Justin Collins
Tallahassee, Fl
Boat Name:
Model/Year: Cat 22 / 1979
Hull No. 9053
Hailing Port: Lanark Village |
 02/12/2004 12:22 PM Pacific Time
I am thinking of installing an AM/FM/CD radio this winter and was wondering if anyone has had experience with these. I don't think the installation itself will be too difficult, but there are a few things I am wondering about.
1) Plenty of brands offer water proof to water resistant to nothing at all at varying degrees of expense. I generally sail in salt water so I think some degree of protection may be appropriate.
2) Where do you mount the antennae if at all? I have a mast mounted VHF antenna, and have seen splitters that claim to be able to support VHF and FM reception. Has anyone used these. How do they effect VHF transmission and reception. Is it worth another through deck and antennae atop the mast?
3) Occansionally I leave the boat for several nights in public places. Have not had a problem with anything going missing yet, I generally lock down or remove anything of value. Any ideas how this can easily be done with a radio?
4) I have been told that CD players are somewhere between casettes and radios in terms of drain on the battery. We can spend anywhere from 6-8 hours sailing in a day, longer if staying overnight. Will a battery support this?
If there are any other obvious problems, or ideas that I am missing please share. I'ld like to get it done right the first time. Thanks. |
Howard Friedman
Pisgah Forest, NC
Boat Name: Forspacious Seas
Model/Year: Wing - 1989
Hull No. 14907
Hailing Port: Lake Keowee-Seneca, SC |
02/12/2004 3:14 PM Pacific Time
Hi Justin.
I'll share my experiences with you on this topic. On your model boat, I believe the switch panel is on the port side of the aft setee bunk. I think you could mount a generic radio box on the same side as the switch panel, somewhere aft of the wood bulkhead. Choose a place that would not get in your way for dining or bunk use. Run the wires down under the forward or aft bunk and then to the switch panel. Speakers may be mounted under the forward setee bunks on each side by cutting appropriate holes and sealing them in with silicone and screws. If you don't want to cut any holes, you can by speakers with enclosures and mount them on the shelves on each side. I forget if on your model boat you can fish wires across the bilge to get wires to the other side. If I remember right, the storage bin on the starboard side is sealed so you may have to drill a hole for the speaker wires. You can buy stick on pvc coduit for any wires that are exposed. You can also mount speakers in the companionway bulkheads if you don't mind cutting holes. They'll wreak havoc on any compass nearby unless you get the extra shielded kind. The PO of my boat cut holes for speakers in the upper cockpit seat-backs. I think this is a bad idea. You should consider waterproof speakers with plastic cones and non-rust metals. They'll hold up better and they're not much more expensive.
They sell radio/CD players that can pull out from their surrounding box. You mount the box and wires and the radio plugs in and out. Everyone in NYC has this type in their car. You can also get a radio with a faceplate that is removable. The radio is wired in but has no value without the faceplate if stolen.
I use a separate FM marine whip antenna mounted to my stern. The cable runs through the bilge to the radio. I have the later model C22 so my bilges all connect. I'm not sure if that would be a problem for you. My reception is fine and I've had no problems with interference with my VHF radio with mast mounted antenna.
This is my experience but I'm sure that there are many other ideas for you to sort through before you do your installation. Good luck. |
Howard Friedman
Pisgah Forest, NC
Boat Name: Forspacious Seas
Model/Year: Wing - 1989
Hull No. 14907
Hailing Port: Lake Keowee-Seneca, SC |
02/12/2004 3:23 PM Pacific Time
I just thought of a short addendum to my previous response. If you want to maintain all your presets, you'll have to attach a power wire to a battery terminal on the panel so that it is not disconnected by a switch. There is usually a switched power cable and the one I just mentioned. The downside of leaving it connected is the constant draw on the battery but I think it's really a tiny trickle-just constant. The radio will work fine if you choose not to connect this wire. |
Michael Smalter
Webster, NY
Boat Name: Marrakesh
Model/Year: 1986
Hull No. 13645
Hailing Port: Rochester, NY |
02/12/2004 3:30 PM Pacific Time
You asked how long you could run the stereo before depleting the battery. It depends on the unit you buy. The units in the Boat US catalog range from 2.5 to 10.0 amps. A 10 amp unit will deplete your battery in 5 hours, while the 2.5 amp will take 20 hours. I'd stay away from the high powered units. Personally, I have the SONY Sports radio/boom box. It is water resistant, and can run on batteries, AC, or 12VDC. |
Justin Collins
Tallahassee, Fl
Boat Name:
Model/Year: Cat 22 / 1979
Hull No. 9053
Hailing Port: Lanark Village |
02/13/2004 11:10 AM Pacific Time
Thanks for the input folks. I had forgotten about the pullout models. I think that will work well in an electronics box on a bracket mounted on the shelf. I also have a little boom box that we use, as our boating/beach radio, unfortunately the cd player doesn't work, mostly due to the sand more than the salt. That is why I was thinking a more permanent radio would work better. The only question is about the antennae. I would like to keep the stern reIatively open if possible. I realize the fewer the breaks in the coax the better, there is already one at the through deck. I was just wondering how much worse adding a splitter to accept the radio antennae would be. I'm not sure of the exact physics involved in receiving multiple frequencies at the same time on the same antennae, or how this would affect transmission. Where is a good physicist when you need one? Thanks for the ideas guys I appreciate the support on this site. |
Paul Moore
Doylestown, PA
Boat Name:
Model/Year:
Hull No.
Hailing Port: |
02/22/2004 6:51 AM Pacific Time
Ihave also been looking into this. I have looked into the mounted marine radio, boom box, but I think they way I am going to go is permanently mount a couple weather proof or marine speakers and then use a personal player, there a radio/ cd player that accepts MP3 Cd that I can make at home (about 10 hours of music will fit on one CD) or gust a radio/ Mp3 Player. Then I can just take it with me when I leave.
|
Noah Oden
Dana Point, CA
Boat Name: Noah's Ark
Model/Year: 1976 C22
Hull No. 6588
Hailing Port: Dana Point, CA |
02/23/2004 8:01 AM Pacific Time
I have been wondering about getting a CD radio combo on my boat. I have a boom box now. It has tumbled around the boat a few times. I'm getting tired of it. I don't have a problem installing the small weatherproof speakers in the coaming compartments.
What I'm starting to think about is just getting an iPod or other PC based MP3 player. They are small and go anywhere. No CDs to worry about. Depending on price can hold a ton of songs. Not sure if they have radio capabilities. A good MP3 player can cost as much as a good CD/AM/FM player. There is no worry about where to install and what holes to cut.
Is anyone using one of these devices? |
Russ Milham
Lake Forest Park, WA
Boat Name: Griot
Model/Year: C-22 1981
Hull No. CTYH0492M811
Hailing Port: Kenmore Air Harbor |
02/23/2004 10:31 PM Pacific Time
The iPod – in particular – has a cool accessory called iTrip that "repeats" the audio output through a small FM transmitter. Thus, you can listen to the iPod's through any system that has an FM tuner. So, you can listen to your music on the ride to the boat launch and carry it straight onto the boat without missing a beat; so to speak. |
Dan Plank
Cullman, AL
Boat Name: Half Fast
Model/Year: C-22 / 1989
Hull No. 14855
Hailing Port: Guntersville, AL |
03/21/2004 9:54 AM Pacific Time
I just purchased a 1989 Catalina 22 with no radio. Where is the best place to mount (screw mounting bracket to the bulkheads) the radio? I'm reluctant to drill or screw into any bulkhead due to my lack of knowledge of this boat (i.e. how long can the screws be?)
As to the conversation above, I've seen a boat with two speakers mounted in a custom built lower hatch board with speaker wires long enough to stow when not being used in the cockpit. I'm also thinking of doing this on my boat and adding cup holders to the hatch board as well.
Can anyone offer ideas for or against this thought? Thanks |
Michael Smalter
Webster, NY
Boat Name: Marrakesh
Model/Year: 1986
Hull No. 13645
Hailing Port: Rochester, NY |
03/21/2004 3:58 PM Pacific Time
The rear of the cabin/front of the cockpit is double walled. You can drill from the inside and stop when you break through the first layer. Then use a smaller drill bit to gauge the max length of the screw before it hits the second wall.
Another option is to remove the cap nuts on the starboard rear cabin ceiling (that hold the winch on), drill holes in the bracket to fit the existing screws, slip the bracket over the screws, and reinstall the cap nuts. |
George
Georgetown, SC
Boat Name: Blu Notes
Model/Year: C-22 1982
Hull No. 11184
Hailing Port: Georgetown, SC |
07/03/2005 7:48 PM Pacific Time
I bought a nice Jensen marine AM/FM cassette player with weather stations. What I like about it is that it is a pull out model and has a input for a cd/mp3 player right on the front! $58 on EBay. |
Kevin M. Morton
Sacramento, Ca
Boat Name: Serenity
Model/Year: 1976 C27SR
Hull No. 2366
Hailing Port: Richmond, Ca |
09/26/2008 9:35 AM Pacific Time
Hi guys. As a former stereo installer, I thought I'd offer another possibility that I am using in my C-27. For an antenna, many of you may consider using a di-pole type antenna. This is just a fancy name for a standard antenna connector with a wire attached to the connector. It doesn't need to be run anywhere. It doesn't work so well for AM reception, but if you're after music only, it's a great solution, and CHEAP too! I use it myself. |
