stereo help

[partyboat21]

got a 2008 signature series party barge.I installed 2 6x9s and it sounds great but i want alittle more ummff this summer so i purchased a 300 watt amp and an isobaric 12" subwoofer box.does anyone know about the charging system on these boats? do i need another battery?will i hurt the motor by installing these things? i have a 2007 mercury outboard 50 hp.any help would be greatly appreciated.thanks,Mike C

 

[chicknwing]

Re: stereo help

A second battery would help make sure you have enough juice to start your motor back and that you can enjoy your tunes all day.

TC

 

[bman1bpm]

Re: stereo help

the mercury website says the 50 hp has an 18 amp alternator. Thats not much considering your 300 watt amp probably has a hefty current draw.
I looked up a 300 watt car amplifier, they have 50 amp fuses for the most part. I'll be conservative and say that they use 10-20 amps. Your radio probably uses 5. so total draw around 20 amps.

So, about 20 amps, 18 amp alternator..probably rated at full throttle, and I'm sure at least 50% of that is meant to power engine electronics, I'd suggest a second battery (deep cycle). Draining your starting battery is bad for the battery, and theres a lot of sensitive electronics in and outboard motor that can be damaged by running at low voltage.


At 20 amps the following batteries will last about:
Group 24- 3.5 hours
Group 27- 4.25 hours
Group 31- 4.75 hours

Dug up this post for you, its about hooking up a switch for running 2 batteries and having your motor charge both, sounds like what your need:
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=281093&highlight=wiring+diagram

 

[5150abf]

Re: stereo help

I would go with another battery just for the peice of mind, few things worse than hitting the key to go home and have nothing happen.

I have 2 on mine, 1 starting and one actually powers the boat and have it rigged so I can jump them together if need be.

And the alternator on the boat doesn't really do much below about half throttle so unless you do alot of wide open running, as in 2-3 hours, it isn't going to put much of a charge on it.

 

[partyboat21]

Re: stereo help

wow! i just want to say thanks for the info. im new to this forum and did not expect much help but i see there still are people out there who are helpful thanks a million!

 

[jafo9]

Re: stereo help

is it a tracker product? signature series is one of their levels. on alot of their boats with the optional fish package they come with all the wiring in place and a second battery for the trolling motor. a quick call to a dealer may save you some time with a bolt on product.

 

[greg_bingham]

Re: stereo help

Hey!

i have a 21' tracker signature series as well. mine's blue!

i have the jensen marine radio/cd player. and some jensen 6.5" coaxials in the front seats, firing toward each other. you probably have a similar setup.

i wanted more sound, without breaking the bank, so here's what i bought so far to make the system sound a bit better...

(as it is the captain cannot hear the stereo while the boat is underr way, and it's not much better when you're floating. that's a bad spot sound-wise they picked up front)

for a second set of speakers, i picked up some pyle PLMR63 6.5 coaxials, in a waterproof wedge enclosure. i got them because
A: they were cheap, $40 shipped
B: now i don't have to cut any holes.

I have to figure out how to mount them to the bimini where they will be sturdy and be somewhat easy to remove when it is stowed. i'll post pictures when i figure that out later this or next week.

I bought a TIS audio 5-channel amplifier on Ebay. ~$50 shipped, it was used.
4 channels for the fullrange speakers at about 50w per, and 300w to the sub (probably not that much but that's what they're claimin')

one 12" MB Quart sub in an enclosure the neighbor's kid gave me. i may put it under the console if it will fit, or where the useless shower thing is in the rear if the panels don't rattle too bad. we'll see.

power- i bought 3 of the largest batteries they had for my bay boat- im taking one of them out, and putting it in the pontoon with the one that's already in there, with a perko 1-2-all switch (paying the extra $10 for the 'magneto-field-disruptor-idiot-protector' option that lets you not kill the alt on the motor by inadvertently turning the switch at the wrong time)

i plan to run the boat and stereo on the new big battery, and have the smaller battery that actually came with the boat as the "b" battery for when I kill the biggun sitting at the party cove playing the stereo.

i can then switch back over to the discharged battery after starting the engine to charge it back up.

I'll post some pictures as i do the install.

Greg

 

[Silvertip]

Re: stereo help

You don't need the field protect Perko switch on an outboard. House batteries should also be deep cycle, not starting batteries. You will also need an onboard smart charger so you can plug in at the dock to immediately charge the house battery(ies). The engine will not fully charge a deep cycle in a short run back to the dock.

 

[greg_bingham]

Re: stereo help

skip the field protect then! thanks for the tip!

i have smart chargers and dumb chargers here at the house- the boat batteries get the 'charger spa' treatment when we get home from the lake...

and they are deep cycle batteries.

thank you for the input.

Greg

 

[5150abf]

Re: stereo help

Oh, and remember as you fire up your 12''sub that alot of people use the water and I am sure not all of them will care for your taste in music so maybe watch your volume and be considerate of others.

We put Rockford Fosgates on some of our boats, sub, amp and 6 speakers and they can get REALLY loud and sound travels along way on water.

Just a thought

 

[greg_bingham]

Re: stereo help

Noted.


I'm too old for too much loudness anyway.

Greg

 

[fortyfreak9]

Re: stereo help

A single 300 watt amp is NOT going to pull much power from your battery, now over time yeah it'll drain your battery but I run a 1500 watt amp for my subs and a 350 watt amp for my speakers in my car without it running and I can play music for quit some time. If you can put another battery in just for the stereo I would but make sure its a deep cycle, you dont wana be deep cycling a car battery. If you have and questions about wiring or install send me a messege.