Motor controls

The old Mercury motor control box is an issue.  I was hoping to bury it in my side console, with only the handle showing.  Unfortunately, that won't work for several reasons.  First, the control has a warm-up lever that lets you open the throttle while in neutral.  That would be inaccessible. Second, the handle needs about 120 degrees forward movement (from vertical) and about 90 degrees in reverse to cover its range.  There is no way I could bury the control box.
As an alternative, I looked into aftermarket replacements that could be mounted behind a panel. I found one from Teleflex/Morse that mounts on a side panel and works with my motor.  I also found a close-out deal so I got a great price. 

Here's the unit sitting on a bucket next to my side console.  The X on masking tape is where the handle goes.  As you can see, I screwed up.  The hole that I intended to mount a 12v outlet is in the way. There was no solution other than a patch, so I made a cover plate of wood to cover the old hole and let me make a new one out of harm's way.

Here is how it will look.  I actually replaced this oak patch with mahogany so it would be a better match.

After configuring the control unit for a Mercury, I attached the controls and put the console in the boat so I could attach the cables, neutral lock-out wiring, etc.  I ordered new control cables, but then found out after receiving the control unit that it would work with my old Mercury cables.  Oh well.   The look is much cleaner.