A customer from Ocala, Florida, recently called Sound Depot and Performance about installing a new audio system in an airboat he had just purchased. We have worked with this client before on several audio systems in other boats, so we know how he likes his music to sound. He’s easygoing, and likes high-quality equipment and accurate sound. He sent us pictures of his new GTO Performance airboat, and we were able to design a system from those. Installing airboat audio was a unique project, but a fun one for us at Sound Depot.
After giving his approval, he dropped the airboat off, and our team spent two-and-a-half days on installing the system you see here. Check out this amazing build we did for our client below.
Efficient Speakers
The boat came with a very basic audio system. We installed a Fusion marine radio and some speakers in a centrally located storage locker. We removed the original speakers and enlarged the openings so we could install a set of JL Audio M880-CG-TB 8.8-inch coaxial speakers. To provide additional output, we mounted a pair of JL Audio M880-ETXv3-CG-TB 8.8-inch wakeboard tower enclosure speakers under the front seat and pointed them toward the bow of the airboat.
To mount the tower enclosure speakers, one of our technicians cut two strips of aluminum and attached them to the seat frame with stainless steel hardware. JL Audio has optional surface mounting kits for its tower speakers called the M-MCPv3-DM. These are called deck-mount kits and allow the tower speakers to be attached to a flat surface instead of having to use the tube clamps that come with the enclosure.
Electronics
We cut a piece of white Starboard – a weather-resistant plastic composite that has similar properties to wood – and mounted it to the rear of the storage compartment. This would serve as the system’s amp rack. A pair of JL Audio Marine HD series amplifiers powers the system. An MHD600/4 powers the four 8.8-inch speakers, and an MHD750/1 powers the system’s subwoofer.
The GTO Performance includes an aluminum enclosure inside the storage locker for the Fusion radio. We kept the radio and the wired remote the boat came with in the system at the client’s request. The wired remote is in the console between the upper seats to make it easy to see and use.
We protected all of the power and speaker connections and terminations with water-resistant heat-shrink tubing. This type of heat-shrink tubing has a flexible adhesive inside, similar to hot-glue. When heated, it seals around the wire to keep moisture out and make it nearly impossible for the connection to come apart. We used MESA 4-AWG power cable to feed each amplifier and protected the system with a Stinger SCBM150 circuit breaker that we mounted to the underside of the storage locker.
Subwoofers
The client likes his bass, so we chose a JL Audio FS110-W5-SG-TB fiberglass subwoofer enclosure for the system. We mounted the enclosure under the storage locker and pointed the subwoofer downward. This took some time and patience since we had to remove the subwoofer, locate the mounting position, mark and drill the mounting holes, secure the enclosure in place, and then re-install the subwoofer. In this location, there was no access room for our cordless drill to mount the sub quickly. No worries – our guys don’t mind a little manual labor on occasion.
The enclosure is home to a single M10W5 subwoofer and features a completely water-resistant design and gloss-black finish. All of the equipment we installed on the boat is marine-grade. As a result, the materials used to manufacture these products will not yellow, chalk, fade or crack under the harsh Florida sun.
Tuned And Loud!
With the system complete, we moved to our tuning and configuration process. Most cars and trucks we work on don’t have full-range speakers as large as these, so it was very loud as we fine-tuned the sensitivity and crossover settings on the amplifiers.
Airboat Audio System Thrills Client
When the client returned to Sound Depot and Performance to pick up his boat, we immediately gave him a demonstration. He loved how loud it played, and how clear it sounded at those volume levels. He commented on how neat and tidy all the wiring was and loved that we had secured it every four to six inches for maximum reliability. He promised he’d be back the next time he bought a boat.
Give Us A Call Today!
For more information on our marine audio installation services, contact us here.
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