Complete stereo rebuild on a Rinker 370

LaRea

This thread documents a major upgrade to the entertainment system on my 2007 Rinker 370.  I’ve been working on it for over a year, and it’s more than just a stereo install.  I actually relocated the stereo electronics from the cabin to the cockpit, reclaiming some valuable cabinet storage space in a prime location.  

Fair warning:  this is a long multi-part post.  I like to write, and the writing helped me design the system (not to mention keeping me occupied while not boating).  

For those who don't feel like reading the entire build, here's what I installed:

* Cockpit speakers - six Wet Sounds REVO-6 drivers and a REVO-10 subwoofer

* Cockpit amplifier - Wet Sounds HTX-6

* Clarion CMS4 black box media player and two remotes

* All new speaker wiring in cockpit

* All new LED cockpit lighting with Wet Sounds LED controller 

* 32” cockpit TV

Why:  The Admiral and I are music lovers.  We want clean sound at normal volumes, and sometimes we want clean sound at chest-thumping, dance-floor volumes.  When my crappy Sony speakers crumbled to dust after a couple seasons (link), I decided to get better speakers.  The project didn't escalate into a total makeover until I decided to relocate the amplifiers.  Then I just went crazy with it.  No February would be complete without me tearing up my boat for some sort of major project!  

This speaker was responsible for the entire project.

LaRea

Demolition:  Demo on a boat is never easy.  When Rinker built the boat, installing the stereo was easy because the cabinet was standing on the shop floor.  To reverse the process, I had to "get medieval" on it.  Think pry-bars, courage and four-letter words.  It took a few hours to extract the three amplifiers, the head unit, and the SiriusXM tuner.    

For some reason, Rinker used two 20-foot RCA cables where 12-inch cables would have worked.  I guess they ran out of 12” cables that day.  Great for me - I reused one cable to run signal from the cockpit to the cabin.

Before and after ...

LaRea

Relocating the amps:  The new location is in the cockpit, outboard of the helm seat, in the space just forward of the trash can.  The location is dry, well-ventilated and well-protected.  The wiring runs to the battery and speakers are short, which is always good.  It's not exactly convenient to reach, but it's easier than the original spot.  

[edit: I use Bluetooth to stream music from my phone, so there's a side benefit:  I get great reception anywhere on the boat because the receiver is now in the cockpit rather than way up near the bow.]

In this photo, the location is behind and below the blue pillow.

The space didn't have any surfaces suitable for mounting electronics.  Instead, I built a custom rack to hold the amp, media player and other bits.  There's no cabinet-grade joinery here.  It's just 3/4" pressure-treated B/C plywood, glued and screwed, sanded, primed and painted.  The vertical mounting plate is 16"x16", and the horizontal base mounting plate is 16"x11".  I built it at home and pre-installed most of the components before taking it to the boat.    

One side holds the amp, fuses and LED light controller - basically, everything that I might need to adjust.  I can reach it from an access panel under the helm seat.  The other side holds the media player, LED connectors and ground buss.  The whole thing is fed by fat 4-AWG cables direct from the house battery bank. 

LaRea

Access:  To reach the area, I removed the icemaker ... and found a mess of unspeakable filth and disorder.  There was standing water in the pan under the trash can, and I found out why: a leak from the windshield frame (LINK).  It was pooling up because the drain hose was mounted on the side of the pan rather than the bottom.  I relocated the drain hose and sealed the leak. I also tamed the mess of cables that had accumulated there over the years.  

LaRea

Floor under amps:  Under the plastic tray, the floor is just a piece of 1/2" plywood that hangs out over the fuel tank.  It's too flimsy to support the rack in heavy seas.  I reinforced it with 3/4" plywood that has a vertical board wedged under the helm seat.  I painted the plywood with white latex primer as a sealer, then screwed it to the original plywood decking.  

The rack attaches to the floor reinforcement using four 5/16" bolts with captive nuts on the bottom of the plywood.  

LaRea

On the February day when I was crawling around the boat’s innards installing the amps, there was a massive wind storm.  Let me tell you, it was ... exciting.  The boat was shaking on the jackstands.  Elsewhere in the storage yard, trees were falling. 

LaRea

FM transmitter:  I added an FM radio transmitter that broadcasts to nearby boats during raft-ups and dock parties (edit: model FU-X01AK, around $100 on Amazon).  I connected it to the media player's Zone 4 output, and it turns itself on automatically.  For access to change the frequency, I mounted it on a custom shelf that I can reach by removing the trash can.  The shelf is just plywood sealed with primer.  It's attached to one of the helm seat bolts.  

(Edit: To improve transmit range, I got an antenna cable and mounted the antenna up in the top of the hardtop.  It's a 3-meter TNC male to TNC female cable like this:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077Y74GCR) 

The second photo here is looking down through the trash can opening.

LaRea

Circuit protection:  With big power cables, I needed big protection.  I have a 125-amp terminal fuse at the battery (Blue Sea Systems 5184 and 5191). On the rack, a 6-circuit blade panel (Blue Sea Systems 5035) holds fuses for the media player, LED controller, 2 LED power outputs, FM transmitter, and the inverter that powers the cockpit TV.   

First photo: the 125-A fuse holder bolts directly to the terminal of the house battery bank.  A short anywhere in the cable will pop this fuse.  

LaRea

Switches:  Power is controlled by two of the existing helm switches.  The "cockpit lights" switch turns on the LEDs for the entire cockpit, and the "swim lights" switch turns on the stereo.  (I need a new switch cover that says “stereo”.) 

Speakers:  I went with six Wet Sounds REVO-6 with the white classic grills, and a Wet Sounds REVO-10 free-air subwoofer.  I started researching them based on comments from @wildboating and others here on the Rinker forum, and I'm happy with both the sound and the build quality.  For example, they have waterproof quick-disconnects for power and LED.  The sub is massive compared to the OEM Clarion.  It fits into the original 9" opening, but it requires a 3/4" spacer.  I re-used the original spacer by cutting the hole slightly bigger with a power jigsaw.

LaRea

Amp:  I'm using a Wet Sounds HTX-6 to run all cockpit speakers.  The two ceiling speakers are on channels 1-2.  Channels 3-4 power the front and back speakers (2 speakers per channel).  Channels 5-6 are bridged to run the sub.  The local Wet Sounds dealer told me it would be enough power, and he was right.  Wow, the difference is amazing!  Sharp, crystal-clear highs.  Shirt-shaking lows.  

Speaker wiring:  I used 14-AWG marine stranded 2-conductor.  A 100-foot roll was enough for all six speakers.  The sub gets 12-AWG, and the wire run is less than three feet.  For the port speakers, the wires run though the engine room, not the hardtop.  I attached the speaker plugs using crimped barrel connectors that are heat-shrinked to keep moisture out.  

LaRea

Lighting:  Lots of boat speakers have LED lights these days, but Wet Sounds is one of the few high-end  builders that uses variable-color lighting.  To complement the speaker lights, I decided to re-light the entire cockpit.  I got the Wet Sounds RF-RGB controller, and I replaced the OEM courtesy lights (floor lights) with these (link) lights ($16 each on eBay).   

I also replaced the transom lights with these (link).  They have an outer ring with colored lights to match the cockpit lights, and there’s also a bright white light for when you need illumination at the transom (e.g., backing into a slip).  

The controller is the key.  The RF remote lets me pick any color (including white) and set the brightness.  There's a color wheel, and you just drag your finger to the color you want.  It will also do music-triggered pulsing, and other flashy stuff that I probably won't use. When I turn off the lights using the helm switch, they go back to the same setting next time. 

LaRea

LED wiring:  It was tedious, but I didn't take any shortcuts.  It's small-gauge wiring, so on the advice of the local Wet Sounds guy, I went with solder connections.  I have 14 lights, and each has four wires to be stripped, soldered, heat-shrinked and wrapped.  To minimize voltage drop, I used 18-AWG 4-conductor LED wire with four separate runs.  Two 50-foot rolls left me with some extra wire for future expansion.  

Edit: the 18/4 wire is here: (LINK).  It's $19 for a 50-foot roll, and it has correct color coding.  I suppose I could have used smaller wire, but 18 is easier to work with.  

What's wrong with this picture?  Um, the retaining nut goes on the OTHER side of the wall.  That's a do-over.  

LaRea

The right tool for the job:  this $27 automatic wire stripper from the local hardware store.  



Need to know whether your soldering iron is hot enough?  Just touch it lightly to your arm.  If it makes your arm look like this, you're ready to solder!

LaRea

So how do the LEDs look?  Fantastic!  I was worried they would be too bright.  They are just right - subtle and unobtrusive.  I would not add any more lights to the cockpit, or it might be overwhelming.   

Bonus party trick:  set the LED color to red, then tell guests that the speakers are infrared space heaters.  That is can’t-miss material.   

LaRea

Media player:  I went with the Clarion CMS4, which is a "black box" media player with a separate display.  One reason is that I need four line-level outputs to drive the cabin amp, cockpit amp, FM transmitter, and future transom speakers.  Also, the Clarion's compact main display fits the space on my helm.  Fusion has some nice media players, but they only have one line-out.  Wet Sounds also has a nice media player, but their remote controllers weren't in production yet.  

Stereo main display:  I mounted the CM4 display and trim tab controller in a panel made from 3/4" marine lumber.  When I removed the trim tab controller, the cable connector broke, so I had to replace the controller.  One minor gripe: the stereo display has poor off-angle visibility.  It's hard to read unless you're directly in front of it.  

LaRea

Stereo remotes:  In the cabin, I have a MW-4 remote that controls the volume separately from the cockpit.  At the transom, I have an MW-1 remote, which has (this is important) volume buttons instead of a rotary volume knob.  I started with an MW-4, but one time accidentally I brushed the volume knob with my leg and almost blasted my ears off. 

(I didn't finish mounting the one in the cockpit yet, so it's just sitting on the shelf.)

LaRea

Cabin:  I kept the four original Marine Audio speakers and hooked them up to the original Clarion APX4240 amp.  This was easy and cheap, and I don’t need high volume in the cabin.  I put the amp behind the cabinet and used the original speaker wires.  The original 6-AWG power cables for the amp were routed directly to the house battery, so I reused them too.   

This photo shows the view looking down into the rear of the cabinet.  The amp is partially underneath the HVAC duct.

LaRea

Cockpit TV:  Taking inspiration from @Dirtythirty and @Dream_Inn, I took out the original fold-down TV and installed a modern 32” Roku TV.  Details are (here). 

The digital output from the TV is routed to the stereo’s aux input by way of a digital-to-analog converter.  The TV requires AC power, but I’m going to install a small inverter so I can use it without shore power or generator.  

LaRea

And that pretty much sums it up ... so far.

How long:  I didn’t track my labor, but this was probably a 120-hour project.  From memory, using 8-hour days:  a day to demo, a day to build the equipment rack, 2 days for wiring, 2 days for the TV, and 2-3 days for other stuff.  Add 40 hours of design work and obsessive internet research before I pulled the trigger, and you’ll see why only a complete idiot would tackle a project like this. 

How much:  Please don't make me add up how much I spent.  Even before buying the speakers, amps, media player, lighting and TV, I probably laid out $300 just on wire and circuit protection.  I paid retail prices for everything ... you can do the math if you want.  Don’t tell me the answer.  

Bottom line:  After a 12-month “tech refresh” project, our boat now has the entertainment system we've always wanted.  It sounds amazing at low volume, and equally amazing at nightclub volume.  I expect it will provide many years of service.  

Hopefully this write-up will help others who want to upgrade their boats!

zaverin1

Now that’s what I call a job well planned and finished 

LaRea

Thanks you guys.  I hope this post will help others who are planning their own projects.  Some will think I'm crazy for putting that much effort into a stereo, and they might be right, but I enjoyed every minute of it. 

zaverin1

Listen 
when I did my 280 i did the same thing
ran everything from scratch 
not to mention mid 90 boats didn’t come
preowired or wired with amps 

reneechris14

Nice write up, nice pics, nice tunes.

Cableguy Greg

Great write up. I should make a trek to visit my cousin who lives at the Washington Navy Yard and meet up with you for a ride on your boat. I would love to hear your system. What is the make and model of the FM transmitter?

Willhound

Awesome job and great write up!

jbschmalz23

Great ideas there. And great set up! 

LaRea

The FM transmitter is an FU-X01AK (love that name).  Available on Amazon and eBay for about $100.  @Cableguy Greg - definitely give me a shout any time you visit DC.  

Dream_Inn

Nice write up LaRea!  I can attest that the system is well laid out and as everything LaRea does, lots of thought and time put into it!

One question, that FM transmitter, where do you have the antenna for it?  I remember when we did Pau Hana's, we ran an antenna across the inside of the hardtop.  I can attest it worked across a raft-up of 24 boats!

LaRea

The "FU" comes with a 5" whip antenna that plugs directly into the back of the unit.  After your suggestion this summer, I got an extension cable and moved the antenna up inside the hardtop.  It did improve the transmit range, so -- thanks!

But as Pau Hana pointed out, the whip antenna is omni-directional, so it won't reach as far port-to-starboard as his directional antenna.  

Stodge

LaRea said:

FM transmitter:  I added an FM radio transmitter that broadcasts to nearby boats during raft-ups and dock parties (edit: model FU-X01AK, around $100 on Amazon).  I connected it to the media player's Zone 4 output, and it turns itself on automatically.  For access to change the frequency, I mounted it on a custom shelf that I can reach by removing the trash can.  The shelf is just plywood sealed with primer.  It's attached to one of the helm seat bolts.  

(Edit: To improve transmit range, I got an antenna cable and mounted the antenna up in the top of the hardtop.  It's a 3-meter TNC male to TNC female cable like this:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077Y74GCR) 

The second photo here is looking down through the trash can opening.

I have a similar transmitter.  I wrote a program to mix music and station IDs.  The station IDs computer generated voices (Lucy is a female British voice) to tell people they are listening to Lake St. Clair Pirate Radio.  

Curious if you left the little antenna on the back of the transmitter or mounted something external.  A 1/4 wave ground plane antenna for 100MHz would be around 30 inches long.  It would increase your range quite a bit.

McGarnicle

Looks great! I did something similar this spring on my 342. Ran all new wire, added a sub, and installed three amps with a kill switch for the speakers in the cabin and then another switch for the subs and cockpit speakers.