Stereo for 02 Islandia does not work!! Upgrades??

[mattelk]

We just bought our first boat which is an 02 Islandia. I will start off by saying I am not a mechanic!! I can build you a house and fix anything except when it comes to electrical and engine wise. The stereo does not work for whatever reason and the previous owner never messed with it. We want to, can't not have music..... right. Is there anything I need to know about what will and wont work and fit in the compartment? Also, should I look into some speaker upgrades or are the stock ones ok? Thanks for any and all help!

 

[Lowej82]

First thing I would do is try and pull it out, if your lucky enough they will be a blown fuse on the back of the head unit or on the wire within about 12" from the head unit, Sorry I am not sure on the unit this boat has in it, is it the same size as a normal car head unit?

 

[jareaver]

You should be able to access the radio/fuse panel through the changing room/porta-potty area. First, check the fuse panel for a blown fuse. It might simply need a new 5A automotive fuse, and chances are this is probably the problem. Depending on the condition of the radio, you might want to consider upgrading. As for speakers, it depends on the conditions of the speakers/personal preference.

 

[Gunsrunner]

If you can't find a reason, ie, lack of power 12vdc, speaker open circut, they should read around 4ohms.
You could replace what is in there for as little as you want ($100). But as with most things, not all "the more you pay the better the quality". Take into account that travelling at 40mph there could be 60-80 decibals of wind noise and it's just not worth spending too much ($1000's) for it to sound better in this case.
Most custom car audio stores will trade in marine gear and are willing to do the install, 12volt is their game and some do it well, or you could use a boat shop but i think they would charge more!

 

[yo mama]

...we took the old radio cassette player out of our '99 Challenger years ago and installed a JVC disc player with removable face plate...its rated at 200W and the original Clarion speakers are more than ample to handle the thing cranked out wide...I really like the fact that the radio wiring is accessible from behind by lifting out the cooler storage. The player cost me less than $100 and if it gets a little wet it doesn't freak me out like a $1000 system might....:ack: