stereo for fishing boat question

[75north]

Hello, I will soon be installing a AM/FM CD stereo in my boat and would like to know if there are any helpful hints to doing this such as placement of antenna, length of antenna, placement of reciever, placement of speakers, what wattage of each speaker is best, how to power it (separate battery?), etc. The unit I'm buying has a detachable face and will also have a splash cover over the face. I will have two speakers. This isn't a fiberglass cruisin boat, it's a 20' aluminum fishing boat with a side console. I'm tired of using transistor radios or boom boxes and would like something permanent. Thanks in advance for any help.

[Priority1]

You could get some ideas by looking at similar boats at a dealer or show. Most boats this size have a radio in them, so there should be many to look at. I had a 16-1/2 side council and the radio was mounted in the dash, and the speakers (2) were mounted on the Port side, on the outside of a rod locker. There should be a terminal block under the dash for your electrical. The antenna doesn't have to be very long, and could be mounted on the council. If the radio has a speaker in it make sure you locate it away from the compas.:)

[SalmonBum]

Put in XM. Well worth it.

[Lwapo]

Put in XM. Well worth it.

:yeahthat:

Couple of hints...

1) Make sure all of your wires are sealed up nicely. Sodder everything! The wire in a boat like that can corrode very quickly.

2) Fuses! They can save quite a bit of damage!

3) I would recommend a seperate battery. I was once told that you need 1 battery for your tools, and 1 for your toys. I guess it depends a little on your situation (pull start motor?) and how screwed you would be if you wore the battery out.

4) Speaker location. Bass is non-directional, the treble and other tones are directional. What this means is that a speaker that you intend to have music or voices coming out of should be facing in the general direction of the listener. Otherwise you are using additional power (volume) to put sound into an area that you aren't in.

5) Other people! Make sure that your fishin buddy can hear too!

6) It will help reduce the disturbance (static) in your sound if you run power cables along one side of your boat and signal/attanne cables down the other. You can buy sheilded cables that will help as well. This is not ususally a problem, but CAN be in certian situations.

7) A remote. I know it sounds a little lazy, but depending on the location of your fishing seat and the radio... This could save you a lot of seat hopping while you find a station you like.

8) Backlit displays and buttons. In the early morning or late evening, if you don't have a light to shine on the radio... these could be a nice feature to have.

9) Power. Some radios don't have the UMF! That you may need to hear over your motor if you intend to do so. You might want to make sure that your radio has the power to do what you want it to do. (Most should)

10) Inputs. I'm not sure of your age or techincal background... but some cd players allow you to hook a MP3 player or iPod to them. This would allow you to have easier access to more music while on the water.

Hope a few of those help out. They are all I could think of off the top of my head.

[75north]

Thanks for the great input. Just purchased the stereo last night. The system comes with two speakers and I was planning on mounting one in the stem (triangular storage space) and one in the stern (rod locker). I will have an additional battery for the stereo as I predict my kids will leave the stereo on overnight sometime, be it at a dock or in the garage. Last, what is XM?

[RJF]

I changed from an old radio to a new style CD palyer. The electronic tuning seemed to drain the battery, after a couple weeks of inactivity. There was a draw, however small, even with the unit turned off. I ended up putting a switch into the power line. Stopped the draw, but it prevented the radio from keeping preset stations.

Seems like most new boats have a switch to turn on the radio. My new pontoon has, and it somehow does not erase the presets. Check the owners manual closely for installation tips.

[SalmonBum]

XM is satellite Radio

[Jason Adam]

I'm putting an IPOD NANO on the boat this year. 4 gigs for $200. No skipping, no CD's to scratch, and 1200 of MY SONGS at hand. Any Steros with a AUX in will connect. The NANO has solid state memory, so not hard drives to crash.

I had XM, didnt like it, didnt renew it. I have Sirus now. I like it more than XM, but still prefer my music over them. When I wanna hear some Biggie, I wanna hear some Biggie....