The boating industry has seen some major changes over the last few years.

There’s the craze of push button switches, the takeover of the blackout style dash, and the new must-have of backlit text and logos, to name a few.

But last – and certainly not least – the upgrade in technology. 

Marine grade technology has grown and developed tremendously alongside everything else; not only in its functionality, but also in its appearance on deck.

Take a look below at the different mounting options for units, shown on our blackout style dash panels!

Reverse Flush

Reverse Flush Mounting on LuxMatte

Reverse Flush mounting is the newest takeover in boating, and to say we “love” it would be an understatement.

The seamless, one-surface look of reverse flushed units is on par with the modernity of the blackout, push button style dash panel that’s we’ve seen across the board in new builds.

A quick note: While the list of pros for RF mounting is endless, there’s only one con that comes to mind: Not all brands and styles of units can be reverse flush mounted. Many of the newer models of most brands are able, but the most common brands we reverse flush mount are Garmin and SIMRAD.

“How is the unit securely mounted? What about water?!”

Two valid questions with two simple answers!

In reverse flush mounting, the unit is mounted directly to the fiberglass instead of to the dash panel.

The dash panel is then secured over the unit, which can be done several different ways. For the sake of this post, we won’t dive into that now, but be on the lookout for more information about reverse flush mounting soon!

It’s important to note that when a unit is going to be reverse flush mounted, it needs solid fiberglass. Some boats already have the area for it on their console, and some boats have to be re-fiberglassed. (we’re looking at you, recessed “glove box” dashes.)

And what about the water?!

We can’t speak for others, but our panels with reverse flushed units are milled to an 8/1000th of an inch tolerance – meaning your panel is designed to fit your unit like a glove.

Water passes right over the unit just as it does the rest of the panel!

Surface

Surface Mounted units on LuxMatte

Surface mounting is a style that goes back just as far as the dawn of the modern unit… and it’s as simple as it sounds.

Surface mounted units are simply mounted to the front of the panel – no spacers, additional bezels, or anything of the like needed; just the screws and you’re set!

This is by far the most common style of mounting found on boats, and it’s a great option if you’re looking to keep your unit covers on when the boat isn’t in use.

Recessed

Recessed Mounted Unit on Gloss Black Acrylic

Recessed mounting can be thought of the easiest as a combination of reverse flush and surface mounting – the unit mounts to the dash panel like with surface mounting; but has a more flush appearance, similar to reverse flush mounting.

Unlike with surface mounting, the hardware is secured through the panel from the rear. The unit cutout on the dash panel has a recessed pocket around it, allowing the face of the unit to sit further back, giving it that “kinda flush, kinda not” feel.

Recessed mounting is our least common style, but it is possible with certain units! The brand we most commonly do recessed mounting for is Raymarine, as well as a few Mercury models.

Rear (non-unit style)

Rear mounted battery switches and acr

While this mounting style isn’t applicable to units, we thought it deserved the honorable mention!

Rear mounting can be done with certain battery switches, ACRs, voltmeters, and other smaller electrical components.

The mounting hardware can still be seen from the front, but the component’s housing is hidden in the rear. We love this option and think it’s a great look on many of the AC/DC (Main) panels we build!