Installing a stereo on boat..

[sickboyx6]

Okay, so a friend of mine's step dad would like me to install his stereo on his boat for him. His head unit is a 45x4 (forgot the brand) and he has 4 JBL 6x9's that are 100w rms and 300 max. He would like an amp to push these speakers a bit more. What amp should I look into for him? He want's it done asap. Also, If I decided to run a sub for him (he mentioned it) I would def want to use another amp, (he insist he only want to use 1 amp) so all help here is appreciated! I've ran a few stereos in my previous vehicles, so I get the idea of it. just looknig for some extra help! thanks guys.

[Slow_S10]

Look for something like the Kicker ZXM 700.5, it's a little pricey but it is a 5 channel marine amp. You get 4 channels for regular speakers and a separate sub channel all built into one amp. Other than running 2 amps something like this would be your best bet.
http://amzn.com/B0039CHMH0

Another good one is the MB Quart NAU660. It is also a marine amp but it is 6 channels instead of 5. But what you can do is bridge two of the channels and use them to run a sub also.
http://amzn.com/B001T9N4WM

[CatDaddy52]

Hope you're using equipment that is designed for the marine environment....water/humidity is very tough on that stuff.

[thunder94]

you could also do a 4 channel marine amp, run channels 1&2 on all 4 6x9s, and channels 3&4 on the sub. This would work best if you do a single sub because most marine subs are single 4 ohm. If you do a pair of subs, do the 5 channel Kicker or MTX amp.

[chevy84sdime]

You didn't mention what kind of boat it is. Is it an open bow? cutty cabin? If it is a cutty cabin, you won't necessarily HAVE to go with a marine amp. I put one in my dads boat in the little clothes closet thing and never had any issues with it. If it is an open bow, you will definately want to get a marine amp.

[thunder94]

I have done that too, but we are not talking mounting the amp somewhere that it can get wet, there is still a lot of moisture and humidity on a boat.

[joedoh]

I installed stereos for years and the only marine parts we used were speakers that were in direct path of water and sun. You can buy a nice acrylic flip up cover for the radio that will let remotes work through it.

otherwise there are tons of places to tuck the equipment (amps and speakers) that wont get wet and wont be exposed to much more humidity than the truck you used hauling it to the lake is. look under side ledges for speaker mounting, and up under the wheel house for amps. The popular thing right now is tow towers with rows of speakers in enclosures but if you are installing your own two rules apply 1) go as big as possible meaning 6x9s and 2) make sure if you are cutting your own holes that they arent into structure (problem over time) or into a surface that has water on the other side of it (problem immediately but I have seen it)

[chevy84sdime]

^ I second that Joe. Hell, my grandpa had a 16 foot outboard fiberglass boat and I mounted the amp under the back part of the beam (behind the back seats) upside down. We used the boat for two seasons and never had a problem.

When me and my dad were shopping for equipment for his boat, we both got pissed at how much more marine equipment was than it's non-marine counterparts. We went with non-marine equipment and it worked fine. Going this route will suit you fine, but you have to be smart about where to mount it. Obviously, if you're going to buy some speakers and mount them face up where the sun will be hitting them whenever you take the boat out, you're going to want to go with marine speakers. If you use your own judgement and plan this project out, you can save yourself a ton of money and a ton of aggrivation.