Marine electronics installation on Long Island.
Done to ABYC and NMEA standards, at your boat, by the person who answers the phone.
Anyone can mount a display. A marine electronics installation that still works in three seasons is about what happens behind the dash — the power feed, the cable runs, the terminations and the network. That is the part we care about, and it is why our work does not come back.
Behind The Dash
What a real installation involves.
The display is maybe a fifth of the job. Here is where the other four fifths of the time goes — and where the difference between a good install and a bad one actually lives.
Power and protection
A feed sized to the load, fused or breakered at the source rather than somewhere convenient, and run off the DC side. We stay off the vessel AC panel — that is licensed electrician territory and we will tell you so.
Cable runs
Routed where they will not chafe, supported at proper intervals, kept out of bilge water, and left with enough service loop that the next person can work on it.
Terminations
Tinned marine wire, correct crimps, adhesive heat-shrink. Almost every fault we get called to trace comes back to a bad connection someone made in a hurry.
The network
One NMEA 2000 backbone, correctly terminated at both ends, powered at one point, with drops off it. Not a daisy chain of adapters that half works.
Penetrations
Every hole through a deck, transom or bulkhead sealed properly. Water tracking down a wire run destroys more electronics than anything else on this list.
Configuration
Depth alarms, chart detail, radar guard zones and engine data set up for how you actually use the boat — not left on factory defaults.
Scope
Three kinds of installation.
Most jobs fall into one of these. Knowing which one you are actually looking at is the difference between a realistic budget and a nasty surprise.
Single unit install or swap
One new chartplotter, VHF, sounder or radar going into an existing helm. Usually a single visit. The variable is whether the existing wiring is reusable — often it is not.
Helm upgrade
Multiple displays plus a new NMEA 2000 backbone, typically one to two days. This is the most common job we do, and where a proper network pays for itself.
Full helm rebuild
Custom dash panel fabricated, everything re-wired from scratch. One to three days. Best on boats fifteen years or older where the original harness is past saving.
Ready to talk? Or keep reading below.
How We Work
ABYC and NMEA standards, every job.
LIME is an NMEA Certified MEI and works to ABYC electrical standards. Those are not badges for a website — they are the reason an install survives a Long Island winter and five seasons of salt air.
In practice it means tinned marine-grade wire everywhere, overcurrent protection sized and placed correctly, runs supported and chafe-protected, every circuit labelled so the next person is not guessing, and a documented load test before we pack up.
It also means being clear about what we will not take on. We stay on the DC side and do not tie into the vessel AC panel. Autopilot drive installations, finished-joinery removal and AC work get referred to the right specialist. Doing it any other way is how people get hurt and boats get damaged.
The Process
What to expect, start to finish.
1. You call
You get the person who will do the work. Tell us the boat, where it sits, and what you want it to do.
2. We look at the boat
For anything beyond a straight swap we come and look first — helm layout, cutout sizes, and what the wiring behind the dash actually looks like. Guessing costs you money.
3. Fair pricing up front
We go over the time and labour costs with you before starting. Time and materials, always — no fixed-price promise we cannot honour.
4. We install
ABYC standards throughout. We work clean and we do not leave the boat worse than we found it.
5. We commission it
Everything powered up, network verified, units configured, and a walkthrough so you can actually use what you paid for.
6. We stand behind it
60-day labour warranty, manufacturer warranty on equipment. Something not right? We come back.
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.
★★★★★ Frank S.
"Opened the dash after and everything is labelled and tidy. Completely different from what the last guy left me."
★★★★★ Rich F.
"Great install by David and his team! Complete electronics update, with new panels, gauges & switches. David is very meticulous, detail oriented in his planning and installation. Great communication throughout the process, and finished the project on-time."
★★★★★ 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
Marine electronics installation — common questions.
What does marine electronics installation actually involve?
Far more than bolting a screen to the dash. A proper install means planning the cable runs, sizing and fusing the power feed, terminating every connection in tinned marine wire, sealing the penetrations, building or extending the NMEA 2000 backbone, and then configuring the units for the water you run. The hardware is the easy part.
How much does marine electronics installation cost on Long Island?
All work is time and materials — we never promise a firm fixed price. Labour is $280 for the first hour (travel up to 30 minutes each way included), then $140/hr in half-hour steps. Equipment is billed at cost plus markup. We go over the time and labour costs with you up front so you know the scale before we start.
How long does an installation take?
A single chartplotter or VHF swap is usually one visit. A helm with plotter, radar, sounder and a new NMEA 2000 backbone is typically one to two days. A full dash fabrication with multiple displays and a switch panel can run one to three days. We give you a realistic timeline, not a best case.
Do you install equipment I bought myself?
No. LIME supplies all equipment we install. We cannot warranty hardware we did not source, and most of the problems we get called out to fix are grey-market or mismatched gear bought online. If we do not supply it, we do not install it.
Do I have to haul the boat?
Almost never. The overwhelming majority of installs happen with the boat exactly where it sits — in the slip, on the mooring, on the lift or on the trailer. We come to you anywhere on Long Island. Only large dash fabrication jobs are sometimes easier at a yard, and we will say so up front.
What standards do you work to?
ABYC electrical standards throughout, and NMEA installation standards for networking. In practice that means tinned marine-grade wire, correctly rated fuses or breakers at the source, supported and chafe-protected runs, labelled circuits, sealed penetrations and a documented load test before we leave.
Will my new electronics work with what I already have?
Usually, and that is a large part of the job. Most boats end up with gear bought across different years and brands that never got properly networked. We work out what talks to what, build one clean NMEA 2000 backbone with correct termination and power, and get engine data, GPS, sounder, radar and autopilot onto the same network.
Do you warranty the work?
Yes. Labour carries a 60-day warranty. Equipment carries the manufacturer warranty. If something is not right, we come back and sort it.
Let's get your electronics installed properly.
Call and you get the person doing the work. We come to the boat anywhere on Long Island, look at what you have, and give you fair pricing up front.