☎ (937) 237-1544 • 🌐 3349 Needmore Rd.
Dayton, OH 45414
☎ (937) 522-0864 • 🌐 3580 Miamisburg Centerville Rd.
West Carrollton City, OH 45449
2 Locations
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Car Stereo Max

Dayton Ohio's Mobile Enhancement Experts

  • Home
  • Services
    • Car Audio
    • Remote Starters
    • Truck Accessories
    • Wheels and Tires
    • Window Tint
  • About Us
  • Locations
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Facebook

Why Do Marine Audio Installations Take Longer?

Marine Installation

Upgrading the stereo system on your boat with new speakers, high-power amplifiers and subwoofers is a great way to make a day on the water a lot more fun. Just be aware that the behind-the-scenes work involved in these installations can take more time and is a lot more complicated than the equivalent work on upgrading a car or truck. Let’s look at a few reasons why marine entertainment system upgrades cost a little more.

Marine-Grade Wiring Ensures Reliability

Depending on whether your boat is used in fresh- or saltwater, marine-grade wiring is either a good idea or an absolute necessity. High humidity levels associated with boats and personal watercraft can accelerate the corrosion process and cause electrical connections to amplifiers, batteries, speakers and source units to fail. Taking precautions like coating connections with dielectric silicone and adhesive-lined heat-shrink tubing can help a lot.

Marine Installation
The SEA4247 from Stinger includes 7 meters of Siamese 4-AWG power and ground cable that is compliant with UL1426 marine standards.

What works even better is for the installer to use dedicated marine-grade cables and wiring. Companies like JL Audio, T-Spec and Stinger offer power cable that includes tinning — a thin coating of tin — on top of each copper strand. This coating helps to prevent corrosion so your sound system will play reliably for years and years.

Marine Installation
JL Audio has a complete line of marine-grade interconnect cables and panel-mount auxiliary input jacks.

Running Wires Takes Time

If an installer has to run a power wire, speaker cable or interconnect to the trunk of a car or truck, they can typically lift the door sill trim panels, raise the carpet and lay the cables in place. Depending on the application, this can be much more difficult in a boat, especially a sailboat. Often, the factory wire harness on a boat runs through dedicated cable channels, but without access, so adding new wiring can be time-consuming. The process may involve removing storage cabinets or upholstery to execute correctly.

If you are planning to add speakers to a wakeboard tower, you’ll want the cables to run inside the tubes for a clean look. Once again, this process takes time. Holes have to be drilled, a wire fish run through the tubing, then the wires pulled afterward. Proper grommets on access holes are paramount to ensuring the system functions reliably. Since most people want to listen to their tower speakers at high volumes, the wire should be relatively large — 14 gauge as opposed to 16 or 18. This added bulk adds further complexity to the install time.

Marine Installation
Sound Depot and Performance in Gainesville upgraded the speakers in this Edgewater Center Console with JL Audio marine speakers.

Ignition-Protected Devices are Mandatory

If your battery bank or electronics share space with your engine or fuel cell, it is mandatory to use American Yacht and Boat Council (ABYC) E-11 or SAE J1171 Ignition-Protected devices. For example, circuit breakers, battery disconnects and any electronics must be designed in a way so they will not ignite a combustible air/fuel mixture. Stinger and T-Spec offer circuit breakers that are compliant. Several companies also offer source units and remote controls that feature Ignition-Protected designs. There have been many cases of explosions due to electronics igniting fuel vapors in the hull or engine compartment of a boat.

Marine Installation
The new Hertz HMD8DSP is an eight-channel amplifier with an integrated digital signal processor that includes configuration options specific to marine environments.

Corrosion-Resistant Fasteners and Water-Resistant Materials

In a car or truck, an installer can create an amp rack or subwoofer enclosure in the spare tire well or behind a seat out of plywood or MDF. The wet conditions of a boat will cause these woods to swell up, deform and fail. Materials like PVC or ABS plastic are commonly used for amplifier mounting panels. Speaker spacers are often cut out of acrylic plastic. Dedicated marine-grade materials like King StarBoard high-density polyethylene (HDPE) have built-in UV protection to ensure they won’t chalk, fade or turn yellow over time. These plastics cost significantly more than wood, adding to the cost of installation.

Marine Installation
Certified Autosound and Security in Maple Ridge created this custom plastic amp panel for a Malibu Wake Setter boat.

When it comes to mounting equipment, especially speakers that are directly exposed to water from splashes and rain, corrosion-resistant stainless-steel fasteners are a must. Again, these fasteners cost a little more than their black oxide or zinc-coated brethren. In the long run, preventing rust and streaks of brown running down your hull makes this upgrade a worthwhile investment.

Professional Marine Electronics Installation Ensures Reliability

Before you ask a friend who’s an electrician or a cousin who used to install car stereos in the ’90s to work on your boat, ensure they have the tools, training and materials to ensure the installation, integration and configuration will result in an audio system that’s enjoyable and reliable. In the same way you’d search for the best painter to create a family portrait, be sure to choose an expert to upgrade the electronics and entertainment systems on your boat.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Related

Filed Under: ARTICLES, Marine Audio, RESOURCE LIBRARY

About BestCarAudio.com

BestCarAudio.com is a showcase for the very best mobile electronics retailers in the world and a place to educate and inform interested consumers about existing and emerging technologies.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About Car Stereo Max

About Us

About Us

Since 2012, the Car Stereo Max team has been delivering top-quality automotive enhancement services to the Dayton and West Carrollton, Ohio, area. From cars, trucks and SUVs to … [Read More...]

Car Audio

Car Audio

When it comes to car audio upgrades in Dayton and West Carrollton, Car Stereo Max has the products and services you … [Read More...]

Window Tinting

Window Tint

When it comes to adding style, comfort and safety to your vehicle, Car Stereo Max in Dayton and West Carrollton offer … [Read More...]

Subscribe to our posts!

Enter your email address to subscribe to our website and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 39 other subscribers

Testimonials

Staff was very nice & professional

Staff was very nice & professional!! Very satisfied with car window tint that I had done. If you have been to the rest of their competition & not satisfied I recommend you go see the best @ Car Stereo Max!!!

Really nice guys and very professional

Paul and Nick are really nice guys and very professional. Their customer service was great and they took care of me and my car. I felt at ease leaving them my car for over 4 hours too. I originally had an appointment for Saturday but they had a cancellation on Thursday and asked if I wanted the slot. Knowing Saturday's weather wasn't looking good for the drive, I jumped on it and brought my car down right away and they installed a new head unit and backup camera on my 2006 Z06. I'm very pleased with the work they did and would definitely recommend this shop to anyone.

Awesome group

Awesome group of people very knowledgeable, helped me get the right equipment and installed it for me. Best prices around.

Exceeded my expectation

Went there to get quiet a few things done and they have exceeded my expectation of work. Everything turned out great and could not ask for better customer service. Will be returning for more work. Thanks guys!  

Footer

Dayton Location

3349 Needmore Road
Dayton, OH 45414
Phone: (937) 237-1544

West Carrollton Location

3580 Miamisburg-Centerville Rd
West Carrollton, OH 45449
Phone: (937) 522-0864

Business Hours

Tuesday9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Copyright © 2025 Car Stereo Max · Privacy Policy · Website by 1sixty8 media, inc. · Log in

 

Loading Comments...