Sierra UN19740 Rocker Switch Mounting Panel, Bakelite

If you've ever wanted to add a switch to your dash without hacking up a factory panel, this is the little piece that makes it clean. The Sierra Marine UN19740 is a multi-purpose mounting panel built to hold a standard rocker switch on the right or left end of a run. It's part of Sierra's Marine Series, so it's made to live on a boat and take the heat, spray, and vibration that come with it.

Here's the basic idea. One end section measures 2.02 inches wide by 1.90 inches high. That's the footprint for a single switch position. Need more than one switch? You gang panels together, adding about 1.03 inches of width for each additional section. So you can start with one switch today and build out a two, three, or four-gang bank later without buying a whole new panel. That flexibility is why we like it for custom rigs where the layout keeps changing.

The body is Bakelite. If you haven't worked with it, Bakelite is an old-school phenolic material that's heat-resistant and doesn't conduct electricity. That matters at the helm, where you've got wiring packed in behind the dash and switches that can warm up under load. A non-conductive housing keeps things safe and holds its shape when it's hot. It's black, so it blends in with just about any dark helm or console.

Who's this for? Anybody adding accessory switches. Think livewell pumps, deck lights, a washdown pump, spreader lights, a stereo amp, or an aftermarket bilge blower. Instead of drilling a random hole and hoping the switch sits square, you drop the switch into this panel and get a finished, factory-looking result. Rigging shops use these all the time when they build console layouts from scratch.

A word on what's in the box, because it matters. This is the panel only. The rocker switch itself is sold separately, so match it to whatever standard rocker you're running. That keeps the part cheap and lets you pick the switch, on-off, on-off-on, momentary, lighted, whatever your circuit needs. Don't order this expecting a switch to fall out of the bag.

Installation is about as simple as marine work gets. You cut or use an existing opening at the dash, seat the panel, snap in your rocker, and wire it up behind the helm. Because it's an end-mounted design, you can orient it to the right or left of an existing switch bank so the new switch lines up with the rest. If you're building a multi-switch layout, dry-fit all your sections first, mark your cutout, then commit. Measure twice out there. Fiberglass doesn't forgive.

One tip from experience: plan your switch order before you cut. Group the circuits you use most where your hand naturally falls, and leave your high-draw stuff like blowers and pumps on their own clearly labeled switches. Run the right gauge wire for the load, fuse each circuit at the panel or bus, and leave a little slack behind the dash so you can pull a switch later without fighting the harness. None of that is specific to this panel, but it's the difference between a clean install and a rat's nest you'll curse in two seasons.

What it's not: it's not a waterproof sealed switch pod, and it's not a pre-wired panel. It's a mounting bracket, plain and honest. If you need a fully sealed, gasketed switch enclosure for an open cockpit that takes green water, that's a different animal. For a covered helm, a dash, or a console under a hardtop, this does the job and keeps the bill small.

Sierra's been making engine and rigging parts for decades, and their stuff meets or exceeds the original equipment it replaces. This panel carries Sierra's limited lifetime customer satisfaction warranty against defects in workmanship and materials, so if you get a bad one, they'll make it right. For under ten bucks, it's a smart little upgrade that makes a home-brew switch install look like it came from the factory.