There are few things more enjoyable than sitting on the water in your boat in summer, relaxing, and listening to music. But, if your boat doesn’t have speakers, the image might not be as good as you would like it to be.
If you are new to the world of wakeboard tower speakers, we have some tips for you on getting them all set up. The process is not terribly difficult, but you still will want to make sure that you are installing them correctly so that you can hear the sound well and that the speakers will last as long as possible.
Why do you need Speakers?
Before we go into what you need to install speakers, let’s explain why you would want them. There has been a trend in recent years of installing speakers so they are pointed behind a boat, allowing wakeboarders or water skiers to rock out while on the water. Otherwise, it is usually the passengers in the boat who would like to enjoy some music while out on the water.
Supplies
First, let’s talk about the supplies that you should have in order to successfully install the speakers.
- The speakers that you are installing: make sure that they are marine speakers or you will fry them very quickly.
- Marine-grade speaker wire
- Diagonal cutters
- Crimping tool
- Crimp-on female spade terminals
- Screwdrivers
- Power drill
- Electrician’s snake to run the wires
- Spool of cord to pull the wires
- Wire looms
- Zip Ties
It isn’t that you will for sure need all of these items, but your life will be a lot easier if you have them.
Now, let’s talk about how to install the speakers.
Steps To Install The Speakers
Step 1:
The first thing that you would need to do is figure out how many speakers you are working with and where you would want to have them mounted on your boat. To get the best sound quality, your pairs need to be opposite of each other and face the centerline. You will want to keep the distance apart as big as you can get to give you the best surround-sound.
Typically, a boat will have room to have anywhere from one to three pairs of tower speakers, and normally they are placed by the seat bases to the inwales. They should point to where your listeners will be so that they can hear the music well.
You will want to run speaker wires to the places you have chosen and secure the wires before you move on to anything else. It is important to remember that you should not put the speakers in a location where they are likely to be damaged or might get hit by anything. This should rule out the deck level as a good location for the speaker. Likewise, the speakers shouldn’t be near any kind of instruments that they could interfere with, like a compass.
Step 2:
Now that you have established the right location for the speakers, you need to measure the spaces to make sure the speakers will fit. This means measuring all of the dimensions, including the width, depth, and height of the speakers.
Something else to think about, since we are talking about size, is that your speakers don’t need to all be the same. They generally come in pairs, so each set will need to be the same size, but you can get different sets in different sizes to better match the available spaces on the boat.
Step 3:
Now that you have the right size of speakers and know where you would like them to be installed, you can get onto the actual installation. The first thing to do here is to trim and attach a template to the surface you are mounting the speakers. You will need to cut a hole for the mount, so follow the speaker instructions on his bit, since different speakers will require different sizes of holes.
Once the appropriate holes have been marked and drilled, you will want to bevel the hole to make sure there’s no risk of cracking. There should be a foam gasket to put on the back of the speaker so that you can align it with the mounting holes. Then, you will need to attach the speaker wires to the spade fittings, making sure they all line upright.
Now you should be able to slide the speaker onto the hole that you have made and lock it down with the mounting screws. You should be all set to connect the wiring now and get them up and going. The speakers should come with detailed information that is specific to that type of speaker as well.
Now you can finish getting them up and start jamming to your favorite tunes on your boat.
Also Read: How Musicians Use SoundCloud to Grow Their Audience?
You made an interesting point when you mentioned that there has been a recent trend of installing speakers on a boat. If you are installing speakers on your boat, you would probably want to get a set that puts out quality sound. Purchasing from an electronics supplier seems like a good way to get a good set of speakers.