Adventure 208 Speaker Placement

[Jakkle5]

Hi

Looking for ideas on where to mount a pair of 6-7" speakers in the cockpit of the boat. I've found pictures on here of speakers mounted in the gunnels but they seem counter productive due to being directly opposite of each other and in theory canceling out the sound. Is there a second common mounting spot? Pictures would be very helpful.

 

[Walkers Edge]

If you search "208 stereo" there is a few pictures of different placements in the 208. There is room for shallow 6-1/2" speakers on the rear side of the seat pedestal boxes and the same on the inside of the gunnels in the cockpit. For best sound at the helm you can find good quality enclosed marine speakers and mount them out of sight up under the helm sides. I've got 4 speakers and a 600w amp in the cabin, way more sound than necessary.....except at the sandbar!

 

[Jakkle5]

If you search "208 stereo" there is a few pictures of different placements in the 208. There is room for shallow 6-1/2" speakers on the rear side of the seat pedestal boxes and the same on the inside of the gunnels in the cockpit. For best sound at the helm you can find good quality enclosed marine speakers and mount them out of sight up under the helm sides. I've got 4 speakers and a 600w amp in the cabin, way more sound than necessary.....except at the sandbar!

Thanks. Do you have any pictures of where you mounted them under the helm sides? Having a hard time picturing where they could go. Everywhere else I've seen online for placement either sticks them in a tight corner or directly facing each other which is no good for sound.

 

[Walkers Edge]

I dont have pictures but if you are sitting in the helm chairs they are mounted to the cabin bulkhead as far outward from the center of the boat as possible as possible. You can see them if you crouch down but not when standing or seated in the helm chairs. The face diagonally back towards the cockpit.

Don't get wrapped up in the small details, if you dont have an amp your speakers must be facing your head of you will barely hear them when running. Even then the sound will be poor. All bass is cancelled out with the wind and motor noise (unless you have dedicated subwoofers). In a small boat it is more about where your boat can fit the speakers and make the necessary wire runs.

I've been on plenty of boats with speakers on either side facing each other and while its not a Bose home theater, it works fine for a fishing boat.

 

[Jakkle5]

Thanks. I'll take a look at it.

 

[westar]

Anybody know where the Grady factory installs speakers on a new Adventure 208 before they deliver the boat to the dealer? Just curious as to where they place them.

 

[antaris]

I just bought a 2000 208 and the speakers were installed under the rear seats in the back of the boat, facing fwd. Probably not a factory install, judging by the quality of the holes...

pros: good sound, magnets away from cockpit, electronics and compass
cons: they get wet and suntanned and there are long cable runs under deck.

how about placing them on the existing holes on the fishboxes - replacing the existing pry- out deck plates? i wonder if the depth is adequate...

 

[westar]

Where did you put the stereo unit itself? I thought about placing it in the back but the dealer suggested not putting it there because of the moisture that gets in the bilge etc. They suggested having the speakers right under the pedestal of each seat facing the bulkhead. That way they stay out of the elements (for the most part).

They also suggested mounting the stereo unit inside the cabin - starboard side on the bottom side of the electronics box. I'll probably do that (just like other 208 owners pictures on this forum show) but haven't figured out how to get the wires from the stereo on the starboard side to the port side without being seen. Then, I am not sure how to get the wires back "outside" without drilling a hole in the bulkhead. I am wondering if there are access panels in the cabin inside the storage bins that would allow me pass the cable under the floorboards so that I can feed it to this "under pedestal" location. Hmmm....

 

[antaris]

The stereo (cassette deck!) was placed in the overhead electronics box - on the hard top.

Not sure about feeding cable from starboard-port - maybe over the door hatch?

Or, if you wanna dig deep, I am pretty sure that there's an under-floor tube that goes from starboard-port just ahead of the seats. You may feed the cable under the floor. Check by looking through the access panels near your feet, when you're standing in cockpit - good opportunity to check the through-hulls, too... may get a bit dusty down there, though...

Check the Grady White website and look for the instruction leaflet PDF - there are some basic schematics there, too.