We take our entertainment everywhere, including places where there are no roads. Whether you are enjoying your all-terrain vehicle, personal watercraft, snowmobile, motorcycle, aircraft or boat, there are distinct situations that affect the types of problems that will crop up. The most difficult part of troubleshooting alternative vehicle problems is switching the thought process to consider the new environment. The problems that plague car audio gear installed in a car are different from what happens in another platform.
Since this issue is following the theme of marine craft, I wanted to stay in context. This month I'll talk about common installation and troubleshooting issues that you are likely to face in the marine environment.
Effect Of Physical Mounting Locations:The first decision that affects how equipment will perform involves where you choose to mount it. On this subject, trust your installation technician, since preferences should come in second to performance.
For example, a head unit is often installed in the instrument console in the bridge area, or cockpit. While it would make sense that you want to have easy access from the driver's seat (like in a car), the elements are not your friends. A misdirected splash of water or even direct sunlight can create problems. In a larger craft with a protected bridge, you can expect better results, but a ski boat with its driver's position close to the action will lead to a shortened lifespan. Unless you are using one of the few brands like Clarion that are specifically designed for marine applications, you are subjecting the product to a much harsher condition than the product was meant to endure. Another option would be to add a weatherproof mounting enclosure designed for a car audio head unit.
With nearly all car audio head units featuring a remote control, remotely locating the head unit to a protected area is a good idea. If you don't have line of sight between the remote control and the head unit, use a remote control repeater system found at any custom home theater store. Companies like Xantech are known for their IR (infrared) remote control accessories. When used outdoors, select the appropriate patio-style IR target to reduce interference from sunlight. A small emitter is stuck onto the face of the head unit over the IR sensor to relay the commands from the remote control. It is much cheaper to capture the IR commands from the remote control to an inexpensive learning remote, since the remote controls will either fail or fall overboard a lot. This would be a good time to mention affixing adhesive foam to the remote so it won't sink.
Keep in mind that boats do not have any form of shock absorbers, so bumpy water is translated through the rigid hull of the boat to whatever is mounted to it. The CD transport is the only real susceptible point, so you can expect a higher level of skipping than when mounted in a car. Live with it or use a databased source like an iPod or satellite radio receiver.
Amplifier mounting is another point of consideration. Not only will you need to keep the amplifier chassis from water damage, heat buildup is another matter. Again, watch out what you intend to screw into for a secure mount-the shock of bouncing over waves will tear out the four sheetmetal screws that came packaged with the amplifier. In a car the supplied screws would be sufficient but in a boat the heavy amplifiers will require 8-32 or 10-24 machine screws backed up with stainless steel washers and Posiloc nuts (the nylon-tipped nuts that won't back off through vibration). Use stainless steel hardware everywhere to minimize the inevitable corrosion problems that will naturally occur.
If I were to rate the potential for a product to fail due to water contact, I would say that amplifiers are least likely to fail and head units most likely to suffer from water damage. In the Mobile Dynamics Escalade, the Phoenix Gold amplifiers are mounted in robotic housings in the rear fender wells of the vehicle so they can be raised for show. After more than three years in a humid location, the amplifiers have survived admirably. I had planned on replacing them every couple of years, but even though surface corrosion appeared on the amplifier's metal chassis a year ago, only recently did one channel of one amplifier become intermittent.