Product placement provided the owner with the sound and look he wanted, while a low-power system kept battery drain to a minimum. A security system and cellular phone completed the package.

When owner Kip Grossman bought the 27-foot Fountain Powerboat, he envisioned total aquatic enjoyment. Capable of leaping several feet out the water (while possibly tossing out all passengers), the Fountain’s performance abilities are what enticed Grossman. With a passion for speed, he ordered the boat with a 465-horse MerCruiser 502 Magnum engine capable of pushing the speedometer past 75 mph. It wasn’t enough. We wanted more.

To ensure that this Fountain Powerboat was the ultimate water toy, Grossman went to Isaac Goren, owner of Sounds Good Stereo in Canoga Park, California for an audio system that would rock the boat. In addition to the audio system, a security system and cellular phone were added to complete the package.

Low Power Drives 18 Speakers

One of the first obstacles Goren faced was finding a place to perform the installation. Grossman didn’t want it done at his house and the Fountain proved to be a little large for the average installation bay. Installer Keith Davies provided the solution by offering to have the boat brought to his house for the installation.

One of Grossman’s key requirements for the audio system was that it have a center stage rather than a front stage with rear fill; so that no matter where you are in the boat, it sounds the same. He also wanted a system that could compete with engine and wind noise and maintain a lost of bass, without using a lot of power. In addition to his sonic requirements, Grossman wanted the system cosmetically integrated, designed to last and visible for shows.

An Alpine 7618 AM/FM/CD controller with remote control was used to enable Grossman to control the stereo while the boat is in motion. Since there was no factory space available in the front of the boat for any equipment, two SP 44 four-inch midrange drivers and two ND 4 one-inch tweeters. The wood was treated with Thompson’s Water Seal and the enclosure was wrapped in white vinyl to match the interior of the boat. All speakers used for the installation are from Rockford Fosgate. Power for the system is provided by one Rockford Power 200 amplifier installed inside the hull on the passenger side wall.

Two SP 64 6 ½-inch midbass drivers are located up front, low in the panel one in front of the passenger seat and one in front of the driver seat. Another pair of 6 ½-inch drivers, SP 68s, are located in the rear of the boat just below the arch, one on the left side and one on the right side, beneath the Fountain logo Davies cut out the Fountain logo in the middle, installed the drivers and perfed the remaining plexiglass. When the outer lights are turned on, the Fountain logo, which in this case actually acts as a speaker grille, lights up.

The midbass drivers in the front are run at four ohms and the ones in the rear are run at eight ohms. According to Goren, this was done to maintain a center stage for the system. "The rear speakers are up higher than the front speakers. If you are in the back of the boat, the sound is very directional. We didn't want it to sound harsh so we raised the impedance in the back."

Because the radar arch of the boat was only 1-1/4-inches deep, Davies used 3/4-inch MDF, which he treated with Thompson's Water Seal, to build out an area on each side of the interior of the arch to house one SPT 18 one-inch tweeter and one SP 58 5 1/4-inch midrange.

Four PCH 128 10-inch subwoofers were installed in the rear of the boat. Two of the drivers were installed in a storage compartment beneath the rear seat, which still maintains sufficient storage space. The other two speakers were mounted on each side of the seat. To house the speakers in the storage compartment, Davies removed two of the plexiglass doors and custom-built 1/2-inch panels out of birch plywood which were also treated with water sealant and wrapped in vinyl.

Two PCH 124 12-inch subwoofers were installed in the front of the boat low in the panel to the left of the passenger seat (which is on the left) and to the right of the driver seat. The boat itself was used as the enclosure for the subwoofers, which consists of 1-3/4inches of wood in addition to the fiberglass. According to Goren, the base of the boat sits a lot deeper when it is in the water. "The system was designed to listen to in the water. It's a perfect match utilizing the outer wall as part of the enclosure," he explains.

Dacron dampening material was used throughout the installation for all speakers except the tweeters. While there was not a lot of fabrication required to install the speakers, the construction of the boat was an obstacle itself. "It took an average of one carbide jigsaw blade, which usually lasts about two weeks with average cutting, per hole. After each hole was cut, the jigsaw blade had to be replaced," says Goren.

The tweeters play at 6,800Hz and up; the four-inch drivers play from 275Hz and up; the 5 1/4-inch and 6 1/2-inch speakers play from l00Hz to 600Hz and the 10s and 12s are crossed over at 150Hz and down. Since the boat resonates a lot, the subwoofers were crossed over high to add more midbass.

Because Grossman takes the boat to a lot of shows, the speaker grilles were left black for a more dramatic effect against the white background. Davies also installed a triple A plug that goes underneath the back seat to the main battery. When Grossman goes to shows, he can use the plug for an external power supply.

Cabin Area Equipped with Tunes

 Another Rockford amplifier, an SD23, 30 watts x 2, was installed inside the cabin area along with two 6 1/2-inch Series I coaxial speakers. Separate speaker and volume controls were installed within the cabin area, along with a main on and off switch for the Power 300. This enables Grossman to listen to music within the cabin area for long periods of time without draining the battery.

The Alpine 5952 CD changer was flush-mounted in a custom enclosure in the cabin area. The unit slides out easily and can be removed by simply disconnecting one plug. This allows Grossman to use the changer in his car and his boat.

Speaker Magnets Pose Unexpected Problem

After all the speakers were placed in the boat, Davies noticed a change in the compass, After removing the speakers, checking the compass, then replacing the speakers, he realized that it was 92 degrees off. "When you work on boats, it's critical to know that the speaker magnets will have an effect on the compass," notes Goren. In order to ensure that the compass would read properly, it had to be calibrated after all speakers were in place.

Goren advised Grossman to order the boat with two batteries. This enabled Goren to change the switching on the boat for one battery to run the audio system and the other to operate the boat. The two batteries can also be joined via a special switch in case one or both of the batteries is not fully charged.

To run the wiring, the material inside the boat was pulled down and reinstalled. All wires are from Perfect Interface, four-gauge for power, 12-gauge for the subwoofers, and 16-gauge for the remaining speakers. The remaining installation hardware consists of a Phoenix Gold circuit breaker and RCAs.

Security and Cellular
Complete the Package

 For off- and on-board communication, Davies mounted a Mitsubishi 900 transportable cellular telephone in the cabin area just above the Rockford Power 300 amplifier. A Hirschmann antenna was mounted to the arch of the boat.

For protection, a Derringer 2 security system from Vehicle Security Electronics was used. Only one sensor, a Matrix radar sensor located behind the stereo under the custombuilt front housing, was used for the security system. This sensor not only provides protection against someone reaching in or boarding the boat, but will also trigger if anyone pulls off the cover. The siren was mounted underneath the passenger seat and one ED was us mounted on each side of the arch, which is visible even when the boat is covered.

The total installation took approximately 80 hours. One of the main challenges claims Goren, was keeping the boat clean. Because Davies had to climb in and out of the boat (using ladders) with product, hardware and wiring, it was no easy task. "Keith had to wash his hands over 20 times in one day," laughs Goren.

When Grossman went to Goren, he brought with him a tall order. The system had to have excellent sound quality, a center stage and highlight product for shows. Not only did Grossman get the look he wanted, the system rocks. Even while cruising, the system manages to maintain its sound quality. What better way to spend the day than shredding through the water in a high-power boat with an equally impressive audio system!

  Installation News February 1993