A few basic Do's and Don'ts on marine audio installations:

• Use only marine speakers for exterior applications.
  • Home and car speakers have steel grills that will rust and eventually will leave stains, especially on gelcoat.
  • Home and car speakers have exposed tinsel leads and other connectors that will rapidly corrode in the marine environment. Paper cones will easily warp and distort the voice coil former.
  • Home and car speakers may have foam surrounds that are not adequately resistant to UV damage and dryrot.
    
• Absolutely no MDF on a skiboat.
  • Eventually water gets everywhere within a skiboat so there isn't a safe location. MDF will soften, expand, separate at the seams and generally decompose due to the high moisture even without direct contact with water.
  • Also, avoid using standard automotive trunk liners or carpets because these are prone to mildew when used on a boat.
  • When using a plywood in a marine environment, make sure that the plywood is not constructed with a water-soluble glue that will lend to laminate layers separating in the future. Keep all types of wood elevated above decks or flooring.
    
    
• Flush mount marine speakers will be of a free-air type.
  This means that the optimum enclosure size is an infinite baffle. 6 1/2-inch full range speakers require at least a cubic foot while a 10-inch free-air subwoofer deserves two cubic feet at bare minimum. Since we are dealing with free-air type of speakers, an airtight cavity is not crucial. However, front to rear isolation is critical in the direct area. As the speaker gets larger or its responsibilities become lower in frequency, the distance needed for front to rear isolation increases.
  
  
• Oftentimes, factory full range speakers are mounted in side bolsters and panels that are open at the exterior or interior storage pockets.
  This allows the speaker's opposing front and rear radiations to meet and cancel out. This negative effect increases dramatically as the frequencies are lower. This will eliminate bass and seriously limit the speaker's power handling.
  • If you have these conditions, the effort going into sealing the immediate baffle area or compartment front to rear will pay off. We have a number of solutions available that will make this task easier.
    
    
• You can hide a subwoofer enclosure in a cavity or compartment.
  However, the bass radiation must be vented out in order to hear and feel the bass. The collective vent surface area should approach the surface area of the woofer. We have a number of solutions available.
  
  
• Multi-strand copper wire quickly corrodes in the marine environment.
  We solder and heat shrink every connection to seal the cable. All terminations are tinned. Liquid electrical tape is effective. Plugs and disconnects are treated with dielectric grease.
  
  
• Cutting holes into marine composites, fiberglass and gelcoat, can lead to subsequent spider cracks and blistering if the holes are not properly dressed.
  Also, cutting holes in upholstered bolsters require that the vinyl be properly terminated as to avoid the vinyl from shrinking away from the opening over several seasons. We can provide the necessary instruction.
  
  
• Use only stainless steel mounting in screws, nuts, bolts and washers.
  Avoid drywall screws and avoid metal brackets. Use stainless steel or aluminum brackets. We offer a mounting solution to most any marine installation.
  
  
• Unlike cars and trucks, boats do not have an adequate negative ground close to the amplifier mounting location.
  Standard automotive power wire kits will not do because these include a very short ground wire where positive and negative runs need to be equal. It is acceptable to tap the factory buss behind the instrument panel for power but limited to a very small two-channel amplifier or BTL amplifier as found in a powered subwoofer. With a longer ground and collective run a boat system will require a higher gauge power wire for the same current draw than what you would normally use in an automobile.
  
  
• When it comes to power wiring in a boat, simple is best.
  With the high moisture and vibration fewer connections are easier to maintain. While soldering is ideal, multiple large power cables soldered together will offer too much mass to get a good solder. In this case, a power distribution block will be necessary. Keep all power connections and electronic items spaced up off the deck or flooring. This includes amps, breakers and all connections.
  

We have volumes of instructions and illustrations to assist you in your installation once you have selected a design and your equipment.