# Ski boat setup



## Russianblue (May 6, 2007)

I am helping a buddy of mine install some gear into his new ski boat. the boat has holes for four 6 1/2 drivers. i figure he should start with four 6.5's and an amp.....looking at a basic Class D Alpine or similar....75wpc or so.

I am curious if any of you has done boat installs before and what are some of the obvious pitfalls to look for and suggestions from experience. Obviously, weatherproofing everything would be key. i want to know things such as:

ideas for proper enclosures for the mids. there is a lot of room for behind the speaker holes.
ever have grounding issues? 
do speakers get blown all the time from cranking them too high when the motor is running (i.e. you suggest i under-spec the amp power)?
seems like you would need a TON of subwoofer and power to hear any kind of bass out on the water. is that true?
would it be worthwhile to enlarge the driver holes and go with slightly bigger drivers - 7". 
is it better to simply focus on strong mids and highs? 
audiophile quality is not of paramount importance as much as PARTY-o-PHILE quality. 
budget is probably about $1200-1500 for speakers and amp. 

thanks!


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## Chaos (Oct 27, 2005)

Sure, we frequently install "party systems" in boats this time of year.

It's basically the same routine as cars, only you need to use marine-grade speakers everywhere, and obviously need to run both power & ground wires straight from the battery for the amp. Depending on where the amp is installed, you probably don't need the marine version for that, but it's not a bad idea. I wouldn't bother trying to fit slightly larger speakers - chances are that you'll never know the difference anyway, so there's no point in spending the extra time & money to make them fit.

For subs, any enclosure you build out of wood will need to be completely sealed with resin, or, if there is a good place to mount it, you could just install the sub on any baffle that is sturdy enough to hold it.

I suggest the marine line from Rockford Fosgate, but there are plenty of others to choose from as well.


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## Tbagg (Mar 15, 2008)

I agree with Chao's on just about everything said. 

I will add that you will have a probelm getting sound out of the boat and into the water unless you can mount your speakers up high on a wakeboard tower or somthing similar. I installed a nice, and loud party system in my boat. Sounds great while in the boat, but once we anchor at the sand bar and hang out in the water, the sound we hear decreases. 

These days, it seems like a lot of manufacturers have a marine line. I really like Image Dynamic stuff and I believe everything they make is marine rated. Polk Audio and JL also have nice marine rated items. 

For your budget, you'll be able to put together a nice system, but if getting sound out of the boat is a concern, your buddy may want to consider budgeting for a wakeboard tower.


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## Russianblue (May 6, 2007)

thanks guys for your input. for some reason i wasn't being notified of replies.

i had a feeling that was the case with regard to the sound carrying out of the boat. for this guy in particular, with 3 little girls under 10, i think he's fine with that. now when they are 18, 16 and 14 (God help him), he may want to convert to something with more of a park and play/DJ/sandbar setup.

i am curious about boats in particular though and whether in a boat you need more power/hardware relative to a car. seems like with the background noise you would need system that is twice as powerful or more (2x is for lack of a better description as i understand that power and db output aren't linear).

but i could be (and probably am) overthinking this, i know. let's just say you had four 6.5s in a sedan and 75w per channel. let's say the output at 70% volume was about 95db - more than loud enough for the non-enthusiast and at a high quality level.

would it stand to reason that you would need...say....110db in a boat to have a comparable experience while idling through a wake-free zone with a 6 cylinder inboard?

i am just throwing out numbers and engine sizes here. i don't know the actual stats.


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## Tbagg (Mar 15, 2008)

Russianblue said:


> thanks guys for your input. for some reason i wasn't being notified of replies.
> 
> i had a feeling that was the case with regard to the sound carrying out of the boat. for this guy in particular, with 3 little girls under 10, i think he's fine with that. now when they are 18, 16 and 14 (God help him), he may want to convert to something with more of a park and play/DJ/sandbar setup.
> 
> ...


Your logic makes sense, but I found this not to really be the case, especially idling through no wake zones. I have (4) 6.5" comps (2 sets) geting 50 watts (a little more, my amp is under rated) and 1 10" sub geting around 300-400 watts and it truely is plenty of sound. In fact, it sounds better than my truck where I have more than twice the power and spent 2x the $ on! Kind of frustrating...

If you'r buddy isn't concerned with setting up a DJ booth at the sand bar on the weekends, and just wants something that sounds good but can get decently loud, you'll be happy if you approach this build as if it were a car.

BTW, I feel your buddies pain, I have three duaghters myself!


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