Cockpit speakers in arch

[LSCalifornia]

Anyone successful with enhancing the cockpit sound system that Hunter installs on the traveller arch? The stock setup sounds only slightly better than the old transister radio.I'm thinking at least a sub-woofer would make a huge difference however I'm not sure where to mount it and what wire to tap into. I've located the speaker wires running inside of the aft cabin access panel so before I start cutting a subwoofer hole in the cockpit fiberglass I though I'd run this one up the Hunterowner's flagpole.

 

[seadaddler]

Why

I have a 2007 36 with the stock speakers and they sound fine to every one who's been on the boat so far and had the sameon my 2001 290 and they were fine,I would love to use the remoteto control the radio from the cockpit.But than again I have never added any upgrade to any of my FM radiosthat I have in the cars or trucks I own.I would not cut any holes in the fiberglass in the cockpit in my boat,maybe add the super woofers under the stern rail seats.Nick

 

[Manny]

Dont cut a hole!

There is no reason to cut a hole for a subwoofer (except for wiring). I have no idea what your sound system sounds like but if a subwoofer is to be added, you can mount it in a lazarette or somewhere inside the boat near the cockpit. Just make sure you "couple" the enclosure to the boats structure, just like you would make sure that two wires spliced together have a good connection. The frequencies produced from the unit has to be able to resonate through the boat for it to be effective.Manny

 

[Landsend]

You speaker cones are most likely shot...

that's why they sound so bad. Don't cut holes in the boat for a stupid speaker. DUMB.

 

[Benny]

That arch mounted system does leave a lot

be desired in sound quality. Your comparison of the sound to a transistor radio is funny and not to far off the mark. I don't have a problem cutting holes in a boat to upgrade or install good quality speakers. When our h320 was delivered in 2001 it did not have a radio so the first thing done was to install a good Sony CD/AM/FM combo with dual interior speakers and dual cockpit mounted speakers. We have enjoyed quality sound and everyone who has been aboard has complimented us on the improvement. With the use of proper tools and technique the holes were cut without cracking or scratching the gel coat. The speakers are water proof and have not leaked under tropical storm conditions. No structural damage was done to the boat and I believe the improvement has actually improved the boat's atractiveness or value. Six years latter they still look and sound good. The radio had to be replaced this year and we got the same model but upgraded to accept satellite radio.

 

[newly anonymous]

augment rather than replace

First thing I did was replace the stock speakers with something of better quality, but the results were disappointing. So then I added a set of box speakers under the cove seats. Wired them into the stereo's B channel so that I could balance the two sets of speakers via the fade control.That was the ticket. Great sound at this point.

 

[Paul Cossman]

sub-woofer

My speaker cones went out in my arch cockpit speakers, so I decided to do an upgrade on those to a better brand, same size, the name of which I can't recall right now. Then I upgraded the interior cabin speakers to "Boston" brand, but same size. Then, at my wife's insistence, I installed a huge box sub-woofer in the main cabin starboard settee, up against the forward bulkhead (Passage 42). The sound comes out directly where the A/C opening is located amidships under the settee seat. Then we upgraded the stereo to a 100 watt per channel. When we did the sound test people were coming over from two finger piers away. I'm not one for loud music, but it makes the softer stuff sound better as well. When we're conserving power we can turn off the sub-woofer by using the speaker selector switch. I have found that even when you're on the aft deck that the vibrations from the subwoofer come through the deck enough to do the trick. If the hatchway and scuttles are opened, it DEFINITELY does the trick. Easy to wire and easy to install, but you have to resign yourself to the weight and space sacrifice. My wife says it's worth it.

 

[LSCalifornia]

Helpful responses...

I'm intrigued by how these would look on the arch. That would solve the quality and subwoofer issue although they might be too large.http://www.wakeside.com/category/boat/audio/wakeboard_tower_speakers.do?gclid=CNuJx9qgu5ACFQ8nawod2lMuXgIt's not that the stock speakers are poor quality ( although on a scale of 1-10 they're about a 5), they simply don't have a decent baffle behind them. Otherwise a subwoofer would fit perfectly under the skippers seat across from the transom shower access panel. For those of you that have a Bose 3-2-1 installed by Hunter, I plugged an Idock into the aux. jacks in the back of the unit and my ipod works quite nicely in the cabin.

 

[John3127]

P42 cockpit speakers

I removed the entire original fiberglass "box" and installed two Bose 101 outdoor speakers using a couple of RAM arms and joints. This allows the speakers to be set at any angle forward or aft, which helps keep the direct volume away from the helm. I also installed a weatherproof volume control in an outdoor outlet box and mounted it to the arch so that the volume can be adjusted from there. The sound is excellent; the only drawback is that I understand that the 101 speakers have been discontinued but there are some out there on the Web. I also replaced the cockpit and aft deck light with small lights from one of the boating catalogs. I replaced the wiring outside of the arch as some of it was corroded. The wiring all fits nicely in some black wiring tubing and is held to the arch using wire ties. I'll post a photo in the spring.

 

[John3127]

P42 cockpit speakers

I removed the entire original fiberglass "box" and installed two Bose 101 outdoor speakers using a couple of RAM arms and joints. This allows the speakers to be set at any angle forward or aft, which helps keep the direct volume away from the helm. I also installed a weatherproof volume control in an outdoor outlet box and mounted it to the arch so that the volume can be adjusted from there. The sound is excellent; the only drawback is that I understand that the 101 speakers have been discontinued but there are some out there on the Web. I also replaced the cockpit and aft deck light with small lights from one of the boating catalogs. I replaced the wiring outside of the arch as some of it was corroded. The wiring all fits nicely in some black wiring tubing and is held to the arch using wire ties. I'll post a photo in the spring.

 

[LSCalifornia]

That's funny...

That's where I ended up also except I'm most likely going to use the Poly Planar 6x9. I have not listened to the Bose ( and I see quite a few still on Ebay) however the Poly's have decent bass which is what is sorely lacking on the stock setup and the ability to divert the sound away from the helm is ideal....Happy New Year ..

 

[LSCalifornia]

That's funny...

That's where I ended up also except I'm most likely going to use the Poly Planar 6x9. I have not listened to the Bose ( and I see quite a few still on Ebay) however the Poly's have decent bass which is what is sorely lacking on the stock setup and the ability to divert the sound away from the helm is ideal....Happy New Year ..

 

[Gary]

Arch wiring

Could anyone tell me how the speaker wires get up the arch?I have a 2001 H320 that has the same kind of arch but doesn't have thespeaker option. Is there holes the wires come through, if so wherewould I look for them or drill them?Thanks,GaryH320 Time Bandit

 

[Gary]

Arch wiring

Could anyone tell me how the speaker wires get up the arch?I have a 2001 H320 that has the same kind of arch but doesn't have thespeaker option. Is there holes the wires come through, if so wherewould I look for them or drill them?Thanks,GaryH320 Time Bandit

 

[Terry Cox]

Hi Gary, I cannot speak for your model,...

but on our boat they run through the port side SS arch tube towards the top (wires enter through a SS nipple) and extends down the tube and into the boat through the cockpit coaming mounting bracket. I've not traced them through to the tuner, but that is how it goes on our boat.Terry

 

[Terry Cox]

Hi Gary, I cannot speak for your model,...

but on our boat they run through the port side SS arch tube towards the top (wires enter through a SS nipple) and extends down the tube and into the boat through the cockpit coaming mounting bracket. I've not traced them through to the tuner, but that is how it goes on our boat.Terry

 

[LSCalifornia]

Starboard side

for my model.. in the headliner of the aft cabin there is an access panel and you can spot the wires that run up the forward arch tube. If you climb into the transom lockers you can also see underneath the arch support. My cockpit stereo head unit is mounted in the face of the sea hood and if I want to add an Ipod chord to attach to the CD changer port I will probably need to lift the hood to wire it properly. Fortunately this hood only covers the span of the companionway hatch so removal is much more manageable than my previous H34 sea hood that I removed because it leaked like a sieve..........

 

[LSCalifornia]

Starboard side

for my model.. in the headliner of the aft cabin there is an access panel and you can spot the wires that run up the forward arch tube. If you climb into the transom lockers you can also see underneath the arch support. My cockpit stereo head unit is mounted in the face of the sea hood and if I want to add an Ipod chord to attach to the CD changer port I will probably need to lift the hood to wire it properly. Fortunately this hood only covers the span of the companionway hatch so removal is much more manageable than my previous H34 sea hood that I removed because it leaked like a sieve..........