A client from Metairie contacted Prestige Car Audio & Marine about a serious marine audio system for his 36’ Yellowfin boat. He had seen the build post on our website about a previous Yellowfin we had done and instantly knew we were the right company to do the work. Our team got together with the client and the boat so we could share ideas. We listened as he explained how he used the Yellowfin and his goals for the upgrades. At the end of our time together, the team worked up a proposal that he liked, so we set a time to begin working on it.
Yellowfin Audio Goal Is a Concert on the Water
We knew early on in the conversation with the client that he had one singular goal: a concert on the water. He wanted his Yellowfin to be party central and knew an awesome-sounding audio system was the solution. For this reason, every aspect of the upgrades had to be done in a systematic fashion for everything to work in harmony. We spent significant time on laying out the system diagrams, looking at signal flow and deciding where all the equipment would be installed.
Since this is a boat, every aspect of the installation had to handle the severity of life on the water. The jarring, vibration and corrosion experienced in a boat have to be engineered into the system design or it will fail.
A Party Starts with a Good Bottom End
Any good audio system needs bass, and if you want a concert on the water, you need lots of it. For this reason, we placed a total of 12 JL Audio marine subwoofers strategically throughout the boat. We installed six of their 12IB6 12” subwoofers, with three of them on each side of the craft. Since all of these speakers are extremely high-performance, we made each of our panels in a sandwich design with an inner and outer panel. This gives the speaker a much more rigid mounting location, dramatically improving output and clarity.
As you can see in the pictures, the team installed brass fittings and used machine screws to fasten everything together for the ultimate in durability. We used a gray, marine-grade vinyl to cover the panels.
A Party Continues with Even More Bass
Since we wanted all the passengers to have great bass, we strategically placed six JL Audio M10IBf 10” subwoofers throughout the boat. We installed two upfront, two in the forward sides and two near the pilot.
Great Music Needs Great-sounding Speakers
Once we had the bottom octaves of the music covered, it was time to turn our attention to the full-range speakers. When you want to hear crystal-clear vocals, screaming guitars and searing highs, you need high-quality speakers. Since this is a boat, it means you need lots of them. We went back to JL Audio, choosing a total of 18 speakers for this awesome craft.
We used four pairs of the M880-CCX-SG-TB 8.8” coaxials, mounting four of them upfront on the same gray panel as the 10” subwoofers. We installed another pair about halfway back in the boat on the sides, and the final pair in the stern. Eight of the M770-CCX-SG-TB 7.7” coaxial speakers were also part of the system design. We flushed one pair of them into the panel overhead of the pilot, and placed another three pairs strategically in the sides of the boat from front to back.
Tower Speakers Let You Enjoy Your Music while off the Boat
A pair of JL Audio tower speakers were installed, allowing the music to be directed to wherever the party was.
Much of the fun enjoyed while boating happens off the boat. It may be while you are in the water or docked at your favorite spot. Our installers mounted a pair of JL Audio M770-ETXv3-SG-TB 7.7” tower speakers to the overhead tubing and designed them to be aimed wherever the sound needs to be heard.
Concerts Require Power – Lots of It
At this point, we had installed all of the subwoofers and speakers in the boat. This meant it was time to turn our attention to power.
If you have ever been on a boat at speed, you know how loud it can be. To overcome all the wind and engine noise, you need power – and lots of it. JL Audio makes some of the most powerful and efficient marine amplifiers, so we used them exclusively for this project. Two M800/8v2 amplifiers power the M880 speakers, sending 200 watts of power to each one. We used three M1000/1v2 amplifiers to power the 12” subwoofers, sending 3,000 watts of clean power to them.
We used a total of three MHD900/5 amplifiers to power the 10” subwoofers and all the 7.7” full-range speakers. These send 1,500 watts to the subs, and 1,200 watts to the speakers. In all, more than 7,000 watts of power are available, making this one powerful marine audio system! We used a total of three Odyssey PC-2100 marine batteries to ensure a clean supply of power for extended listening sessions.
An Installation Designed for Easy Servicing in the Future
Every install done by the master craftsmen at Prestige is designed around two driving principles: reliability and ease of service. If you have ever worked on a boat, especially while it’s in use, you are grateful for designers who thought of you. Our team builds each and every part of a marine audio system around easy serviceability, and you can see that in these pictures.
Contact Us Today for More Information
When you are ready to upgrade the audio in your boat, we invite you to contact us here at Prestige Car Audio & Marine in Metairie. Our team will work with you to design and build the audio system that best fits your needs.
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