Can Regal Vue be added aftermarket?

[arifenbe]

Hi Regal Friends,

I'm looking at a used 2014 Fasdeck 24 with Volvo Penta 300 that has the Fusion MS-IP 700i radio but has all analog gauges. Can the Regal Vue be added to this boat? Does a dealer need to install or can I add order direct and install myself?

What other items are required to get all the Regal Vue functionality (gps, cruise control)?

Thanks for any feedback

[cbsmith]

For the money you are probably better off getting a Nema 2000 Garmin chart plotter and a nema gateway adapter for your engine and using it instead of the analog gauges. You would also be able to tie your Fusion radio into the chart plotter as well. If you do a search here there are a few post of people complaining about the RegalVue display.

Avaitor1 on this forum has done that with his previous boat and is also dong it on his new boat I believe so he would be a good person to talk to about it.

[Chris_in_Texas]

You don't want the Regalvue system. Put a smaller Garmin or other unit in there, it will be a much more useful unit.

[Al_M]

It is great that I stumbled upon this thread. I am owner of 2013 24 Fasdeck with the Analog gauge set up. Just this past month I started formulating a plan to upgrade the dash with a MFD/Chartplotter. I currently use Raymarine Dragonfly via Suction cup mount to the side glass with a Ram Mount. It works and does great for nav etc but I want a better permanent setup as you are looking for. As I want the biggest display I can, I began to think of ways to get it in there. At first I was going to be satisfied with just the chartplotter functions, but quickly creeped up in my wants and am now doing it to the hilt. I have ordered all the parts I believe I need to install a NMEA 2000 network, Can bus adapter, and the Smartcraft multi engine Gateway. I have a Mercruiser 350 Mag . I am in the U.S.

It has been difficult to find one message thread that covers all the bases and I have pieced together what I think I need to have the system ready to put together once the shrink wrap comes off, Still cold here in the Northeast.

Plan one was to measure my distance between the engine data gauges on the left and my Tach on the right and fit a new 7in Raymarine Axiom MFD surface mounted. Then I came up with the idea to call my dealer and have them order a blank Regalvue dash that would fit my boat and have proper color for my interior. I plan with lots of planning and the right tools (will research material and the best way) to cut out the mid section that is where the hole and all the button holes for the regal view and fit the largest display that I can. As I don't have the Regal view dash in front of me I can not tell right now what I will be able to fit. The cost of the Dash empty of gauges was about $180 and I will have it in a few weeks. My dealer took my hull ID# and called regal and specified I wanted the Regalvue dash blank. I will see what I get color wise. should be the same as my analog dash.

My take from all the reading of the scattered instructions is; once I have the network cable run and the T connector NMEA hooked up under the helm to the Raymarine Axiom (which now has an NMEA 2000 connector, not the Seatalk as old ones had), and the Can-Bus cable on the engine (again mine is a Mercruiser 350 Mag) connected to the SmartCraft NMEA Gateway, I will have engine data at the helm on the MFD.

If anyone wants to bring me down you can instruct me that I am wrong, I am trying to learn how to get this done and this is where I am. I will certainly leave feedback as I progress.
Also plan adding Fusion remote back near the sun pad hooked into the NMEA network. (Fusion head unit will be connected up at helm.

Now the crazy part is that I want the radar next. . Raymarine Quantum Chirp, all it needs is power and connects to the RM Axiom with a WiFi connection.


Name is Al

2013 Regal 24 Fasdeck
Samson Sports Blade Tower installed (my boat did not come with Power Tower)
w/ Bimini
Fusion 750, with Sirius XM antenna I installed

[Kikaboo]

It is great that I stumbled upon this thread. I am owner of 2013 24 Fasdeck with the Analog gauge set up. Just this past month I started formulating a plan to upgrade the dash with a MFD/Chartplotter. I currently use Raymarine Dragonfly via Suction cup mount to the side glass with a Ram Mount. It works and does great for nav etc but I want a better permanent setup as you are looking for. As I want the biggest display I can, I began to think of ways to get it in there. At first I was going to be satisfied with just the chartplotter functions, but quickly creeped up in my wants and am now doing it to the hilt. I have ordered all the parts I believe I need to install a NMEA 2000 network, Can bus adapter, and the Smartcraft multi engine Gateway. I have a Mercruiser 350 Mag . I am in the U.S.

It has been difficult to find one message thread that covers all the bases and I have pieced together what I think I need to have the system ready to put together once the shrink wrap comes off, Still cold here in the Northeast.

Plan one was to measure my distance between the engine data gauges on the left and my Tach on the right and fit a new 7in Raymarine Axiom MFD surface mounted. Then I came up with the idea to call my dealer and have them order a blank Regalvue dash that would fit my boat and have proper color for my interior. I plan with lots of planning and the right tools (will research material and the best way) to cut out the mid section that is where the hole and all the button holes for the regal view and fit the largest display that I can. As I don't have the Regal view dash in front of me I can not tell right now what I will be able to fit. The cost of the Dash empty of gauges was about $180 and I will have it in a few weeks. My dealer took my hull ID# and called regal and specified I wanted the Regalvue dash blank. I will see what I get color wise. should be the same as my analog dash.

My take from all the reading of the scattered instructions is; once I have the network cable run and the T connector NMEA hooked up under the helm to the Raymarine Axiom (which now has an NMEA 2000 connector, not the Seatalk as old ones had), and the Can-Bus cable on the engine (again mine is a Mercruiser 350 Mag) connected to the SmartCraft NMEA Gateway, I will have engine data at the helm on the MFD.

If anyone wants to bring me down you can instruct me that I am wrong, I am trying to learn how to get this done and this is where I am. I will certainly leave feedback as I progress.
Also plan adding Fusion remote back near the sun pad hooked into the NMEA network. (Fusion head unit will be connected up at helm.

Now the crazy part is that I want the radar next. . Raymarine Quantum Chirp, all it needs is power and connects to the RM Axiom with a WiFi connection.


Name is Al

2013 Regal 24 Fasdeck
Samson Sports Blade Tower installed (my boat did not come with Power Tower)
w/ Bimini
Fusion 750, with Sirius XM antenna I installed

Wow! Al, that's awesome. I love all the effort, thought and dedication. Good luck with all that and keep us posted. Question, where do you plan on mounting the radar?

I see also see you are on the Hudson just north of 84... I'll be sure to look out for your boat when I'm up that way!

[Al_M]

Rob,
I am still working on a solution for the Radar mount. I certainly need to keep it forward of the tow point. The boat is still in shrink wrap right now. I will keep everyone posted.

You are correct on my location. That day I was up at The Ice House in Poughkeepsie. I live in Wappingers Falls, I keep the boat at Whites Marina in New Hamburg. I often trailer out to Candlewood lake in CT. And once or twice per year up to Lake George. Last year I trailered down to LBI were we had a beach house and got a slip at Shelter Harbor Marina. Had fun on the Bay side of LBI.

While the Radar will come after everything else is up and running properly and I know it seems like overkill for a boat my size. I certainly see utility in it. I often travel the Hudson late evening into the night and the barges and ships are still moving up and down the river. More than once I have seen a light off in the distance and while focusing in on it realized it was a tug/barg/ship moving up or down the river. All the lights along the river can be deceiving. So... It is also just cool...

If the MFD will do it I want it to do it.


Thanks for your interest in my project!

I am sorry due to my power set up that I do not have real info on the Volvo Penta/Regalvue solution. Do not mean to hijack the thread. I think the general MFD solution is better than the Regalvue and could be done with the Volvo. I saw plenty of info out there about the Volvo and engine data on various MFDs , if I can get the dash install right and it will get all the engine data in front of me should be perfect.

More to come.

[Al_M]

So, after a long spring that has been rainy and cold here in the Northeast, I have finally been out for a recreational day.

I stated I had been working on installing a MFD display in my 24 Fasdeck
I am guilty of not taking many pictures of the process. Trying to pay attention to all the little details and cutting just took to much of my attention. The pictures I have are of the Preexisting gauge wire hookups, (Take pictures of those wire connections and have someone doing it with you to assist your memory, tape each wire with a position note also.
Caution that there is a significant number of Power jumps between the gauges , I needed to enlist someone with knowledge of the ignition system to help get the power between the gauges connected properly after removing two of the gauges ( Speed and Tach) now being reported by the Smartcraft gauge. This was not with some mistakes on my part.

I received the Dash frame minus all gauges that from Regal after a 4 week wait and $175 for the part. I would say to anyone else you may just take your current dash out to a fabricator and have them cut it for you. You could have someone do a dip type paint for the finish you want. It took some real detail to fit the unit perfect.

Your choice of units to put in this spot are the Simrad Go7, or Mercury Vessel View 5 or Raymarine Axiom 7, Those are the units I considered.

I went with the Raymarine Axiom 7, and along side it installed the Mercury Smartcraft Level 3 Merc monitor.

The unit would not fit in the center due to the RegalVue button cut outs being to wide to be covered.
Decision was made to offset the unit to the left and fill button holes 12mm with stainless buttons that are currently non functional just for appearance.

I used two boarders of the Regalvue cutout and with the overlying Raymarine template used a Dremel metal saw with a lot of planning and a metal square as a guide to stop any skips.

The finish on the dash held up to the metal saw cutting heat without any affect at all.

I did a surface mount that had a small overlap of the unit that was a little forgiving for any defects i may have ended up with. I do not think a flush mount is possible with the cutting that is required.

there are holes in this dash that are not in an area that had any thing behind them, I used hardware to just fill those wholes for appearance.

I am very happy with the finished product.

The Raymarine unit Axiom 7 with Lighthouse 3 is in its infancy, I have found that some features that are in the mature lighthouse 2 software have not made it to Axiom. This is all scheduled for rollouts over the near future. No fusion marine compatibility yet and some basic customization is not up an running yet. But I have the 3D sonar Transom mounted transducer installed and my limited experience with the 3d, downvision, and other sonar features find it impressive. really cool
Lighthouse 3 is not allowing full features of Navionics platinum+, 3d etc just yet. I hope they get that all up to date soon.

So here is the finished dash(having difficulty getting image sized correctly for forum. It is on Photobucket
:

[reilley]

Al,

Did you consider the Axiom 9 when you were deciding on a new MFD? I just bought a 2013 27 Fasdeck and the Regalvue is total crap and the dealer says it needs to be replaced, but I'm reluctant to put another Regalvue in when there's so many other and possibly better solutions. I measured my dash and it looks like it would accommodate an Axiom 9, covering up the button holes in the process if I did a flush mount (rather than behind). Was that unit ever a consideration of yours?

Also, what did you end up adding to it, i.e. sonar, etc? Just curious. I haven't been able to find a pic of your install other than a fuzzy one when I googled "Regal Fasdeck with Axiom" and it look like it might be yours based on the link.


Thanks,
Terry