Book your winter electronics refit.
The boat is out of the water anyway. Do the big work now and splash in spring with a helm that actually works.
Full helm rebuilds are the wrong job for July. The boat sits, you lose weekends, and the good weather goes by. Winter is when it should happen — and the winter calendar gets booked in the autumn, before the boats even come out.
On this page
The Case For It
Do the big job when it costs you nothing.
A full helm rebuild is a multi-day job. Done in season, that is multiple weekends you do not get back, and a boat sitting on a lift in the best weather of the year. Done over the winter, it is time the boat was going to spend out of the water regardless.
There is a practical advantage too. With no pressure to get you back on the water by Saturday, we can do the job properly — pull the dash, replace tired wiring instead of building on top of it, run new cable the right way, and test everything thoroughly. Rushed work in July is how boats end up with the problems we get called to fix.
And when spring comes, your electronics are already commissioned and working. No shakedown season spent discovering what does not talk to what.
Scope
What a winter refit covers.
Most winter jobs are some combination of these. You do not need all of it — but if the dash is coming apart anyway, it is the cheapest time to sort the rest.
Full helm rebuild
New multifunction displays sized to the helm, radar, sounder and VHF, all on one properly built NMEA 2000 backbone. The whole system designed together instead of accumulated over ten years.
Custom dash panels
When the factory dash will not take a modern screen, we fabricate one that will. Cut, finished and wired to look like it came that way. See dash panel work →
Rewire and clean-up
Decades of previous owners' wiring pulled out and replaced with tinned marine cable, correct fusing, labelled circuits and sealed penetrations.
Power, batteries and solar
House banks, lithium conversions, charging systems and marine solar — all on the DC side. Easiest to do while the boat is apart and out of the water.
Radar, AIS and satellite
Radar and AIS mounted and tuned properly, plus Starlink and satellite internet for boats that run offshore or live aboard.
Sounders and transducers
Transducer placement is the whole job. Out of the water is by far the easiest time to get it right, and to fair it in properly.
Booking Window
Why calling now matters.
Late summer — now
The right time to talk. We look at the boat while it is still in the water and rigged, work out what you actually want, and get you on the winter schedule.
Haul-out — around October
Boat comes out. Work can start as soon as it is settled and accessible. Equipment is ordered by now so nothing waits on a back-order.
Winter — the work
The build happens with time to do it right. You get updates as it goes; multi-day jobs are not a black box.
Spring — commissioned
Everything powered up, network verified, units configured and a walkthrough so you can use it. Ready for the first good weekend.
One crew, limited slots
When you call LIME you get the person doing the work. That is the point — and it also means the number of full refits that fit in a winter is limited.
Fair pricing up front
Time and materials, always. We go over time and labour costs before anything starts. No fixed-price promises we cannot honour.
Ready to talk? Or keep reading below.
Commercial, Charter & Yachts
Not just private boats.
Winter is the only time most commercial operators can afford downtime, so charter boats, workboats and fleet vessels book their electronics work in the off-season. LIME is an Empire Wind NETP approved vendor — a standing most marine electronics outfits on Long Island do not hold.
We also do multi-day, two-man work on larger vessels: full-vessel cable runs, satellite internet and multi-display bridges. Those jobs need planning and parts lead time, so the conversation needs to start well before the boat comes out.
If you run a fleet or manage a vessel and want the electronics sorted before next season, call and we will scope it properly.
ABYC Electrical Standards
Empire Wind NETP Approved Vendor
5-Star Google Rating
Fully Insured
$280 First Hour · $140/hr After
60-Day Labour Warranty
Fair Pricing Up Front
What Boat Owners Say
Long Island boat owners, in their words.
★★★★★ Dennis G.
"Excellent service"
★★★★★ Frank S.
"I had my marine electronics installed by Dave and did a great job. I especially appreciated that the final price matched the estimate, no hidden costs."
★★★★★ Chavelli T.
"Dave and his team are professional, responsive and transparent. The attention to detail and willingness to communicate and problem solve meant our project got done on time despite the short notice. I'd recommend Long Island Marine Electronics and would use them again."
Questions
Winter refits — common questions.
Why do electronics work over the winter?
Because you lose nothing. The boat is already out of the water, you are not giving up weekends, and the work is finished and tested long before you splash in spring. Try to do a full helm rebuild in June and you lose the best part of your season sitting on a lift.
When should I book winter work?
Now. Long Island boats generally haul out around October, and the winter calendar fills from the boats already booked in. LIME is one crew, not a shop with ten vans — the number of full refits that fit into a winter is limited, and they go to whoever called first.
What does a winter refit usually include?
Most are a full helm: new multifunction displays, radar, sounder and transducer, VHF, and a properly built NMEA 2000 backbone tying it together. Many also include a custom fabricated dash panel because the factory dash will not take modern screens. Batteries, charging and marine solar often get sorted at the same time while everything is apart.
How much does a winter refit cost?
All work is time and materials — no fixed-price promises. Labour is $280 for the first hour (travel included), then $140/hr in half-hour steps, plus equipment at cost plus markup. Full helm rebuilds are typically a multi-day job. We go over time and labour costs with you up front so you know the scale before committing.
Can you work on the boat where it is stored?
Usually yes — in the yard, under shrink wrap, or in a barn. We come to the boat anywhere on Long Island. If your yard has access restrictions or you want the work done somewhere specific, tell us early so it goes in the schedule properly.
Do you handle commercial and charter boats?
Yes. LIME is an Empire Wind NETP approved vendor and works on charter boats, workboats and commercial fleets as well as private vessels. Winter is when commercial operators can afford the downtime, so those jobs book early.
What about larger yachts?
We do multi-day, two-man work on larger vessels — full-vessel cable runs, satellite internet, multi-display bridges. Those need planning time, so the earlier the conversation the better.
What if I just need a repair, not a refit?
That is fine and we do plenty of it year round. Diagnostics, single-unit swaps, VHF and antenna work, sounder faults. Call and describe what it is doing.
Get on the winter schedule.
Call and you get the person doing the work. We look at the boat, work out what you actually want, and give you fair pricing up front — well before haul-out.