Car Stereo in Boat?

TexasX · Aug 29, 2007

Yes, I know a marine stereo should be installed for obvoius reasons, but I have a few car stereos from previous vehicles catching dust. Has anyone installed a car stereo and has had good luck, at least lasting a couple of seasons or possibly longer.

Thanks.

gstanton · Aug 29, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

I just (last winter) put a Sony in ours, since the original was.... crap! Went to Wally World and paid $129 for it. It sounds great. OK. So let's say it lasts 2 years. I can replace it 4 times for the cost of a "Marine Radio" from the marine suppliers. And that is summer in fresh and winter in salt.

Go for it!

wire2 · Aug 29, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

If you have gasoline fumes at the helm that put you at risk of an explosion, you have far worse problems than a non marine radio.

The original factory installed radio in my '84 Glastron was a Sony car radio. Nothing marine about it. The dial indicator was a green light, totally impossible to see in sunlight. I changed it for one with an LCD display.

PondTunes · Aug 29, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

gstanton said:
I just (last winter) put a Sony in ours, since the original was.... crap! Went to Wally World and paid $129 for it. It sounds great. OK. So let's say it lasts 2 years. I can replace it 4 times for the cost of a "Marine Radio" from the marine suppliers. And that is summer in fresh and winter in salt.

Go for it!

Now now not all marine suppliers will charge you $516.00 ($129 x 4) for a "Marine Radio". Keep in mind the 129.00 had a 30% or so mark up on it too. Be sure to shop around on anything you buy! Just because the big "W" has it doesn't mean it's the best deal!

Back to the original question.
Yeah the car radio will work if you have one by all means drop it in but on the same token keep in mind it may very well live a short life if left uncovered in the rain or otherwise manages to get wet inside. As for the gas fumes it's probably unlikely that you have your radio mounted in the bilge where gasoline fumes could collect so an explosion from a car stereo is not really an issue.

If you keep it good and dry (use a splashguard) it should be expected to last as long as in your car.

QuadManiac · Aug 30, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

I agree with Pond totally... The only thing I've noticed with my $100 automotive Sony in the boat is that the CD player doesn't handle chop too well. It has a tendency to drop out when the going is rough and begins playing again once the vibration level has dropped. The tracking just can't keep up with all the bouncing. Cars are usually sprung a little softer than my boat, I guess. Perhaps soft mounting it with a foam surround would mitigate the problem, but it happens pretty infrequently, so I'm going to let it be.

tashasdaddy · Aug 30, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

the 1st radio i had in a boat came out of a 58 ford. been using car radio's ever since. go to the junk yard and pull one.

freddyray21 · Aug 30, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

I think the odds of having gas fumes in enough concentration are minimal and I would put a car radio in mine, but couldn't hear it once the motor is going anyway.

thunderroad · Aug 30, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

I'm on my 4th season with a cheapie Walmart Sony. It's mounted in one of those pivoting, watertight gimbal mounts. They cost around $50 bucks. I'm like you in that I had a bunch of car stereos laying around for various reasons, so the mount was my only expense. If yours is mounted to where you could at least use one of those flip-down, plastic covers, I'd guess it would last indefinitely. They're like 20 bucks or so.

Dunaruna · Aug 30, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

Are you guys saying that 'marine' radio/CD players are spark arrested?

tashasdaddy · Aug 30, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

if you are boating in salt water put the cheapest thing in there, and replace every 2 years. the atmosphere eats them, cheap or expensive.

PondTunes · Aug 30, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

Dunaruna said:
Are you guys saying that 'marine' radio/CD players are spark arrested?

Not exactly... The circuit boards on marine units all claim to have their circuit boards coated with a substance that in the event water infiltrated the unit it could not short out the board. As for the small motors that run the CD player & loading/unloading mechanisms they should also be sealed to prevent any water intrusion and shouldn't produce sparks under normal operation but they are still built with windings and could have brushes both which could potentially cause a spark..

I think the point we were trying to make was unless you install the stereo in the bilge you shouldn't have to worry about gasoline vapors.

QuadManiac · Aug 30, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

most motors that run CD players are now brushless. Much cheaper to control in mass production.

luckyinkentucky · Aug 31, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

I have a Sony Car Stereo in my '95 Skeeter Fish n' Ski. Although, when you go for the speakers, and want to save money go with Alpine. They have a pair of $89 speakers with a 2 yr. warranty on them that are built to the exact standards as marine grade, but they haven't been tested so they don't advertise it. It's a 'No Questions asked' replacement warranty, so you just have to take them back where you bought them and they will give you a new pair.

My stereo sounds a lot better than most Marine radios out there for some reason. I always have people asking me what kind of system I have, and when I tell them they just act surprised.

Here's a link to the speakers I have. They are cheaper at the stereo shop I buy my stuff from.

http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/products/product.php?model=SPS-17C2

beerfilter · Aug 31, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

I have had plenty of stereos in my Jeeps , over the years , and they are the next thing to a boat .
You will not have a lot of problems unless you saturate/submerge it .
Speakers ?
I like Polk Audio .
Got em for my home theater system and my Jeeps .
If you get the MoMo's , they are marine rated .

Nothing in my boat just now , real estate is precious in a 12 footer .
When I get a 16-18' boat , I will have a decent system with satellite radio .
For now , I just listen to the river , the wind in the trees , and ,the spine - tingling wails of bank fisherman finding the patches of stinging nettles...

miswirvin · Sep 1, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

Everybody here is giving great advise. Boaters World has a CD player for 139.99 Marine Grade and if you go with a extended warranty, Then you have no worries for the unit. It will go no matter what price/brand you buy, Trust me I had every brand in one of my boats. Marine radio is the way to go. The rust issue alone is worth the extra expence. Just remember you get what you pay for. Good luck

Monkaroo · Sep 1, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

tashasdaddy said:
the 1st radio i had in a boat came out of a 58 ford. been using car radio's ever since. go to the junk yard and pull one.

Good answer

lol

Firestar · Sep 1, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

Put the car stereo in. You won't have any issues. You will get much more for your money with the car stereo. The "marine" stereos are a marketing ploy. Anything with am "M",motorcycle,marine, attached to it's description in stereos especially will only double or triple the cost......not the performance.
Engine related parts are a totally different story.
There is no way that a car stereo will blow up your boat. That's ridiculous.

jimmy245 · Dec 29, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

Always put the car stereo and car speakers in. Marine stereo gear doesn't measure up. My Alpine stereo/CD player (plus power Amp) and 4 Boston speakers blow away everybody elses' Marine gear which often costs 4 to 5 times as much. People that ride in my boat cannot believe the sound!!

achris · Dec 29, 2007

Re: Car Stereo in Boat?

Years ago I put a real cheap unit from one of the electronics shops in the boat. In-house brand. At the time I bought it I also bought a can of spray-on lacquer. When I got home I removed the cover and sprayed the circuit boards and the insides of the case liberally with the lacquer. Lasted about 15 years, and the reason is died was the string on the tuner broke, no digital tuners back then. I also put speakers in that were not paper cone, they were acrylic. I have just put a cheapie Kenwood radio/MP3 player in, but I'm still using the acrylic speakers. Sounds just as good as paper.

Chris..........

Car Stereo in Boat?

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