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How to run amp power from battery to helm?

davidard

davidard

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Bought my first pontoon (Bennington 2550 RCB ) yesterday after 30+ years of owning and operating fiberglass runabout and deck boats. Really excited to transition to this great platform for future fun on the lake! My first task is to upgrade the stereo system. Replacing Sony head unit with Kicker KMC5 unit, replacing the cabin 6.5 inch speakers with Kicker 45KM654L speakers. adding 2x Kicker speakers to the rear swim platform and adding 2 more kicker speakers off the bow (8 speakers total), adding 2x JBL MA4505 1800W 5 channel amps, and finally adding a Kicker 46CWTB104 10 inch subwoofer. I had the same set up in my last deck boat and it provided great sound! Why change, right???

My question - what is the best way to route the amp power cables and the rear speaker wires from the stern battery compartment to the helm compartment? I have read some threads where folks were able to fish the wires through a factory cable track, but I'm having trouble figuring out how to get my cable fish through that track. I have also read that some people installed a piece of PVC to act as a cable routing track. Any strong preferences? If anyone ran a separate PVC track, where did you install it and how did you get the cables from the PVC into the helm area? Anyone have pics of how they did this? Thanks in advance!
 
Welcome David. How about posting some pictures of your Benny? Ah yes, getting power from the batteries to the helm! Under-skinning obviously presents a challenge but as you have seen, several folks on this forum have done it successfully. As much as I'd love to add an amp to my system, it's been a "no go" because my boat goes from storage to the marina and then back again. I did add a powered subwoofer which has greatly improved my sound system, but that was relatively easy because I was able to locate it in close proximity to the batteries, thus no fishing. Good luck with your project and perhaps document it so others can learn.
 
My installer took ours to a marina he does some install work for and used their rack, pulling the under skirt isn't awful if you have a good way to access it, you may want to check with your local marina to see if you can use theirs.
 
I did mine on the lift with fiberglass fish rods from Harbor Freight without taking anything apart. There's a small space between the deck and the underskin that you can access from the side.
 
Update on my post. I was finally able to get some help from a friend that does audio install work. He was familiar with pulling cables on pontoon boats and was able to pull power/ground cables plus speaker wire for the front and back. That paved the way for the first phase of my stereo install and the new system sounds awesome!! Now I'm waiting for the second amp and speakers for the swim decks! I'll post pics when it's all complete!
 
Sounds like your on your way. Make sure the cables your friend ran are tied up and securely routed or you will found out the hard way just how much more these boats flex than a fiberglass boat and all the stringers are metal with sharp edges…Taking off the side skirting is a pita but it will make routing wires easier. Find or build a dry place to mount those amps, I stuffed my boat several times in 3-4’ waves a few weeks ago in a storm and both of my amps got soaked.

Good luck on your build.
 
Got the second amp and 4 external speakers installed Friday night and took her out on Saturday. The system sounds great and I love having the two zone control to adjust the volume for people inside and outside the boat. I put my amps in the compartment under the helm but realized there is still a possibility that water could get in that area. Any suggestions on how I could seal that space between the rail and the deck to prevent any water from getting in? Here are a few pics of my Benny with the upgrade complete. 20210711_202347.jpg20210711_202347.jpg20210711_202402.jpg20210711_202944.jpg20210711_202409.jpg20210711_202631.jpg20210711_202528.jpg20210711_202709.jpg20210711_204707.jpg
 
davidard said:
Got the second amp and 4 external speakers installed Friday night and took her out on Saturday. The system sounds great and I love having the two zone control to adjust the volume for people inside and outside the boat. I put my amps in the compartment under the helm but realized there is still a possibility that water could get in that area. Any suggestions on how I could seal that space between the rail and the deck to prevent any water from getting in? Here are a few pics of my Benny with the upgrade complete

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I’d definitely mount them on blocks off the floor, and use caulking backer rod (round foam) between the rail/floor beside helm. I used to use that to keep my carpet dry under the helm on my 2011 unit.
 
davidard said:
Any suggestions on how I could seal that space between the rail and the deck to prevent any water from getting in?
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I used 1/2 inch marine wood covered in subwoofer carpet and mounted my amps 4 inches off the floor using L brackets. I'll get some pics later, sh!ty week here..
 
SEMPERFI8387 said:
I’d definitely mount them on blocks off the floor, and use caulking backer rod (round foam) between the rail/floor beside helm. I used to use that to keep my carpet dry under the helm on my 2011 unit.
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I ordered some PVC sheets yesterday and plan on mounting the amps on them. I like the idea of using the L brackets to get the rack off the carpet. I'll definitely do that. Now just need to find the caulking back rod you mentioned. Thanks for the suggestion!
 
And that's the first time I've seen speakers mounted in the fence on the bow. Looks great and I'm sure it will sound great. Just be aware that sooner or later, you will likely take a wave over the bow. Many have had their front panels crushed from the impact. Hope those speakers are tough.
 
sunedog said:
And that's the first time I've seen speakers mounted in the fence on the bow. Looks great and I'm sure it will sound great. Just be aware that sooner or later, you will likely take a wave over the bow. Many have had their front panels crushed from the impact. Hope those speakers are tough.
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They are supposed to be tough and marine rated. Fortunately, the lakes we go to typically don't get too rough, but I fully expect that they will get wet at some point. Once I made the first cut, I was fully committed so no turning back now! I'm getting a ladder for the bow as well so when we pull up to a cove to drop anchor, we can have floaters off the bow and the stern with plenty of music for everyone!
 
Mine took several waves to the bow fence on my boat on Lake Murray in a storm with 10 people on the boat. Not normal for me to have that many at one time but it was a bucket list on the water concert. The fence panels on one side were crushed inward several inches and Im sure you saw firsthand how flimsy those panels are cutting your speaker holes.. Hopefully you’ll have a hose or maybe some spray hit your set up and that’s all. Looks good though.
 

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Magician said:
Mine took several waves to the bow fence on my boat on Lake Murray in a storm with 10 people on the boat. Not normal for me to have that many at one time but it was a bucket list on the water concert. The fence panels on one side were crushed inward several inches and Im sure you saw firsthand how flimsy those panels are cutting your speaker holes.. Hopefully you’ll have a hose or maybe some spray hit your set up and that’s all. Looks good though.
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Wow - thanks for sharing. Being new to the Toon world, I've never heard of anything like that happening. But in a bad enough storm, I can see that. I did have the unfortunate experience of getting caught in a nasty one on my 25 foot Baja a few years ago and that was reminder enough of how dangerous storms on the water can be. After destroying my lower unit, I limped back to the nearest marina and had to pay an arm and a leg to leave it there overnight and get a ride. But as bad as that storm was, I didn't get any damage to the hull of the boat, just the motor due to zero visibility on the water. Just another reason I do my best to not be in the water when a storm comes! Living in Texas, sometimes they do pop up out of nowhere so I'll definitely stay alert.
 
davidard said:
Wow - thanks for sharing. Being new to the Toon world, I've never heard of anything like that happening. But in a bad enough storm, I can see that. I did have the unfortunate experience of getting caught in a nasty one on my 25 foot Baja a few years ago and that was reminder enough of how dangerous storms on the water can be. After destroying my lower unit, I limped back to the nearest marina and had to pay an arm and a leg to leave it there overnight and get a ride. But as bad as that storm was, I didn't get any damage to the hull of the boat, just the motor due to zero visibility on the water. Just another reason I do my best to not be in the water when a storm comes! Living in Texas, sometimes they do pop up out of nowhere so I'll definitely stay alert.
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Lesson learned for me was these boats are not as robust and sturdy as the fiberglass boats I was accustomed to, my Chaparral could’ve easily handled 3-4 waves. Aside from the fence damage I found some cracks around my helm that weren’t there before but so far nothing else which kind of contradicts my first sentence.. Truth be told next time I‘ll probably try to ride it out and move when things are calmer..

Good luck on you build and keep posting. Yours is the first I’ve seen speakers in the fencing and fresh ideas are always welcome.
 
Do folks normally install a second battery as a back-up when running high power audio systems? Just curious. I run with the stock audio system but do have a second battery for my Ultra Legs.
 
davidard said:
Any suggestions on how I could seal that space between the rail and the deck to prevent any water from getting in? Here are a few pics of my Benny with the upgrade complete.
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I mounted a piece of treat plywood vertical to the inside front side of the helm with short screws (seat back is on other side of helm front) and L brackets to the floor. Attached the amps to the wood.
 
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