Car amp in boat

[samgreazy]

Just wondering how many of you have car amps in your boat? I just ordered a jl jx 360.2 and a 360.4, just wondering if any of you had them and any concerns with it??

[swatguy]

Most people still use car amps. Their is so much more variety on specs.......though recently their has been some top notch marine stuff being made. Usually going with non-marine amps will save you some cash. Just be sure to mount them up and off the floor in a dry area. What plays more of a role on whether you should go with marine amps in my opinion is how well your boat is eaired out after use and where u store it. I feel if someone just stores it on a lift outside or outsidetheir house under a cover u tend to get moisture in there and that is what will cause corrosion to you non-marine amps. Howevere being in a garage or somewhere with a more temperature and humidity controlled enviornment will allow the boat to not have that dampness factor

[JRW160]

I have a couple of car amps in my boat. The marine stuff is just too expensive. In most cases you can buy 2 car amps for the price of 1 marine amp.

[CantRepeat]

Originally Posted by swatguy

Most people still use car amps. Their is so much more variety on specs.......though recently their has been some top notch marine stuff being made. Usually going with non-marine amps will save you some cash. Just be sure to mount them up and off the floor in a dry area. What plays more of a role on whether you should go with marine amps in my opinion is how well your boat is eaired out after use and where u store it. I feel if someone just stores it on a lift outside or outsidetheir house under a cover u tend to get moisture in there and that is what will cause corrosion to you non-marine amps. Howevere being in a garage or somewhere with a more temperature and humidity controlled enviornment will allow the boat to not have that dampness factor

Extremely good point there. Boats are made to be wet on the bottom, not inside. I always open up all my seats, motor hatch, lockers and let them air out under covered parking.

[bturner2]

PO installed a car amp in my boat to power the Wet Sounds speakers on the tower. It's been in there since 2007 with no problems so far. That being said I would have bought the marine version and have considered replacing it. Just not high on the wish list this year.

[samgreazy]

thanks for the feedback guys

[kskonn]

I used to install Car and Boat Audio back in college and we used car amps all the time. the only thing I would reccomend is adding some good fans to keep them cool. the biggest issues I would see was overheating after cranking the stereo on the lake for a number of hours. It is cheap to add fans. Not everyone has this issue it is just the most common issue that I would hear people complain about.

[markismm]

I agree with all of the foregoing. I had a PYLE "Marine" amp that got wet when I had a rub rail leak and fried. The fact that it was "Marine" did not in anyway help it out in that scenario. I tried to fix it by replacing the fried MOSFET transistor, but it still does not sound right. Although the circuit boards on your "Marine" amps are often coated to protect them from moisture issues, many other critical compenents are not, such asthe MOSFET transistors which are usually mounted to a heat sink. I have now replaced my PYLE Amp with two MTX car amps and fixed the rub rail leak. No probs for the last 3 seasons. As long as you keep moisture levels to a minimum and do not subject your amp to any direct water or splash, you should be okay in my opinion.

[j4rowell]

Originally Posted by markismm

I agree with all of the foregoing. I had a PYLE "Marine" amp that got wet when I had a rub rail leak and fried. The fact that it was "Marine" did not in anyway help it out in that scenario. I tried to fix it by replacing the fried MOSFET transistor, but it still does not sound right. Although the circuit boards on your "Marine" amps are often coated to protect them from moisture issues, many other critical compenents are not, such asthe MOSFET transistors which are usually mounted to a heat sink. I have now replaced my PYLE Amp with two MTX car amps and fixed the rub rail leak. No probs for the last 3 seasons. As long as you keep moisture levels to a minimum and do not subject your amp to any direct water or splash, you should be okay in my opinion.

Don't base your decision of this story. Mark bought a PYLE of crap. Marine amps such as the wetsounds are top notch and will often withstand water.

[J NORRIS]

Have had car amps in my boat since 2001 and no problems. I agree with adding fans to keep 'em cool. I have car speakers in the bow of my PS209 (alpine type r), they have been wet, but dry out and sound the same. I can buy two pair of car speaker for price of marine quality speakers. You pay twice as much for 1/2 the power capacity.