What Is An EIM Worth?

Personally, I would spend the money on a new system before I would spend more than a couple hundred bucks on used EIM's. You can still buy the pads new.
 
I am surprised the collective brain trust here does not have any opinions I can share as to what these would be worth or what he should ask for them.

MM

Gotta be frank with you here Mike. I wouldn't buy them (even if I had a boat that they would fit/plug and play and I needed them bad). Too unreliable, here today, gone tomorrow. They will sell, just keep adjusting the reserve. But to you initial question... I have no idea where you should start. Sorry.
 
I am surprised the collective brain trust here does not have any opinions I can share as to what these would be worth or what he should ask for them.

MM

I, and everyone else here, can give you “opinions” of what they’re worth if that’s what you want. My opinion is they aren’t worth anything because I don’t need them. That’s one opinion....

If your friend wants to know exactly (to the penny) what they’re worth, tell your friend to put them on eBay for a 10 day no reserve auction. At the end of 10 days he’ll know exactly what they’re worth because the highest bidder (if any) will have set the value and bought them.....
 
I, and everyone else here, can give you “opinions” of what they’re worth if that’s what you want. My opinion is they aren’t worth anything because I don’t need them. That’s one opinion....

If your friend wants to know exactly (to the penny) what they’re worth, tell your friend to put them on eBay for a 10 day no reserve auction. At the end of 10 days he’ll know exactly what they’re worth because the highest bidder (if any) will have set the value and bought them.....

That is the best advise I think I can pass on to him. Thanks,

MM
 
IMG_4230.JPG
That is the best advise I think I can pass on to him. Thanks,

MM
Your fee for this advice should be 7% of the selling price. (;-)
 
That is the best advise I think I can pass on to him. Thanks,

MM

Basic concept is see what similar models completed/sold recently went for on Ebay (to use as a starting point). Then if you put up an auction with a starting price of $100 and only one person wants it - then it worth $100. If two or more want it - then it will find the market price on it's own.

-Kevin
 
Basic concept is see what similar models completed/sold recently went for on Ebay (to use as a starting point). Then if you put up an auction with a starting price of $100 and only one person wants it - then it worth $100. If two or more want it - then it will find the market price on it's own.

-Kevin

Do you guys think season makes a difference? Should he wait until next boating season?

MM
 
The touchpad EIM System basically created a tiny network where touching that switch pad sent a message to the EIM identifying the item being switched and the state (on/off, etc). In the EIM the message was read and acted on by triggering the appropriate relay to energize/de energize the device. What this system did was digitize the helm removing possibly a dozen mechanical switches and all the wiring. Between the various devices (nav lights, hatch lift, wipers, etc) there was full wiring. But between the EIM and the switch pad there is a harness of four wires for the dozen or so digital switches, or four wires vs twenty four wires for mechanical switches.

Is the alternative to the EIM setup switches wired to and controlling relays which energize the actual device, or is it switches which actually control power to the remote device directly?

I guess I can see a remote relay box (EIM or manual) as somewhat better that direct power switching since you could get away with light gauge wire between switches and relay, and only use heavier wire between relay and device as needed.

I guess I'm with other people wondering if there was any owner advantage to the EIM system. I see where it was a big advantage to Sea Ray in building the boat (small, light gauge control harness) to the EIM, but I'm struggling to see how it benefited the owner long term versus direct control of individual relays with mechanical switches.

The EIM seems like halfway to high tech. It's not on an NMEA bus, so it doesn't allow for MFD monitoring or any external control/signaling. Plus it makes it harder to use switches on the dash for other purposes because you have to decipher the EIM wiring to connect something to those switches.
 
I am at this cross road now. I have had to have a separate windlass switch wired in because the EIM failed for at least that function. Right now, everything else works. (Just jinxed it) On the other pad, I can no longer control my bilge blowers from the helm, just from the generator panel in the cabin. All else works, so far.
at some point, other things are going to probably fail..nav lights, trim pads etc...then where am I?
I am leaning towards replacing the entire system, either FP or other just to have something that can reasonably be troubleshot and repaired. If a switch goes bad, it can easily be replaced.
 
So the options are:
Flounder Pounder: $3-4K + installation $1.5-2K
Sea Ray new plan: $5-6K
My friends working parts. Cost???
What is a fair price for them?
MM

Hi MM,
The Sport Cruiser system installs in approximately 4-5 hours with two technicians. Currently, the system is $3,700. The system comes with detailed instructions that we will be happy to email you for preview. Additionally, FPMarine has posted two (2) YouTube videos detailing the system and installation: https://www.youtube.com/user/FPmarine
 
Hi MM,
The Sport Cruiser system installs in approximately 4-5 hours with two technicians. Currently, the system is $3,700. The system comes with detailed instructions that we will be happy to email you for preview. Additionally, FPMarine has posted two (2) YouTube videos detailing the system and installation: https://www.youtube.com/user/FPmarine

Just reporting what my friends costs were from his SR dealer in addition to the FP costs. Not everyone wants to install their own.
MM
 
Just reporting what my friends costs were from his SR dealer in addition to the FP costs. Not everyone wants to install their own.
MM
Two techs for 5 hours is about $1000-1500, so I don't think your originally posted numbers are off at all.
 
Ok, true story...

I recently purchased a 2006 280DA that had the switchpad/EIM issue crop up during the survey. Broker and owner claim they didn't know of any problems prior and I believe them. The boat had been sitting upland for about a year and a half. I was going to offer to do the repair myself, using the FP kit and doing the install myself, with the corresponding price reduction for the purchase price. The owner, to his everlasting credit, manned-up and took the hit for the repair. Now for the bad news (are you sitting down?) The new Sea Ray kit from the local MarineMax dealer cost $6220+tax. The installation was another $1000, and that's for an almost plug-n-play install. Me, personally, would've fainted...

Gotta say they are pretty sweet:
Pad2.jpg
Pad1.jpg
 
Last edited:
Ok, true story...

I recently purchased a 2006 280DA that had the switchpad/EIM issue crop up during the survey. Broker and owner claim they didn't know of any problems prior and I believe them. The boat had been sitting upland for about a year and a half. I was going to offer to do the repair myself, using the FP kit and doing the install myself, with the corresponding price reduction for the purchase price. The owner, to his everlasting credit, manned-up and took the hit for the repair. Now for the bad news (are you sitting down?) The new Sea Ray kit from the local MarineMax dealer cost $6220+tax. The installation was another $1000, and that's for an almost plug-n-play install. Me, personally, would've fainted...

Gotta say they are pretty sweet:
View attachment 75563 View attachment 75564

At least for that money you got something real sweet looking.

-Kevin
 
Ok, true story...

I recently purchased a 2006 280DA that had the switchpad/EIM issue crop up during the survey. Broker and owner claim they didn't know of any problems prior and I believe them. The boat had been sitting upland for about a year and a half. I was going to offer to do the repair myself, using the FP kit and doing the install myself, with the corresponding price reduction for the purchase price. The owner, to his everlasting credit, manned-up and took the hit for the repair. Now for the bad news (are you sitting down?) The new Sea Ray kit from the local MarineMax dealer cost $6220+tax. The installation was another $1000, and that's for an almost plug-n-play install. Me, personally, would've fainted...

For that kind of money it makes a person wonder what it would cost simply to rewire the helm directly to the individual circuits. I don't know what the material costs would be, but if you say $1500 for wire, switches, etc, that leaves $5700 (relative to the total bill of $7200 quoted) for labor. That's 57 hours of labor, and I kind of wonder if it wouldn't be cheaper just to rewire the electronic controls analog-style.
 
At least for that money you got something real sweet looking.

-Kevin

Yes Kevin, that's true, they are sweet looking and they work perfectly. However, I would have personally gone the FP route, not just for the cost savings up front, but for any future repairs that might come up years down the line. The FP kit is easily repairable whereas if my brand new, super hi-tech system fails years from now (well, more than 5 years from now, as that's the warranty they give) what are my options?
 
For that kind of money it makes a person wonder what it would cost simply to rewire the helm directly to the individual circuits. I don't know what the material costs would be, but if you say $1500 for wire, switches, etc, that leaves $5700 (relative to the total bill of $7200 quoted) for labor. That's 57 hours of labor, and I kind of wonder if it wouldn't be cheaper just to rewire the electronic controls analog-style.

You have a great point there, it would more than likely cost way less to hard-wire a new system. My question is; who would do it?
 
Yes Kevin, that's true, they are sweet looking and they work perfectly. However, I would have personally gone the FP route, not just for the cost savings up front, but for any future repairs that might come up years down the line. The FP kit is easily repairable whereas if my brand new, super hi-tech system fails years from now (well, more than 5 years from now, as that's the warranty they give) what are my options?

Do you worry about the switches in your car? These are CANBUS controlled and as long as Sea Ray continues to make them repairs are super easy. The FP system does allow for individual switches and relays but that comes along with the multiple points of potential failure. I am sure that panel is sealed up better than any carling switch is. I just wish they would have swapped out for a more industry standard module rather than the custom one.

-Kevin
 

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