Boat Stereo Installation

[SkunkedAgain]

I'm installing my new boat stereo finally. I've hit my share of hurdles but am getting close to done. I've read the previous posts but have a few questions:

1) Where have folks grounded the stereo? Everything underneath the console of my Navigator is carpet or plastic, except for a metal brace but I doubt that is tied to the boat. Do I need to run a grounding wire all the way to the back of the boat? Is there something on the instrument cluster or power panel that is already running to a grounding point?

2) I bought a powered antennae but don't want to mount it on the console windshield as suggested by the manufacturer. Where did you have yours installed? Under the console? Above the console? Lashed to the gunnel?

3) The last thing that I need to do is drill the speaker holes. They need to be 5 1/8". Home Depot only carried 5" or 6" hole saws. Does any body have a good method for cutting these holes with something else? Maybe I need to borrow a buddy's sawsall?

[Ralph Wiggum]

1) You'll either need to run a ground wire to the battery or find a grounding block. My guess is there is a ground block under your dash. There should be a ground wires coming off of the back of your gauges--check where they are grounded.

2) Can't help you here.

3) Jig saw works well. Rotozip? Dremel with a cutting bit? They don't have to be perfect holes as the speaker will cover up the hole.

[marine_man]

1) Agree with Ralph's comments.. there should be a ground connection behind your dash somewhere... follow all / any black wires to their source and verify with a test light

2) Not sure what kind of powered antenna you have, but I'd mount it the gunnel if possible.

3) A 5" Holesaw should do it with a little dremel / rotozip work where needed.

marine_man

[solbes]

I used a 5" holesaw last spring and it fit fine, even though it said 5 1/8". If it is tight, the dremel idea sounds great. I would not want to attempt with a jigsaw or rotzip, you just get a real nice hole with the holesaws.

BTW, some of the boat manufacturers have pre-cut holes beneath the carpet. My Lund had some on the front face of the rear deck that were already there. Just a few thin tabs of aluminum holding it together the inner circle. Maybe try poking around with a pin if you are mounting in that location.

[norma]

Boats are not grounded like cars, there are positve and negative wires. The boat hull itself is not grounded. Stray current on an alluminum hull in the water = corrosion. Normally black wires are negative, and red is positive, a red with a tracer is often a switched positive, ie. from the power or accessory switch.

[SkunkedAgain]

So I assume that I can just cut a black/ground wire from my dash and then splice in my stereo wire creating a pigtail?

Thanks Solbes. I was hoping to hear that from somebody.

[Ralph Wiggum]

So I assume that I can just cut a black/ground wire from my dash and then splice in my stereo wire creating a pigtail?

I would just trace it back to where it is grounded and hook your stereo ground to the same location.

[SpecialK]

I have always found that splicing wires, while perfectly acceptable, creates headaches later when troubleshooting other issues. Listen to Ralph and trace the wires back to the ground lugs and hook it up there. Try to make the wire run neat as well, you will thank yourself later when you have to stick your head back under there some day.

[SkunkedAgain]

Last night I followed several of the wires marked "GND" from various instruments on the back of my instrument cluster. They all consolidate and get wound tight into a bundle of wires that all heads through a grommet and to the back of the boat. So it sounds like unless I run a wire to the back of the boat, I might be SOL.

[SpecialK]

Is there room in the grommet for another wire or two? If so, and assuming (doh!) that your wires are going thru a tray to the back of the boat, you can use a piece of stiff wire as a puller to guide the new wires thru the tray.

It's pretty easy and quick if you have access to both ends of where the wires are run.

[marine_man]

Last night I followed several of the wires marked "GND" from various instruments on the back of my instrument cluster.

Do you have any ground wires on the back of switches / etc? If so, follow them.. they likely consolidate at a ground block; and if not, you could always buy a piggyback spade connector that would allow you to connect two spade connectors in one spot.

Is there a fuse block near the console? If so, there's likely a ground block there.

marine_man

[SkunkedAgain]

All of the black ground wires went through a bundle and then to the back of the boat (and not through a tray). I ended up snipping one of them and pigtailing it to the ground wires for my stereo and my powered antenna. It worked. I then played around with attaching the red and yellow power wires to different posts on my Accessory switch. I don't have a master power switch so the Accessory switch will do. Right now it just supplies power to my depth finder. After playing with a few configurations, I finally found one where the stereo didn't have constant power but was actually controlled by the switch.

I'll do the final hook up tomorrow after I buy a few more connectors at the boat store. I'll also take some pictures and post them for others, since that would have helped me out.