Anybody had experience cutting holes in your boat for speakers. I got a stereo as a gift and can't hardly bring my self to start the cutting. The boat is a nitro and I can't seem to find anybody else that knows were to cut. Its hard to cut what you can't see. Any pointers would be helpful.

I was in your situation for over a year. Bought a marine stero/CD player and it sat in my garage for a year while I was thinking about cutting into my 93 skeeter. I finally said, self, "what the hell are ya thinkin!". Returned that sucker to BPS pronto. Now I still enjoy the quiet on the water and if I ever feel the need for sound, take along the ipod (which i havent yet).

if you have a dual console,get some of the small carpeted speaker boxes and install them in the corner under the console.
still leaves pleny of foot room and sounds better than pointing at each other on the outer consoles.
did that on my old Cobra and sounded better and they won't get wet.

bump

No answer for you but have been thinking about doing the same thing in my tracker. Would be nice to have music out on the water. Not the loud blarring kind the skiers usually have but just something in the background. Till now, we have used a handheld radio but sounds pretty crappy. Speaker boxes are not a bad idea at all. Then just have to cut a hole on the dash for the radio to mount.

I actually got the poly-planar MP3 kit so that I could hook up an MP3 player or my Sirius radio. Its basically an amp with inputs and volume control knob and 2 speakers. I didn't want to deal with the head unit because I couldn't care less about the normal radio and having a regular antenna.

Dont do it. If you tourny fish you will be wasting vaulable battery power for the live wells. Get you a cheap mp3 and save your battery.

I don't tourney fish but also don't plan on using it all the time. I take a lot of non-fishing people out on my boat. Having music to listen to would help break up the need to constantly entertain.

Mine came with the stereo and speekers installed, they are mounted on the inside under each console and the seereo is in the glovebox.

I installed one on my Legend about 6 months ago, and put the speaker next the passanger side seat, and then made a little box and put in one of the rear storage compartments so I could take it out.

I have seen several boats, with the speakers installed under the console's, meaning they cut a hole in the bottom of the console, where the rear of the speaker stuck through into the rod boxes, considering, your rods never go all the way to the back of the rod box, I thought that was a good place to put them, and when you look under the console all you see is the cover for the speaker.

i dont like cutting big holes ,cant be undone,i just built some compact boxes and covered them with carpet of the same color and mounted them up under my consoles

I have the little KLH self containers speaker boxes under the consoles and the stereo itself mounted in a box under the glove box.

I have had "tunes" in the boat for the last several boats...

My Current BassCat Cougar did not have a Stereo when I got it, but I installed one. For Speakers, I purchased 2 Pioneer 8 inch 3 way speakers, and they had to be mounted in a hole! LOL

Trust me, Cutting the hole in the side of the boat was NOT the problem...Speaker Wire placement was!

On the Passenger side, I used the access hole for the addition of the 2nd console, which I Have, but I had to make it bigger. It was already somewhat under the second console, I just had to enlarge the opening by about 2 inches.....

On the drivers side I cut a new hole. I cut both of them to fit the speakers with a Dremel too, and really, was quite easy...Also mostly under the console!

Step one.... Drink a nice Stiff Double Crown on the Rocks to Steady the nerves! LOL

Step two.... Drink another nice Stiff Double Crown on the rocks to steady the nerves!

( You get the point.....)

It took me a while to actually get the nerve up to cut perfectly good Fiberglass, but when I did, it was a piece of cake, and no problems!

I actually did this with ease, using the template that came with the Pioneers, the problem I ran into, and I think is most important for your application, is running the speaker wires!

Make sure you have access to both sides, at the particular place you are wanting to mount them, if not.... Not good!

I had difficulties with this,a nd as a result, did not wnd up with a "professional" look for my pasenger side speaker wire, but it's functional, works, aned gets the jobn done!

Paul Sonnier

Check your wire routing choices first!

Thanks for all the great info. I got er done and it sounds great.