Exterior speaker placement

[andyjen]

I am going to install flush mount exterior stereo speakers on my Catalina 22, any suggestions on location? Either side of the companionway would be right in someones ear that may be lounging against it. It seems the only other spot would be down under the seat bench. Any other suggestions? Thank you, Andy

[sailingdog]

Andyjen—

Wherever you decide to mount the speakers, if the compartment they are mounted in opens to the interior of the boat/bilge, you should mount the speakers behind deck plates so you can seal them off in heavy weather. Otherwise, if you get pooped, the speakers can become a huge entry point for water downflooding into the hull.

[Gary M]

If you use an autopilot becareful not to mount them near the tiller since the magnet will seriously affect the pilot. One possiblity would be up on the stern pushpit.


Gary

[andyjen]

Gary, I am a bit of a newbie, is the stearn push pit the part of the stearn that steps down and the tiller passes over?

[andyjen]

Sailing dog, I understand you concern, What do you mean by deck plates...something temporary you attatch when the weather or knockdown is about to occur?

[andyjen]

Gary, Did you mean stearn pulpit?

[Gary M]

Yes most people call it the stern pulpit but it's real name is pushpit. You can mount weatherproof box speakers there that can be easily removed or installed as needed and generaly they will not affect the tiller pilot.

I believe that Sailingdog is referring to the round inspect ports that you could set the speker in and then screw in the cover to seal them off if necesary. Good idea as it could also be used to protect the speakers from the elements when not in use.

Gary

[andyjen]

Thank You, Gary I had thought of that but did not want wires and a bulky speaker their. Any other suggestions folks, Thanks again, We love our Seneca Lake NY, Andy

[MSter]

I think placement under the bench would ba a bad idea as this area experiences a lot of foot abuse in addition to water exposure from seas and weather. If you are using your boat for daysails and possibly weekend cruising, a temporary mounting solution would probably work best while keeping the integrity of the cockpit. You could run your speaker wires in a semi-permanent manner with tie wraps and look for some small outdoor speakers to connect while cruising. Just pay attention to speaker impedance when connecting residential speakers to marine/auto head units.

.....or you could really simplify your life by getting a sacrificial boom box with an aux input for your ipod, etc.

[US27inKS]

I looked around at a few pics of a catalina 22. If it were mine I would mount them under the bench near the stern. You would get minimal foot abuse, and wouldn't blast everyone out of the cockpit.

This is assuming that you sail in a lake or similar area where getting pooped isn't an issue. I also assume that you don't have a tiller pilot and that you'll be using speakers designed for outdoor use. If there's an issue with any of these items, I wouldn't mount them in the cockpit.