Car stereo in boats???

[Firediver32]

I just bought a 23 foot trophy! It has an AM FM stereo...wife wants a cd player... any reason I can't put a used car stereo in its place. (I have one available)

 

[herman]

It will work fine for a while but don't be surprized if it dies in a year or 2, the salt air is killer on the delicate mechanics of the CD player and salt spray on the laser transmitter and reciever is not going to be good for it. Another suggestion, don't rely on the radio on/off switch, instead put the radio on a dedicated switch. A radio turned way down but not off will kill a battery in day or 2....been there had to jump start the boat. A better option would be a plain FM radio and use a FM transmitter with a MP3 player. You could put a lot more music on it and also protect it with a zip lock baggie

 

[Cacia]

We just plug the i-pod into the cigarette lighter. Jb has one of those silicone rubber covers on it....

Congratulations on the boat!!!

When we are diving we switch to one battery. I keep an eye on the amp meter which is fine now, but for awhile before I bought new marine batteries (AT COSCO!), it was draining a little fast. (they were dry)

 

[Thalassamania]

Once upon a time I saw a box that looked like an "UNGO" box with a hinged and o-ring sealed cover. It was desigend for just what you are proposing. Look in the J.C. Whitney catalog and at West Marine.

 

[Donnie1442000]

The marine radios have the electronics sealed and the circuit boards are hot dipped to keep the moisture out. O’ya then they charge twice as much. SO can you put it in yes and it will work for a while. Eventually it will corrode up from the inside out and will need to be replaced. But if you are not going to use it for anything else hey it’s free. I’ve found the sealed radio boxes do a really good job of holding the moisture in. I don’t know but I would imagine putting a dehumidifier in the console while it’s parked in the driveway may help it last a bit longer.

 

[The Chad]

Congrats on the boat! Scuba and boating, now you are doomed to be broke. Problems I've found with a car cd player is they skip. Fosgate makes a good marine one that hardly does but its a rip off. If you have an I-pod just find a deck with inputs and go that route. The cig lighter plug is okay in a car, run it trough a couple of amps and I'd rather turn it off. If you have a deck just lying around just put it in and use it till it dies

 

[Wildcard]

That is exactly what I was going to add. CDs work fine while sitting still but not while bouncing off the waves. Think cheap head unit with quality water resistant speakers. They are after all, what makes the sound. Ever hook up a crap stereo and a great stereo to the same quality speakers? They sound nearly identical. I once worked as a car stereo installer. It would kill eme to put a high end head unit in with crap speakers as I knew it would sound only as good as the speakers.

 

[The Chad]

So true, and stay away from Boss speakers if your sending alot of power to em. I found out the hard way.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Is it a new boat? When we bought our ski boat it had AM/FM, we asked the dealer to swap it for one with a CD player and we just payed the difference.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Firediver32]

Its a used boat. I know the stereo won't last forever, but in upstate NY we hve a short season, and once I get everything I initally need, I can upgrade to a marine stereo, when the old one dies. Thanks for all the help.