O.K. I have been approached to do an install in a boat. I have never done this before. I know that I won't be able to apply all the same rules as in car audio.I don't even know how big the boat is, except that it's BIG. I do know that the owner is going to want to get loud. I am hoping to talk to anyone with a little experience in the marine field. I would like to know some solutions to problems like exposure, and sound quality in a very unstable environment. how about bass? how am I going to get this thing sounding decent? I am planing on meeting him to look over the boat and come up with a system that will please him and annoy everyone else on the river. I plan to keep it simple, probably either 2 or 3, 6 1/2 component sets ,a cd changer ,plenty of amplifier power, and as far as subs go, I am open to suggestions. Any advice on brands and specific products known to stand up to some abuse. hopefully not too outrageous in price, but I realize the right components will run a little high. Thanks.
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-Mark
I have a couple of suggestion on brands....Kenwood makes a unit, as well as a company called Secret Audio that has a seperate control unit with an external control head/display. The Secret Audio can be purchased with your choice of an IR or RF remote, in your case the RF would be the best choice for another $10 or $20 since IR is line of site only. I'm not sure about the Kenwood model as far as a remote. The Secret Audio unit is $199 with an IR remote, the CD is a seperate unit that plugs into the control box that I believe holds 6 CDs, it adds a couple hundred to the price. The control head/display is connected via ribbon cable and can be mounted just about anywhere, it looks like the face of a radio with nothing behind it. I looked into these models for use in my street rod but have not purchased one as of yet. The Kenwood model is actually sold as a marine radio just for the application that you are up against. The Kenwood radio is real hard to get info on, you may want to speak to a Marine dealer. The Secret Audio can be seen by searching for Secret Audio on the Web, it's not hard to find and everyone has the same price from what I have seen. Hope this helps!
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HotRod
O.k. I checked out the secret audio, and it looks plenty flexible. thanks hotrod. just about perfect for my intentions. has anyone actually used one? Anybody got a good idea for a sub system that will still get low in an uninclosed space like a boat?
Hey Mark,
I 've done a few boats in my time working mostly with Clarion products. Take a look here: https://www.ungo.com and go to MARINE on the menu. Why Clarion? This is not just car stuff painted white. The amps for example are anti-corrosion plated, the P.C. boards are coated, their 10" sub is water-proof ( hose-em down ), etc...I don't work for Clarion although this sounds like a sales pitch. I'm just telling ya what works ( no come-backs ).
A boat needs mega watts because of their open air characteristics and multiple speakers - basically forget staging.
The subs are usually not a problem to install under benches and enclosed.
Look into C.D.'s with at least 40 seconds of buffering for glitch free sound and digital radio is becoming an option.
IR remotes don't work well if at all because of sunlight so prepare your customer for that.
If you need to drill triple check as repairs can be very costly.
Thereafter just apply good install techiques as you would for car audio.
Take pictures and share-em with us! 
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