Marine Stereo System: Enjoy Some Great-Sounding Tunes When Boating
While exposure to poor and challenging weather isn’t something you would happily indulge in normally, when it comes to exploring the sea it can be a big part of the adventure. Sailing can provide you a lot of health benefits, despite being exposed to adverse weather conditions. Embarking on a journey at sea can help improve your immune system thanks to challenging weather conditions. Your decision-making and organisational skills are also being tested.
Furthermore, you get to improve your cardiovascular fitness level and increase muscle strength and endurance. Plus, sailing can help improve your agility and concentration, and lower your stress levels. This type of activity is a great escapism and form of relaxation. Everything about sailing from steering to storing your boat is fun, but sometimes you just want to unwind surrounded by the blue ocean waters and your favourite tunes, for which you’ll need a marine radio system.
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Do I Need a Marine Stereo for My Boat?
Unless you like the peaceful setting of the sea on a calm day, there is no reason why you shouldn’t get a boat radio. Unlike a regular radio or your smartphone, a quality marine stereo can withstand the rigours of the sea and provide quality sound at the same time. It’s both a long-lasting and a higher quality option than your phone and traditional radio system, both of which don’t really want water anywhere near them. That being said, if you’ve bought a marine stereo, or are planning on buying one before your next trip in the ocean, knowing how to install it and remove the old one can go a long way in saving you time and nerves.
Marine Stereo Installation
Once you get the marine stereo of your choice that fits in the cabin of your boat, it’s time to put it to work. Before you install your new boat radio you’ll need some tools, such as wire strippers, electrical tape, wrenches, screwdrivers, and a panel removal tool. If your boat has an old factory stereo, or you just want to replace the old one that’s been sitting on the boat for years you’ll need to take them out before installing the new one.
How to Remove Marine Stereo?
- While not all boat radios are the same, the removal process is roughly about the same with some minor differences here and there. If your old stereo system relies on spring clips, the process is quite easy and you’ll only need a pair of DIN tools. You just slide the tools in and they will release the stereo from the clips, and all you need to do after is take it out.
- If you have a stereo that’s mounted by bolts, you’ll need to pry off the trim on the panel where it’s mounted and remove the bolts holding the stereo. Once you remove the bolts you just pull out the stereo. Here, you’ll need a wrench, screwdriver and the panel removal tool.
- If your old stereo system sits on a rail system, you’ll have to put in a bit more effort removing the rails. However, if the new stereo you bought relies on the same rail system you won’t have to remove the rails.
How to Wire a Boat Stereo System
- Before you mount your new stereo though, you’ll first need to wire it correctly. Wiring takes a bit more time and effort but when done correctly everything will work just fine. First, make sure that all the wiring harnesses and colour coded wires of the stereo match the ones on your boat.
- Once that’s done, you’ll need to solder the wires as some of them do not come with clips. Other wires will require you to crimp them in order to connect them to the corresponding wires on the boat. Make sure to read the instruction manual that comes with your stereo, as not every stereo system uses the exact same colour coding. Some use different colours for certain wires.
- Take your time when connecting the wires as one single mistake can sometimes make all your work be in vain. Carefully read through the instruction manual, and if you need to, double-check every step before you even start doing any wiring. Once you’re done with wiring your new stereo, mount it the same way the old one was mounted. You just need to reverse the steps you took above and you’re done.
- When mounting the new stereo, make sure to install the source unit before installing the amplifier. Lastly, you can connect and install the speakers. Just make sure they are positioned in the correct places on the boat. If your boat doesn’t have designated areas for speakers you can decide where you want to install them on your own, just make sure to take this into account before you start the installation process.
