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Stereos in boats. Anyone else not see the real need?


sunvalleylaw

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I see a lot of threads here about sound systems in boats.  Call me a curmudgeon (get off my lawn!!) or whatever, but I just do not see the big appeal.  Plus, given how sound carries on water, to me it is rude to blast whatever you want to hear all the way across the lake. If you need tunes, it might be nice to try to keep it to the vicinity of your own boat. Though I recognize others may really like having tunes, and they have a right to do so, imposing ones' tunes on everyone else isn't all that cool.  

For myself and tunes (I love music BTW) though I don't mind some boat tunes during breaks from skiing (and for that, I will just use my iPhone and a UEBoom2), I prefer the sounds of the boat, the sounds of the water on the boat, birds, fish jumping etc.  

Anyone else with me?  

Edited by sunvalleylaw
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Hey, I'm old school!  Boats when I grew up didn't need no schtinking stereos!!  :cheers:  

 

Ah, the sound of an outboard, and the smell of 2 cycle in the morning!

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IMHO it depends on the neighborhood.  On a residential lake, like mine, loud tower speakers are few and far between.  The boat dealer on the lake doesn't install huge tower speakers and I only know of a couple boats that have 8 or 10 inch HLCD tower systems - and they have pretty much stopped using them or turned them down so as not to impose on everyone else.  I think the mentality originated 10 or 15 years ago when some bass boat yahoos with straight exhaust outboards thought it was fun to get to triple digits on 6 am glass, waking up everyone on the lake and beyond.  The homeowners association bought the local police a boat, decibel meter, and radar gun.  A few big tickets later the straight exhaust A-holes went somewhere else.  Everyone was sensitized to the issue.  Mid afternoon on a weekend and there is some noise (myself included) but mornings and weekdays are quiet and peaceful.  Courtesy is contagious.

Now, on a large reservoir with no residences - or an industrial type canal or river - or a large lake where you can get far from shore - then let er rock out.

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I generally boat at a lake like this (Alturas).

3A801F58-8E6C-49EC-8D91-A2D95363D7F9_zps

 

Or here, Redfish.  

Derek.jpg~original

Other than at Magic, a small reservoir to the south.  

 

At the above lakes, there are no homes, but there is quite a bit of camping.  Much like I don't appreciate huge booming stereos in camp, I don't think much of people really cranking it on these waters so that others are impacted by the noise.  Maybe on a huge reservoir where you are not around people, then go ahead. And perhaps since this is where I have boated for years now, my views are colored by this ethic.  As my Dad told me, "you have a right to swing your fist, but your right to swing your fist stops where my face starts." :)

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ahopkins22LSV
32 minutes ago, sunvalleylaw said:

??  Wrong thread maybe?

It was a joke. An IT related joke...

I completely understand the point of having a kick a** stereo, I want one but only have a mediocre one at best. But I say they because we hang out at the sand bar in the afternoons. It's fun to have  bunch of people together all enjoying someone's playlist. If they are enjoying it. We've had people come in after we have been there for a bit and start blaring their music. Whatever is a public lake nothing you can do. 

Now I do think it's rude to be blaring super load music late at night or early morning. One of my favorite parts of the weekend is taking off for the first time to get to the slalom course, hearing my boat roar and the sound of the water. We never have the stereo on while skiing, we ski at 6-9am and the lake is so quiet then it would be a shame to ruin that. 

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4 minutes ago, ahopkinsTXi said:

It was a joke. An IT related joke...

I completely understand the point of having a kick a** stereo, I want one but only have a mediocre one at best. But I say they because we hang out at the sand bar in the afternoons. It's fun to have  bunch of people together all enjoying someone's playlist. If they are enjoying it. We've had people come in after we have been there for a bit and start blaring their music. Whatever is a public lake nothing you can do. 

Now I do think it's rude to be blaring super load music late at night or early morning. One of my favorite parts of the weekend is taking off for the first time to get to the slalom course, hearing my boat roar and the sound of the water. We never have the stereo on while skiing, we ski at 6-9am and the lake is so quiet then it would be a shame to ruin that. 

Yeah, I don't mean there needs to be silence on the beach in the afternoon or during cocktail hour(-ish).  If we get an Idaho function put together, I would want tunes for the afternoon/evening festivities.  As I said I have some tunes for hanging out.  It is just the huge blast towers with huge speakers hanging them for out on the boat and on the lake that seem excessive to me.  Particularly in quiet areas, high mountain lakes, quiet times of day, etc.  And also, I just enjoy the sounds of boating when I am boating.  :D

 

EDIT: and yeah, I know little about IT. and I didn't get the joke.    I am and have been a solo, and small firm lawyer, and have used Apples to get work done, and have rarely consulted IT at all.  Not that I hate PC's, and IT in your context probably means bigger than desktops.  I just am used to Macs and they always worked for me. 

Edited by sunvalleylaw
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ahopkins22LSV
Just now, sunvalleylaw said:

Yeah, I don't mean there needs to be silence on the beach in the afternoon or during cocktail hour(-ish).  If we get an Idaho function put together, I would want tunes for the afternoon/evening festivities.  As I said I have some tunes for hanging out.  It is just the huge blast towers with huge speakers hanging them for out on the boat and on the lake that seem excessive to me.  Particularly in quiet areas, high mountain lakes, quiet times of day, etc.  And also, I just enjoy the sounds of boating when I am boating.  :D

Ah. We don't have any of those lakes. They are all busy. And some are insane. You need a loud stereo at a day like these to have a chance to hear your own music ;)

CD3F6E54-0652-4A9D-8E41-A8FCB7571878-36649-00001C6BEEBE5015.jpeg

IMG_0505.PNG

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Just now, ahopkinsTXi said:

Ah. We don't have any of those lakes. They are all busy. And some are insane. You need a loud stereo at a day like these to have a chance to hear your own music ;)

CD3F6E54-0652-4A9D-8E41-A8FCB7571878-36649-00001C6BEEBE5015.jpeg

IMG_0505.PNG

Yikes!  I am not sure I would bother launching.  Especially in an open bow response. ;)

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Just now, Bill_AirJunky said:

IMG_5022.jpg

Yea, we had tunes. I think we had 13 boats playing the same playlist that year.

 

That is an appropriate place and time for tunes.  IMHO.  I love that pic that I have seen before.  Not sure if you would let my boat pull up, especially if it had a Husky flag flying. ;)

Edited by sunvalleylaw
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ahopkins22LSV
6 minutes ago, sunvalleylaw said:

Yikes!  I am not sure I would bother launching.  Especially in an open bow response. ;)

Haha that is only twice a year. It's always a bit of a party but not like that every weekend. The events are jobbie nooner and raft off on lake st Clair. Google those at your own risk. I have taken my TXi out there. Just have to take the back canals in that the big boats can't get through. 

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I am old. Don't hear well and enjoy the company on the boat.  So I am with sunvalleylaw I don't need or want anything more the a stereo with a USB or some memory witch I have.  I won't make anyone jealous!

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The runabout we had before the bu had a stereo so miniscule we never bothered to turn it on.  Now I have tower speakers but there are a time and place for them.  Cruising and chatting w friends or family maybe it's off and maybe it's low background music. 6am sets on the small local lake surrounded by houses, we leave the stereo off.  Wakeboarding on a big lake in the middle of the day, tunes make it more fun.  I course ski, wakeboard and surf. I don't want music skiing but love it on a board.  I listen to music in my helmet when I snowboard too... sometimes.  Sometimes the sounds of the mountains is enough.  It's nice to have options.  

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15 minutes ago, Gavin17 said:

The runabout we had before the bu had a stereo so miniscule we never bothered to turn it on.  Now I have tower speakers but there are a time and place for them.  Cruising and chatting w friends or family maybe it's off and maybe it's low background music. 6am sets on the small local lake surrounded by houses, we leave the stereo off.  Wakeboarding on a big lake in the middle of the day, tunes make it more fun.  I course ski, wakeboard and surf. I don't want music skiing but love it on a board.  I listen to music in my helmet when I snowboard too... sometimes.  Sometimes the sounds of the mountains is enough.  It's nice to have options.  

Sure, I get that.  I guess I just get bugged by folks with towers with speakers blasting their tunes on the high mountain lakes in what appears to me (in my own judgmental way) to be a "look at me" moment, rather than enjoyment.  But again, perhaps I am too old/old school in that regard.  Redfish Lake is not Lake Powell.  

Regarding tunes while riding, I have a Smith helmet and have the speaker ear pad things.  But I don't use them.  Baldy is a fast hill, and I want to hear the edges around me for safety, as well as any other sounds of nature when I am skiing.  Perhaps at your resort that is less of an issue.  Baldy is not crowded (at all) but at the speeds most people move (me included), collisions are violent.

Man, I sound like a lectury old dude.  Sheesh!  :whistle:

Edited by sunvalleylaw
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I suppose it just depends on your concept.  I remember the sequence of projects giving bigger and bigger sound on the tower.  It was fun.  So much fun.  And for me it was definitely a, "Look at us" situation sometimes.  Sure it was fun to surf to music and board to music.  But honestly we were too busy focusing on the athletic moment to listen hard.  Mostly we just wanted to be loud at everyone else.  Well, I wanted to be loud.  We don't have a party cove and it's not our style anyways.  Now, we've been there, done that and we've just stopped listening to the tower all together.  As Ronnie pointed out to me a couple days ago, maybe it's the child riding with us now.  Certainly that's some of it.  However, I didn't even put them on the new 'bu at all.  Instead I dialed up the cabin speakers to pure high power bliss so we could enjoy the sound in our own little bubble.

Edited by Slurpee
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Depends on the lake.  On ours, you can hear tower speakers 2 miles away since we're down in a valley.  The lake is fully rimmed with homes also, so it's rude.  I can only think of 2 or 3 times I've ever heard tower speakers though.  Most boats on our lake with towers have board racks, maybe some lights, but rarely tower speakers.

I have 4 Infiniti 60m cabin speakers running straight off the head unit and a Basslink.  That's more than adequate for us.  Even with that wimpy system, I can be heard from far off when I crank it.

Stereo rarely gets used unless we're out lounging midday or on a late night booze cruise, and even then, it's not so loud you can't enjoy each-other's company.  Nature provides my soundtrack.  That and Mr. Indmar...

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28 minutes ago, Stevo said:

This thread is obscene 

In what way?  Please go ahead and share your views.  

 

 

Edited by sunvalleylaw
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I have an amp, 4 speakers, a self powered sub, and an head unit with Ipod aux in our Echelon.  It is pretty good stuff, and sounds really crisp and clear.  It's not a massive system, but better than stock.  If you crank it, the water will ripple.  Here's why I like it: 

  1. I have many good memories of early morning sunrises with my wife on the start of a hot humid day just cruising around our lake with coffee, listening to Sublime or Bob Marley, with the sound kind of surrounding me and vibrating the floor a bit.  In gear at idle, just looking at the shoreline, putzing along.  I could have done that same thing with my stock Echelon radio, but the upgrade makes it kind of surreal, like you are somewhere else.  Not crazy loud, but with some volume.
  2. I do enjoy a boat ride, not towing anyone, but just going for a ride (our direct drives are like little sports cars, right?).  Having a good system that sounds clear at 32mph is nice, and you need an amplified system to get that, with a sub.
  3. We've had fun going for a "deep water swim" as the kids call it.  Stop the boat (no anchor), life jackets on, and just float around and jump in/out of the boat (mostly the kids doing that).  Having a good playlist going while doing that, and able to hear it outside of the boat floating in the water, requires the amp and sub.

I don't typically have the radio going while towing someone, unless it's for a tube ride which can go on endlessly.  Otherwise I want to hear the spotter and reduce distractions.

All that said...my buddy has an LSV with 3 amps, 2 subs, etc. and it's really fun as a passenger to hang out on his boat for the day, and just have a good time with the music too.  But personally I'd never invest in that.

So I guess I'm in the middle.  UEBoom2's will not do it for me, but a $4k system is not necessary.  I think I have $600 into mine with wiring and all.

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I think part of the draw with the stereo's is the feeling of freedom.  Out there on the water, tank full of gas, doing stuff you love, in a great mood, turn up the tunes, etc.  It's just part of the package.

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