I just ordered a new head unit and a couple of speakers for the boat.  When wiring in the head unit (and future amp), do you wire directly to the positive and negative terminals on the battery?   If so, I will most definately "fuse" the connections. I have dual batteries with a switch and I always turn to "off" when I put up the boat.  Should I put a "switch" in the connection to the radio so as to NOT draw from the battery, or is the draw so small that it really won't make a difference when the boat is put to bed.  I'm not too concerned about losing the station memory or clock.

Head-unit -

http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=19503

Speakers -

http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=17156

Kevin

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1992 Crownline 182BR (4.3LX 4BBL)
16 yrs and still kicking!

There should be 3 wires on the radio for your power and ground connections.

 1 wire will be for 12 volt constant.  That gets wired to an always hot 12 volt source.  But if you are replacing the stereo in  your boat you should already have a 12 volt constant in there.  Just get a test light out and see which one is 12 volts without the key in the acc or run position.

1 wire will be 12 volt switched.  This gets wired to a 12 volt source that only comes on when the key is in the acc or run position.

1 wire will be for ground.  Self explanatory.  You can ground to the existing grounding strap which should be somewhere close to the dash.

 If you add an amp in the future, you'll want to run power and ground wires all the way back to the batteries.  The existing power and ground can't handle that type of current draw. 

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Thanks Ryan!

That's why I mentioned the "future amp", I mean, I'm familiar with Car installations but not boats.  I wasn't sure how the ground worked.  I assume I will need to switch the batteries to "on" in order to find the "always hot" wire.

I appreciate your help!

 

Kevin

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1992 Crownline 182BR (4.3LX 4BBL)
16 yrs and still kicking!

Kevin Smith:

Thanks Ryan!

That's why I mentioned the "future amp", I mean, I'm familiar with Car installations but not boats.  I wasn't sure how the ground worked.  I assume I will need to switch the batteries to "on" in order to find the "always hot" wire.

I appreciate your help!

 

Kevin

No problem.  Grounds in boats are notorious for being bad or insufficient for high powered audio installations.  So it's always best to run your ground straight to the battery for an amp install.   You can run your power wire for the amp from the "common" post on the battery switch so it will work no matter what battery you are using.  Just be sure to fuse it within 18 inches of the battery.

 Yes you will need to have your battery switch on to find the hot 12 volt constant.  Are you replacing a head unit with a new one?  If so, it should already be there.  And if it's a Sony, Mike O'Neil says that they have been using the same plug for quite some time.  So it may just be a plug and play kinda deal.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

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Thanks again Ryan.

Yes, I'm replacing the existing unit with a "new" Sony, but, the old sony is the "two-post" cassette deck, I seriously doubt the harness will be the same, buy hey, maybe?!?!?......

good post in the other topic about the "tube subs", I was kinda thinking of going that route but just couldn't convince myself that it would be enough.  So I'm gonna go with a component setup under back seat, Sub + mid-bass + highs...three-way type of cross-overed set up.  In days gone by, I used to do custom installs in cars, however, we are talking early to mid 80's time frame.  I don't care for this new "vibrating rumbly" sound of modern subs, I prefer the HARD hitting bottom end sound (chest pounding) like a live PA system.....make sense??

 

Your help has been great!  I appreciate it Ryan!

Kevin

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1992 Crownline 182BR (4.3LX 4BBL)
16 yrs and still kicking!

Have you looked at subs yet?  What type of music do you prefer to listen to?  We listen to alot of country, rock, and some alternative.  I picked up a dual voice coil Alpine.

What's nice about the DVC is you can put more power to them and get just about the same output from having 1 DVC sub compared to 2 single voice coil subs.  This is especially nice in boats where storage space is at a premium

Also, you can wire the coils parallel and present a lower impedance to the amp which means more power and less work for the amp.

If you want hard hitting without the vibrating I would look at a sealed enclosure.  Most of the rumbling bass comes from vented enclosures and usually they are improperly tuned.  You usually need more power when using a sealed enclosure but the bass will be much more accurate which is what I think you are describing.

Glad I can help.  But I'm no professional.  Just have done about 20 or so different amp / sub installations over the last 10 years so I'm always doing research!

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I don't know if I quite agree with the comment that running at lower impedance makes an amp work less.  While it's true they'll output more power, it'll also generate quite a bit more heat which is the death of electronics.  My sub amp is rated at 2 ohm mono but I sized it so it can drive my 2 subs at their rated power at 4 ohm so it stays much cooler and the life of it will be much greater. 

Sealed box equals tight accurate bass, ported is louder (assuming same power) and boomier as Ryan said.  If the box and port are designed for the driver though, you can get very accurate bass from ported. 

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O'
"Little Mascara 3"
2003 266BR,496 MAG w/Bravo III

Mike,

I think I understand what you are saying about heat, however, whenever I run high power amps, I generally install an external fan to assist in cooling.  It's more work, but seems to make the amps last a very long time. The fins on most amps are sufficient, but they still need air circulating around them.

Less resistance on the amp output, more current can flow, therefore more POWER!!  My latest experience is not with this car/boat stuff, my focus today is on the BIG systems......

This is not an ad or a plug, it's just to let you know I have a good understanding of how to power speakers -

http://www.tkaudio.com/

This is a company we started two years ago and it's starting to get some national recognition.

Oh, and I also have a pretty good understanding of how to build and design an enclosure, just not for boats!

Kevin

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1992 Crownline 182BR (4.3LX 4BBL)
16 yrs and still kicking!

Good point Mike.   That being the case, how would you wire a dvc sub with 4 ohm coils?

I'm running mine in parrallel on a Profile AP1000M which is rated at 500 watts RMS X 1 at 2ohms.  Mine does get pretty warm but not to the point that I can't touch it or that the internal melt down protection circuitry isn't kicking in.

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If you use MDF for a sub enclosure, paint it with an enamel to help keep it from soaking up moisture.  That's my best sub enclosure advice for a boat. 

 

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O'
"Little Mascara 3"
2003 266BR,496 MAG w/Bravo III

Sounds like you have it wired the best possible.  As long as the amp isn't scorching, it should be fine. 

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O'
"Little Mascara 3"
2003 266BR,496 MAG w/Bravo III

Well, I looked under the dash and wow, whata mess.  I verified that the harness is different so I will have to re-wire it all.  Oh, and the interesting thing, there is an amp under there.  Maybe I'll get lucky and thing will still work.  I couldn't see the brand, so tommorow I will get a mirror and see if I can see what it is.  From the surface, it looks like an older Fosgate Punch 150. If it is, and it still works, woot!

I decided to go with two amps, one to run the 2-way speakers under the consoles, and one to run the rear set up.  For the rear I'm thinking of running two 8" lows/subs, two 6-1/2" mids/mid bass, and 2 tweeters.  I checked the space under the rear bench seat and I have plenty of room and plenty of air space if, I don't use the compartments for life jackets and stuff.  If I can't get the bottom end tight enough, then I'll consider enclosing the 8 inchers.  On the other hand, my wife is asking why I would spend the money on a boat we may only keep this season and to that, I said the only smart thing I could think of ...."because?"...

If you guys would like, I can do some before/after pics.

 

Kevin

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1992 Crownline 182BR (4.3LX 4BBL)
16 yrs and still kicking!