MARINE
Yachts
From an installation standpoint there are some big differences between a wakeboard boat and a fifty foot yacht. Stereo systems are often integrated with chart-plotters and radar systems, Half the boat runs from a shore power/generator fed AC power panel, batteries are bigger, charging systems are more complex. Safe & Sound Marine Electronics specializes in these challenges. No more must you rely on the boat yard. Our mobile service can install and service flat screen TVs, satellite television systems, interior and underwater LEDs, auxiliary batteries and chargers, custom fabricated enclosures and panels, chart plotters, radar systems, custom tablet mounts and of course the biggest and best multi zoned marine audio systems.
Marine Speakers and Amps
The trick to great, loud sound in a boat, is a lot of speakers and a lot of power. On the inside of a boat speakers facing every seating position is always the best bet. Don't worry about just filling factory speaker holes, boats are much more versatile than cars when adding new speakers. When powered by a multi channel marine amplifier, each pair of speakers will have their own level and crossover control. Tower speakers take on an entirely different role. Sound right in your face is fairly easy to achieve, at the end of a ski rope, in open air, you can never have enough, more is always better. Tower speaker enclosures will put sound "in your face" at a great distance. Of course you'll want tower speakers on a separate set of channels from any interior speakers since it will most likely be tuned to be MUCH louder. Since the sound goes right over the interior passengers heads, it's heard primary by the rider at the end of the rope. Subwoofers tend to do well in back compartments of boat, installing the subwoofer last and using a test enclosure is always a good idea. Yes, it's tempting to make decisions based on looks but if the right position is found, more than four times as much bass can be produced.
Auxiliary Batteries
Listening habits in a boat are much different than cars. While underway we tend to consistently play louder and also while the engine is off. Hanging out at the sand bar with music jamming, at loud volumes the average marine starting battery won't last too long. Also, once you drain a standard lead acid battery completely just a few times, it will never come back to 100% charge. It will get worse every time it's drained and recharged. We have two excellent solutions. First is adding a secondary battery. This battery is just for the stereo and other accessories. It is connected to the primary battery and alternator by a solenoid when the engine is started but when the engine is off, the secondary battery only runs the stereo and is completely isolated from the primary. Jam hard all you want and kill the secondary totally dead and the fresh primary will always start the boat. The second solution is using AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries, at roughly the same size they provide almost twice the power. They charge full in almost half the time and most importantly they can be drained and recharged hundreds of times without problems.
Built-in Chargers
After you've drained that battery blasting the stereo at the sand bar, the ten minute trip back to the dock is not going to recharge that battery. A built in charger is the best solution. We stock numerous models that can be installed in the engine compartment and hardwired to the battery(s). No more awkward, clip on battery chargers, simply plug in the boat when not in use. It will also maintain batteries all winter.
Marine Lighting
Lighting really sets off a boat. We could be talking about a million dollar boat and often it’s the relatively inexpensive lighting that grabs the attention. Underwater lighting, ceiling fixtures, accent strips and lighted speakers are just a few of the options. We can tie it all together with custom lighted and labeled switches and/or an app based controller.
