How/where to put in a stereo in my (new to me) Triton 175 fishing boat?

Cuppy420

Petty Officer 3rd Class
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Oct 20, 2024
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I've never installed one on a boat and any recommendations is helpful
 

ESGWheel

Chief Petty Officer
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Aug 29, 2015
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469
While mounting a hardwired stereo presents an issue of the where to put the head unit due to the space requirements, the space for the speakers is also an issue as well as being able to run the needed wires to all. So that needs to be part of the equation.

Since not familiar with your boat, I checked out a couple of walkthrough videos folks have posted but they did not have stereos. Nice boat but wow, where to put a stereo? Perhaps you already did this as well > I checked out a few “for sale” ones and did not see any pics with a stereo. But not to despair, I think there are multiple possible solutions.

If you are playing tunes from your iPhone a portable (and rechargeable) Bluetooth speaker is an option. Something like this link. It’s cheap enough that if goes overboard / gets lost its not that big of a deal.

Next step up would be to hard mount a couple of Bluetooth speakers, no head unit required. While these (link) are meant for mounting on a wakeboard tower, etc. it gives you an idea of possibilities. They do require hardwiring and this setup requires one speaker to be connected to the other, so getting a wire across your boat needs to be considered.

For a full head unit (AM, FM, Bluetooth, weather band) an incredibly small unit like this unit (link) requires only a cutout for the head unit of 3” diameter. Can tuck that baby anywhere! But again, will need to hard wire and run wires to both speakers.

My suggestion is to explore where and how you can run wires to determine both feasibility and degree of difficulty and base your decision on that. If nothing else that first choice of a portable BT speaker gets you going with some tunes at an affordable price point while you get comfortable with your new boat and have a better feel of what you would be ultimately comfortable with.

And please post your thoughts and decision for others to benefit from. Thanks!
 

Cuppy420

Petty Officer 3rd Class
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Oct 20, 2024
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79
Awesome feedback thank you that really does tell me a lot. I'm going to keep exploring ideas but I like the Bluetooth speaker idea
 

eggs712

Petty Officer 1st Class
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May 8, 2012
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342
I mounted a 500W Bluetooth speaker bar on my center console. It's a wired connection for power, but it's plenty loud while running at speed and is much less invasive than installing a stereo.
 

Cuppy420

Petty Officer 3rd Class
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Oct 20, 2024
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I mounted a 500W Bluetooth speaker bar on my center console. It's a wired connection for power, but it's plenty loud while running at speed and is much less invasive than installing a stereo.
Heard
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
Staff member
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Jul 23, 2011
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49,578
Not much room in the triton. You may be looking at a remote head unit and speaker pods under the pedestal seats, or surface mounts on the vertical walls on the fore or aft casting platforms

Most center console fishing boats put the NMEA head unit under the leaning post or in the E-box and the speakers are in the T-top

 

Cuppy420

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Oct 20, 2024
Messages
79
Not much room in the triton. You may be looking at a remote head unit and speaker pods under the pedestal seats, or surface mounts on the vertical walls on the fore or aft casting platforms

Most center console fishing boats put the NMEA head unit under the leaning post or in the E-box and the speakers are in the T-top

Yeah that's what I was afraid of.
 

Cuppy420

Petty Officer 3rd Class
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Oct 20, 2024
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79
No room for one of these?


Not much bigger than a full sized gauge. I was looking at these a while back to replace my POS Jensen MS3A...
Lol...I wish I could afford it. I'm looking at a cheap jvc with speakers from wal mart. I really don't need much else
 

briangcc

Commander
Joined
Jul 10, 2012
Messages
2,360
That's probably not where I would look.

Check other sources...Crutchfield has a marine section with a marine MB Quart package (includes 2 speakers) at about $140.

There are other discount audio sources out there...Google is your friend.
 

Cuppy420

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Oct 20, 2024
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79
That's probably not where I would look.

Check other sources...Crutchfield has a marine section with a marine MB Quart package (includes 2 speakers) at about $140.

There are other discount audio sources out there...Google is your friend.
Crap! I totally forgot about crutchfield!! Thank you!!
 

Grub54891

Admiral
Joined
Jun 17, 2012
Messages
6,078
My stereo quit working 5 years ago. I never used it as I like to listen to nature. A pontoon went by the cabin with a stereo blasting, several people onboard. Nobody could even talk to each other! Big nope from me.
 

dingbat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
16,081
FYI......
Know a guy who was an acoustics Engineer for the Navel Research laboratory who was also a Charter Boat Captain.

Shared some recordings of a group of guys fishing in a boat above him.
In 70' of water, music and voices sounded like he was sitting in the boat with them.

Foot steps and any thing dropped on the floor would wake up the dead..
 

Cuppy420

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Oct 20, 2024
Messages
79
FYI......
Know a guy who was an acoustics Engineer for the Navel Research laboratory who was also a Charter Boat Captain.

Shared some recordings of a group of guys fishing in a boat above him.
In 70' of water, music and voices sounded like he was sitting in the boat with them.

Foot steps and any thing dropped on the floor would wake up the dead..
That's interesting
 
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