I want to put a stereo in my boat but I really dont know a whole lot about them. I think I want to do 2 marine speakers in the side of my gunbox. All I want to be able to do is hook my Ipod up to it so first question is: Do they make an amp that you can just hook straight to your Ipod instead of having to hook up a head unit? Also I figured I could just mount all this inside the gunbox and just have an extra battery only for the stereo. Will the stereo drain the battery to fast if I hook it to the cranking battery. I figured it would since it doesnt start charging till 2k rpms. I also would like to put the switch, like the kind they put on ski boats, on my grab bar so I can change the music from there. So what kind of components would you recommend? Is there anything I am missing?
Thanks in advance

I'm wanting to do the same. I was thinking about trying a lawnmower battery. I've been stranded before and very hesitant to use my cranking battery. Not long ago WEA posted up that he got a remote that will operate an iPhone or ipod... Can't remember. It was only like 30$. I can't decide whether to mount in my boat or make an ice chest radio. I may end up mounting in the boat because I have a smaller boat so I don't have to sacrifice the room to put the box.

Tapatalk 2

You can make a small radio cooler with 6" speakers in a small cooler. Small lawnmower battery from autoparts store and a cheap amp with either 2 or 4 channels.

The I-Pod remote I bought works for me. Amazon had it.

Vertically Driven Products makes a compact amp with an Audio in. That will power some decent sized speakers.
U can find alot of products around the Atv $ Utv market for those type of items.

A lot better sounds out of a cooler than a big box.

checkout partyinmycooler.com their a little pricey but they sound good.

poly planar mp3 stereo kit. I have installed them in several boats, golf carts and other equipment. They work great. I order the kits with black speakers. It's a slick set up and pretty straightforward install.

http://www.polyplanar.com/product/mp3ki ... -combo-kit

you can find them online for about $120

I made stereos from our mud bikes. Use a motor fuel amp like pyramid 300. I has two outputs. We rant hem on atvs with small battery's so draw will not be a issue. I ran 4 6.5 3 way marines off of mine and you could not talk to my wife on the back. We put them in PVC to make it water proff but if you mount everything in gun of you will be fine. The input is the red & black coaxle. The amp is around. 5" long 4" wide it fit inside 6" PVC

buy this amp!! 4-channel 400 watt (peak) You cant beat it for the price plus its small and doesn't get in the way. also comes with ipod /aux plug that you can flush mount in your boat. I have this amp with two infinity 6" speakers and it sounds great. I still have two channels and left on the amp thinking about bridging them and putting in a 8" sub. I will see if I have some pics I can upload.

http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PLMRMP3A-4-C ... marine+amp

Looks like these guys have got you pretty well squared away with the amp. I put a head unit in mine, which works great, but you already said you didn't wanna go that route. As for the speakers, I used a large hole saw to cut out the holes in my middle bench seat (facing me) and in the bulkhead that separates my front dry storage from my fuel tank (facing the middle bench seat). I think the two compartments act as speaker boxes and really amplify the sound, as it's loud as SH!T and has great bass. I went with Bazooka speakers only because they were the only ones that I could find in camo , and they work better than I would have ever thought. The only thing that I can tell you is to make sure that your compartment hatches fit pretty tightly and/or add some sort of rubber weather stripping to keep them from rattling when you've had a few too many and "Ice Ice Baby" comes on your iPod...

The amp in the kit I listed is small. I typically mount them in the left rear corner of jon boats under the brace from the side to transom. Don't have any experience with the other poly amps but the one in the kit recently changed. Both have been compact and got the job done.

Coot would just 2 of the 6.5 bazookas sound good and be enough ya think?

Tapatalk 2

I would think so. I'd put them pretty close to or facing the driver if you want to be able to hear them when you're running. I noticed the other day when I was sitting on the bow drinking a beer that with the front speakers under me and the extended deck pointed away from me that I couldn't really hear them near as well as I could hear the ones in the back. From there, it sounded like the speakers were mounted in the transom from the way the sound was bouncing off the back of the boat. The one thing I wouldn't do is mount them all the way in the back facing forward. A buddy of mine has them that way, and it sounds great at a stop, but when you're running, it's impossible to hear them in the back since the sound is coming from the same direction as the engine noise.

Mine sounds pretty good. 4 Sony 6.5" marine speakers and a 600 watt marine amp. iPhone hooks up using RCA cables and a Pyle iPod connection.

Little over $300 invested. All bought off eBay.





I have an extra battery in the box that runs the radio, trolling motor and spotlights. If course they are not always used at the same time, but when they are, this keeps them all going.




I wouldn't change a thing.

I'll probably do 2 in the front under the front deck and 2 in the bench facing me just to make sure I have enough sound. Thanx

Tapatalk 2

I'm putting another set of JBL 6x9s in the front two storage boxes on my fiberglass bay boat. The only way to run wire up there is all the way to the bow where the trolling motor wires are run. From there I have to backtrack back towards the stern where the boxes are located.
I use these boxes for storage of all kinds of stuff and I'm worried about the wires getting pulled out when someone jerks out a lifejacket or whatever...
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I should secure the speaker wire? Ideally Id like to run speaker wire clamps, but how can I attach them to the fiberglass? I might be able to drill small screws in a few places, but i dont think that would work everywhere.

they make these little 1x1 and 2x2 squares that have raised pieces to zip tie wires out of the way. they have some they mount with double stick tape and where possible you can also put a screw through the middle

http://www.showmecables.com/product/Cab ... 7QodBnwAsA

They should have some like this at home depot or lowes for pretty cheap.

Med I did two 6.5 bazookas and a 300 watt amp under the front overhang by my gas tank. I can't imagine having it any louder than that. I hooked my phone and iPod directly to the amp and it's awesome.

Thanks Sammyc. I'll just get 2 then.

Tapatalk 2

Screw that, I say stick with the 4 Bazooka's. Mine's LOUD AS F%CK!

http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PLMRKT4A-4-C ... yle+marine

How about this? Any reason it wouldnt be ok?

what i have that works very good and low profile, a simple box with 2-6.5" and 2-5.25" speakers in a box with an amp with a aux cable coming off my amp out of the box and using troll motor battery as the power source works very good and you just use your ipod to turn the volume up or down