How to Select a Boat Audio System?

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When I was a kid growing up near the New Jersey Shore, I recall there hardly was a day that went by in the summer when I wasn't out on either my boat or a friend's.  Back when gas was around twenty five cents a gallon, we'd spend all day long speeding around the Barneget Bay.  In those days, the only option for music was bringing along a decent portable transistor radio.  Boy how things have changed since those simple times.  Today most boat audio systems would compete with your high end car or truck's sound system.

Today it would be near impossible to find yourself on someone's boat which didn't have a great sounding stereo system.  The single biggest mistake that boat owners make is buying a cheap car sound system and installing it into their boat hoping to save money.  This usually proves to be a complete waste of their hard earned money since car stereo products are not made to stand up to the constantly damp environment.  Just speak to any sales person in a custom car sound shop along the Jersey shore and see how many customers come in with bad components after use in their boats.  Sorry but its a fact of life, when installing a sound system in a boat, always be sure to spend a few bucks more and buy marine grade electronics.

Today's boat receivers are capable of playing CD's, MP3, WMA files and many will receive satellite radio and have connections for your MP3 player as well.  Remember that unlike the competing with the road noise in your car, the boat environment has a lot of competing noise to overcome.  In most cases you'll you'll need a audio power amplifier to drive your speakers with enough power to overcome the noisy boat environment.

Although these components might be called as marine grade, you should be aware that this will mean they use materials that will prohibit corrosion and they are never water proof.  So care has to be given as to the location of your installation.  This is a good reason to consider the wired remote control units which enables the amplifier and receiver to be mounted inside a cabin while the remote can be outside exposed to the elements.  Of course your speakers have to be out on deck as well since this is where most of your time will be spent.  So care should be taken to install them in locations where they will not be exposed to constant splashing from waves. If you intend on installing a good audio system in your boat, be sure to click through and read the entire article on Selecting a Boat Audio System.