skydiveD30571
Lieutenant Junior Grade
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2012
- Messages
- 1,042
I know this isn't "boat specific" necessarily, but it will be on my boat and campsite pretty much every weekend.
I had a free weekend to waste, and originally had plans to buff and wax the boat but the 40+mph winds make any outdoor event just total mayhem. So I put the cover on the boat and (45min later) took it back to storage. Time to find a garage project where I can enjoy the sun and temps and not the wind.
I have a float trip coming up, and we talked about having some tunes for the 8 hour commute. Ive seen cooler radios before but didn't know too much about them. There are several manufacturers online, but prices get pretty high pretty quick, and none were really laid out the way I wanted. So I began my own research...picking ideas from several different models. 12 hrs later, here is the result.
For the cooler, I personally wanted one with a split lid and wheels. Wheels are self-explanatory, and the split lid I wanted so that the electronics wouldn't get exposed every time someone reaches in for a beer. This is a 60qt Rubbermaid cooler I happened to find at Home Depot.
The radio is a Clarion CMS-1. It has a commander module that is separate from the radio body and completely waterproof. That way the radio body can be mounted in a secure dry location. It can do AM/FM/Weatherband as well as AUX-IN and USB. Also has a line-out for an amplifier. Speakers are Kicker KM6000 marine coax speakers. I have bought and sold Kicker products for years and always had great luck with them (plus found a heck of a deal for 4). I also laid down some silicone sealant around the speaker holes before mounting the speakers. The idea was to make the exterior splash-proof from the front and sides, as well as rain-proof from above. I'd be very surprised if I failed that part.
Battery is a Duralast Gold Lawn & Garden battery from the advice of bloggers who built these coolers in the past. However I am going to change to a Kinetik HC600 soon. Much smaller and more amp-hrs for the same price. I also used a rocker switch in the top left corner of the front face (not yet installed in top picture) for power on/off. I installed a toggle latch for the left side lid that way it stays down unless I purposely want to open it.
Most cooler radios are just full of wiring and electronics and cannot be used as a cooler anymore. I didn't see the point of this and set out to make mine functional. The divider board is a cutting board from Walmart. Took measurements of the interior and cut it to size. Then mounted a couple wood blocks to support it with, and finished it off with silicone sealant. I have some waterproof speaker backing cups from Poly-Planar in the mail that will cover and protect the speaker holes. The cooler side is 100% separated from the electronics side, and able to fully hold ice/water and cans.
There's still about 35qts of usable space left, and with the small battery the weight is no worse than having cans and ice in that compartment. I haven't run this battery down yet, but according to my math it should be able to run a little over 6 hrs at half volume (which is surprisingly louder than it needs to be). I'm no fan of being rude to others with loud music so it will be kept at moderate levels most of the time. Can't wait to test it out and see what else I can do to modify it! I have plans right now for an LED light on the lid so that I don't accidentally grab a cheap light beer at night in the dark
I had a free weekend to waste, and originally had plans to buff and wax the boat but the 40+mph winds make any outdoor event just total mayhem. So I put the cover on the boat and (45min later) took it back to storage. Time to find a garage project where I can enjoy the sun and temps and not the wind.
I have a float trip coming up, and we talked about having some tunes for the 8 hour commute. Ive seen cooler radios before but didn't know too much about them. There are several manufacturers online, but prices get pretty high pretty quick, and none were really laid out the way I wanted. So I began my own research...picking ideas from several different models. 12 hrs later, here is the result.
For the cooler, I personally wanted one with a split lid and wheels. Wheels are self-explanatory, and the split lid I wanted so that the electronics wouldn't get exposed every time someone reaches in for a beer. This is a 60qt Rubbermaid cooler I happened to find at Home Depot.
The radio is a Clarion CMS-1. It has a commander module that is separate from the radio body and completely waterproof. That way the radio body can be mounted in a secure dry location. It can do AM/FM/Weatherband as well as AUX-IN and USB. Also has a line-out for an amplifier. Speakers are Kicker KM6000 marine coax speakers. I have bought and sold Kicker products for years and always had great luck with them (plus found a heck of a deal for 4). I also laid down some silicone sealant around the speaker holes before mounting the speakers. The idea was to make the exterior splash-proof from the front and sides, as well as rain-proof from above. I'd be very surprised if I failed that part.
Battery is a Duralast Gold Lawn & Garden battery from the advice of bloggers who built these coolers in the past. However I am going to change to a Kinetik HC600 soon. Much smaller and more amp-hrs for the same price. I also used a rocker switch in the top left corner of the front face (not yet installed in top picture) for power on/off. I installed a toggle latch for the left side lid that way it stays down unless I purposely want to open it.
Most cooler radios are just full of wiring and electronics and cannot be used as a cooler anymore. I didn't see the point of this and set out to make mine functional. The divider board is a cutting board from Walmart. Took measurements of the interior and cut it to size. Then mounted a couple wood blocks to support it with, and finished it off with silicone sealant. I have some waterproof speaker backing cups from Poly-Planar in the mail that will cover and protect the speaker holes. The cooler side is 100% separated from the electronics side, and able to fully hold ice/water and cans.
There's still about 35qts of usable space left, and with the small battery the weight is no worse than having cans and ice in that compartment. I haven't run this battery down yet, but according to my math it should be able to run a little over 6 hrs at half volume (which is surprisingly louder than it needs to be). I'm no fan of being rude to others with loud music so it will be kept at moderate levels most of the time. Can't wait to test it out and see what else I can do to modify it! I have plans right now for an LED light on the lid so that I don't accidentally grab a cheap light beer at night in the dark
the speakers are the strongest you'll find in the marine market which isn't necessary at all, and could be a money saver if you went with normal speakers.