Stereo and LED Cabin Light upgrade

Jmac572

Active Member
Dec 20, 2016
212
Plymouth, MA
Boat Info
2004 Sea Ray 390 Sundancer "Freedom"
Engines
Twin Mercury 8.1
Hi guys, figured i'd post some pictures of a couple upgrades. I swapped out the factory radio and speakers with Wet Sounds REVO6 and a Fusion UD750 with a helm remote. I can not believe how good the REVO6 speakers sound and how much bass they make. They're powered by the internal 70x4 amp inside the fusion, I can't imagine more power to them. The helm remote is a lot smaller so I had to find a bracket to mount the remote on for a watertight and professional finish. I also added a NMEA2k network and connected my Raymarine e97 to the FusionLink so everything can be controlled there. Id say its more of a novelty than useable, the remote is right next to it.

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The speakers have built in RGB LED lights, I wired them all up together and connected them to a dimmable control under the helm (the ACC2 switch turns them on then you can change the color or leave it as is under the helm). I also installed a strip of RGB waterproof LED lights directly under the grill that shines down on the wet bar, looks great at night and because they can be dimmed it isn't bad for running at night. To install the speakers I trimmed the fabric and installed spacers to push the speakers out and make them flush with the factory trim pieces. Looks as good as the later model 330's now.

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Here is a picture with a different color on, it also shows the speakers installed BEFORE the spacers, the fabric looks sucked back behind the speakers so thats when I figured I needed to change it, I found the spacers at Best Buy in the car install bay for sale. Cheap fix and looks much better.

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I also did a major overhaul to the factory bow sunpad speakers. I used the factory speaker wiring that went from the cabinet next to the main berth and up to the bow rails, but installed newer 4" kicker speakers and marine grade speaker pods. I also replaced the factory garbage with a Fusion 2 channel amp in the cabin to power them. They sound AWESOME for 4" speakers, I'm shocked at how much bass and how clear/loud the highs are. In addition I ran an RCA cable from the new amp to the main breaker panel so I could connect the bow speakers to new Fusion deck. I find it strange it isn't set up this way from the factory, now the same music is on all the speakers. The Fusion deck has the ability to set up 4 separate zones. I set it up with the main Deck Front, main Deck Rear, Cabin, and Sun Pad. My next modification is going to be adding swim platform speakers and merging the front and rear deck zones so my 4 zones will be Deck, Sun Pad, Swim Platform, and Cabin

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And Finally I swapped out all the cabin lights for LED bulbs (I found nice warm white bulbs that are super bright and look great, they're a littttttle more white than the factory halogen). Then I installed LED Strips behind the blinds facing down to accent the interior and add some more useable light. I simply connected them to the switches already in place so they turn on with the cabin lights.

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Awesome job Jim! Can you give me some details on the LEDs you put under the grill? I'm looking to put something in my hardtop.

Hope you guys are enjoying the boat, we're likely heading your direction (your side of the cape anyways) this weekend. Planning on taking the boat to Sesuit for a friend's lobsterbake.
 
Man, seriously nice work! I've been in the lighting/AV upgrade process, and may have to incorporate some of your ideas.
 
Well done! I also recently connected my Fusion to my MFD. I use it constantly. At any given time we have 4-6 iOS devices with the app in addition to the remote, but I like having the large screen at the dash to adjust zone volume and see current track info etc. There have been days at the dock where the MFD is on for more than 12 hours.

What did you use as a filler plate for your remote? Mine sits over a hole that's slightly too large but the material you used looks much better than a chunk of starboard.
 
Well done! I also recently connected my Fusion to my MFD. I use it constantly. At any given time we have 4-6 iOS devices with the app in addition to the remote, but I like having the large screen at the dash to adjust zone volume and see current track info etc. There have been days at the dock where the MFD is on for more than 12 hours.

What did you use as a filler plate for your remote? Mine sits over a hole that's slightly too large but the material you used looks much better than a chunk of starboard.

I was going crazy thinking of what to use for a filler plate so it was water tight and at the same time looked good. When I was in Lowes I passed the electrical isle and saw a fancy outlet that used a modern rectangle style trim and it looked almost big enough to cover the old hole. It was only $7 so I figured id give it a try. Turns out this outlet cover is the exact dimensions as the Fusion remote, just larger, so it looks almost like it was made for it. Also the hole on the outlet is just large enough to fit the wiring for the remote and sit flush against the dash. It did require a little modification though, there are some small clips on the back that have to be cut off so the outlet cover makes contact with the dash for a water tight finish. After that just pre-drilled the holes for the outlet and used some waterproof silicone and it was done.

Here is a link to the outlet cover. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Legrand-adorne-1-Gang-Magnesium-Single-Square-Wall-Plate/999908975

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Awesome job Jim! Can you give me some details on the LEDs you put under the grill? I'm looking to put something in my hardtop.

Hope you guys are enjoying the boat, we're likely heading your direction (your side of the cape anyways) this weekend. Planning on taking the boat to Sesuit for a friend's lobsterbake.

Hey John! we just got back from a 5 day trip to Provincetown for the 4th... It was awesome, boat worked out better than planned. There were some hiccups prior to delivery, I think the dealer pinched a seal on the outdrive when they serviced them prior to delivery. And there is this code that won't go away for port side engine misfire, but the dealer is getting everything done while its in the warranty period. Other than that I love the boat, there was a 350 just like yours at the marina in Provincetown and it already started spinning the wheels in my head haha.

The LEDs I used under the grill are super cheap and extremely durable, I have had them on an outdoor couch on my back patio at my house for two years now and they still work awesome. They've been out in freezing temps, snow, rain, and baking in the sun all day and they still work great. The key to these, though, is they need to be installed somewhere you want the light to shine but that you can't see the source of the light because the strip itself is not very pleasing to look at.

I had some similar LED strip on my last boat and they worked awesome but it seems the remote controllers that come with the kits barely last a year, thats why I used the hardwired dimmer control under the dash. You can make it as bright or dim as you want and depending on how bright you make a certain color over another one you can literally make a thousand different colors. Pretty cool.

The hardest part is running the wires to where you want the lighting on the boat, after that just use a spare fuse spot in the fuse block under your dash to connect to positive and negative and you're in business. Super easy.

Here is a link to the RGB Color LED Strip I used under the grill, its waterproof and good quality. The 12v transformer and remote is actually good quality too, but you won't need them on the boat.
https://www.amazon.com/Tingkam-Wate...499963188&sr=1-5&keywords=5050+rgb+waterproof


This is a link to the white LED strip I used in the cabin. Its non-waterproof, but thats fine.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007JF2A6G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


And here is a link to the RGB controller I used.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008GY6WM2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
Yea I bought the same ones in the 6000k color by mistake... it's too blue for my liking so I'm going to try to return them and buy the same color you bought, let me know how they look. I have it over the stove top in the large recessed light. Those bulbs also work in the spring loaded recessed lights over my starboard side cabinets. I wasn't super impressed with the light output although it wasn't bad. I actually used 5 watt MR11 LED landscape light bulbs from Lowes for the spring loaded recessed lights and they work perfect after a little modification to the housing.
 
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Thanks Jim.

Is the adhesive on the back of the lights strong enough or do you reinforce it with another adhesive?

If you properly prep the surface with rubbing alcohol and maybe lightly scuff it, the 3M tape on the back of the strip should be strong enough..... I use the white strip on top and under my cabinets in my kitchen at home and some of them started to sag a little. I just used a small bead of super glue and it was all set.
 
Sweet install... Thanks for sharing!!
 
Very nice set up... You better get an alarm >>

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Well done. Can't imagine all of the wire stripping required for all of those upgrades. One option to consider - a wifi controller for the rgb lights instead of the knobs.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q6C6GS6/ref=psdc_507840_t3_B00S683EKQ

Yea it was a lot of wire stripping!! I had tried 3 or 4 different types of controllers on past boats and found that they all suck haha. I also was seeing that once I found a color I was sticking with it pretty much. Plus I like being able to have total control and fine tune the brightness to a T. I barely touch the RGB controller though, its wires to the ACC2 switch on my dash so thats how they turn on and off.
 
Anybody come up with a non-intrusive way to add more lighting to the arch/spoiler? I find it gets dark in the back of the cockpit and the two existing spoiler lights don't do much to help. I was thinking of using an LED ribbon mounted to the back of the spoiler (I love LED ribbons) but they aren't the prettiest things to look at in daylight.
 
My PO installed the 6" round SS framed surface mount lights. Not that great to look at, but they are overhead and you don't really notice them.
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The wife did pick out a nice lamp.... It is velcroed behind my captain's chair. Over the ice bucket that we have never used.


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Blkbrd, I was thinking of using “EL” strip lighting under the rear bench seat and ice maker in the cockpit I like the look it’s a modern twist on the LED’s.
 

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