Mounting amps in my boat - the stereo winter project

[bergermaister]

So my winter project from now until next May will be upgrading the stock stereo (finally!) in my 2001 MobiusV. I've been doing a lot of research and have decided to run 3 amps: 1 dedicated to the sub and mounted on the top or side of the sub enclosure, 1 running the tower speakers, and basically if needed, one more running the 4 boat speakers.

So mounting the two amps driving the tower and the boat - I'm looking at mounting them right to the floor under my passenger side cushion that rarely sees any action or is used for storage. This is the one right under the swing open door under the glove box, and shares the same compartment where all the life vests are stored. Mine is actually open clear up to the front. (If I take the Playpen cushions out you can pass things clear through.)

Any help or advice here would be greatly appreciated:
Do I need to mount the 2 amps off the carpet for concerns about heat and ventilation? Using some sort of blocks or rack?

Will they get hot enough that I'm going to melt a life vest if it gets pushed over on top of one? The stereo will get cranked up at the beach while sitting anchored. Not always a lot of airflow.

I've seen other boat stereo setups where multiple amps were mounted on a rack, stacked on top of each other with a little space between them for airflow. I'm not getting that radical, just want to be safe.

I've also seen setups where the amps are mounted to the sidewall of the hull but they seemed to have a sort of inner wall they were mounting to - not directly into the hull itself. I don't want to go and ventilate my hull on accident...!

I'm also wondering about running power wires. I'm planning on running a thick gauge up to a power block up and then splitting it out to the 3 seperate amps. I already have a dual battery setup. I've heard you should run one battery dedicated to the stereo, the other to the ignition, etc. Is that true? Or do I wire it to my isolator so it can draw from both batteries (or just one of them, depending on where the switch is set to).

I can't justify $65+ an hour for stereo installation when there's a wealth of info on the forums and on-line. Plus everything is very easy to get to and after all I have 6 months to get it done!

[tazz3069]

Check out my pics in my profile. I did the install myself. Not hard at all.

[ian ashton]

I wouldn't mount the amps flat on the floor of your boat; if you ever take water over the bow your just asking for trouble. I mounted mine vertically in the same compartment about 6" off of the floor to a carpeted board. This way if water gets in the boat the amps stay dry, and are up out of the way of stuff too.

[ian ashton]

Here is a picture of how my amp is mounted;




**Wiring looks like hell, I've since cleaned it up.

[bergermaister]

Good points about not mounting flat on the floor - haven't taken a wave over the bow yet - knock on wood! I was looking at running Kicker amps originally but am considering some Rockford Fosgates although they are not marine type, which concerns me a little. For the last 3 years my boat has stayed pretty dry on the inside though.

So, how is your amp board mounted to the boat - that presents the same challenge of not drilling through the hull, or is it wedged in there somehow? I think I need to have everything anchored down so they don't end up bouncing around or tipping over in rough water or those high speed passes back to the launch for a beer run.

[cab13367]

berger,

I agree with Ian about the possibility of the amps getting wet if you mount them to the floor. It also takes up room that would otherwise be available for storage. I mounted mine to the rubrail backing bar. See post below for pics and details. You'll need to scroll down towards the bottom of the post.

https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?t=5467

Al

[csmsk]

Another option is mounting to the duct "chase" like I did. I also mounted one on the inside of the back of the bow passenger side seat. Check the pics.....

[98outback]

When i had my amps in my outback i mounted them to a plastic cutting board. I just picked up one from the walmart. You can get one with a good thickness and just drill holes in it and use small bolts to mount the amp to it or just use screws. I did this to avoid having wood that will hold moisture and rot eventually. You can still cover it with carpet to make it look good.

[Razzman]

When i re-do mine this winter i'll be using Click Bond aluminum standoffs that will be adhesived to the side of the hull using areospace adhesive. An aluminum mount plate will then mount to the standoffs and the amps will mount to the plates. The amps will all be along the port side completely out of the way of damage or water.

[bergermaister]

Great pictures - that helps a lot.

I'll have to climb back under and see if I can work out something to attach to the vent ducts and/or rubrail. Unless you can tell me where to find aerospace adhesive Razzman!

My boat is the older style with both batteries in the rear, as far back as you can go. It looks like my amp power block needs to be wired into the battery switch as opposed to one battery or the other. I'll have to figure out how that works. Then flipping the switch I can have the stereo run off one battery, the other or both. (same thing with the ignition).

If I remember correctly, a few years ago when I brought it into the dealer to have the dual batteries hooked up they were telling me you can flip it over to (1) and run your stereo all day long sitting on the beach without worries (unless you totally drain it). End of the day, flip it over to (Both) or (2), fire up and drive home. No worries about having a dead battery and being stuck on the water. That sound right?

Maybe will post some pictures of the before (getting advice), during (the mess), and after (the success). May also have to line out my plan of attack with components I've selected and get some feedback.

Thanks guys.