Unique Question - Marine Speakers ????

[mmarkfa]

Hi Board. Got a unique one for you. I have just bought a pair of marine speakers that are white. I want to install them on my lund Rebel. I got two questions.

1) Where is the best place to install the stereo and the two speakers and how did you run the wires?
2) Since my boat is dark grey I wantto paint my speaker covers so that aren't so noticeable (THEY ARE WHITE). Is this wise and has someone else done it?

Thanks,
Mark

[KP]

I installed a stereo system on my Lund Rebel Tiller last July. I put the CD unit in the top of the lockable compartment. There is an enclosed mount you can buy from most marine dealers that I used. I installed the front speakers on each side of the snap cover as far in the upper corners as possible. That large, triangled compartment makes for a great cabinet enclosure and produces a ton of bass as long as the snap cover is closed. The second pair I installed in the rear flotation cavities on each side of the tiller drivers seat. You don't get near as much bass but it does balance out the sound better. My front speakers are 6" coaxials, the rears are 6" full range. I recommend tweeters in the front speakers for best sound quality.

For wiring, at the very front of the front compartment, there is a space to run a wire fish tape that will travel down the center of the boat, all the way to the large hole in the bilge where other drain hoses exit. If you take the two floor seat plates out, it makes it easier to guide the fish tape and wire. There is no flotation foam down that center channel. I also ran battery cables through the same bilge hole to the raised deck compartment when I relocated my battery there and a couple accessory wires for future use. The rear speaker wires are easy. One straight into the flotation cavity from the lockable compartment and the other through the accessory wire channel, across the back under the splashwell, and into the other flotation compartment. I highly recommend marine grade wires for everything. It costs more but you don't ever have to worry about corrosion.

Also make sure you use a real antenna. I tried the simple wire one and my sonar interferred with it. I currently have a short rubber one that works OK but not great. I'm switching to a 4' whip next spring.

Hope this helps.

[Jim Ordway]

This reminds me of an event at the Prairie Du Sac dam when a gentleman was playing his radio way too loud and the choice of music was enjoyed by few (of course over water, it doesn't take much) and drove 20 other fisherman bonkers. In a note of strong sarcasm, one of the boats yelled, " why don't you play that crap again" Well... he did, over and over. Personnally, I prefer the sounds of wind and waves.
My 2 cents,

[Box]

When we need something to help make the fish bite, we always throw on a bit of George Burns... nothing like Watermelon Wine to make them hungry :)

Otherwise, the radio is usually off.

-Box

[KP]

Sorry guys but when the sun is rising, mist is on the water, hot cup of coffee in your hand and you just start your first casts, there's nothing like alittle smooth jazz quietly playing in the background. Or your cruising across the water at WOT, there's nothing like the hardest, heaviest metal you can crank.

And keep the speaker grills white. It looks better than you think.