest are all functional but a little weathered.

[SilentSeven]

Cool story Jeff.... I wonder if those gauge displays might come back to life with a little work. That UV damage looks a lot like the damage you see on plexiglass headlight covers. I wonder if applying one of the headlight cover restoration methods might not just be the ticket....

[Stevemo14]

Not only did you find a gateway box, but a full set of gauges from a takeoff? I need your connections!!!

[NautiqueJeff]

That UV damage looks a lot like the damage you see on plexiglass headlight covers. I wonder if applying one of the headlight cover restoration methods might not just be the ticket....

That's exactly what I was planning to try. Still might, just to see if it works.

[NautiqueJeff]

Jeff, would you be interested in selling the old fuel gauge?

I probably will. Let me wait until I get the new ones in my hands and make sure they work.

[TexasTom]

Sounds great, let me know if so.

[NautiqueJeff]

Ugh...

So, I got the new set of 2007 gauges, which should be a direct replacement for the original gauges in this boat, but of course none of them work. I assume the guy that sold them to me had a bad gateway, and maybe it fried his gauges while it was in the process of failing. I am going with the assumption that he didn't know they were bad, and I have asked him to take them back for a refund. We'll see...

I was able to find a 2003 tachometer from Race City Marine today, and I have N3 Boatworks looking around for a 2003 voltmeter. Hopefully I can get my hands on one.

The new tachometer works fine, which proves that my gateway is good. The only issue with the tach is that the decimal point is out on the display!!! This causes it to look like the boat has 3045 hours on it instead of 304.5 hours! Race City Marine has two others that I can try though, so hopefully one of those will be perfect. Now to find the voltmeter...



No decimal point!! 3045 Hours (should be 304.5)!!







No decimal point!! 124 Volts (should be 12.4)!!

[NautiqueJeff]

Ok, found a totally working (even the decimal point) tachometer from Race City Marine, so just need the voltmeter now.

[fsts2k]

Jeff, if anyone finds a fuel gauge for that model year will you let me know? Sorry, I don’t have a voltmeter

[NautiqueJeff]

I thought I might have had one for you today, but it tested out bad. Sorry!
fsts2k

[NautiqueJeff]

N3 found a voltmeter for me, and it is on the way here now! That was the last item I needed, I think. Woohoo!

[NautiqueJeff]

Ok, dash is ready to go back in the boat now. Tachometer has been replaced with a fully-functional unit in good shape, Voltmeter has been replaced with a fully-functional unit in good shape, and the rest of the original gauges have been polished up with a headlight restoration kit (which worked quite well).

Here's the old voltmeter before and after:







And here's the finished dash, ready to go back in the boat.