My solution to transom speakers...without transom speakers - cooler radio

[Stee6043]

In spite of the not so insignificant investment I made in my cockpit stereo system I have always disliked how hard it is to hear the music while swimming behind my boat. A common complaint for those of us without arch pods or transom speakers.

Last year we also started spending more time at the beach vs anchoring in a cove. So tunes on the beach is now a want/need.

In an effort to lighten the load I decided to add the tunes to the cooler since it's a necessary piece of equipment at any rate. Over the past few months I've been noodling on this thing. I will use an FM transmitter to sync the cooler to the boat stereo when we're swimming. While at the beach I'll connect to it via bluetooth with my phone.

It sounds surprisingly decent in my garage. It's definitely more than enough volume for what I'm trying to do. Overall I'm pleased with the outcome. A cooler that'll still hold a case of beer and a portable FM/bluetooth radio...

 

[CLH]

Nice multitasking!

Cheryl

 

[CliffA]

I have to hand it to you for 'thinking out of the box' on this one....but I think I would have tried this on a cheap cooler first before I cut holes into that nice expensive Yeti cooler.....I wonder if cutting the holes for the speakers and the remote control will have any affect on the performance of the cooler in keeping ice....

but I applaud your creative thinking....

i have the same concerns as you about not hearing the music while floating behind the boat so i added speakers to the transom during a recent stereo system upgrade...they have a separate volume control so i can control them separate from the other cockpit speakers...

 

[Maddmike]

Looks good. Will you strap this to the swim platform?

 

[Stee6043]

I have to hand it to you for 'thinking out of the box' on this one....but I think I would have tried this on a cheap cooler first before I cut holes into that nice expensive Yeti cooler.....I wonder if cutting the holes for the speakers and the remote control will have any affect on the performance of the cooler in keeping ice....

but I applaud your creative thinking....

i have the same concerns as you about not hearing the music while floating behind the boat so i added speakers to the transom during a recent stereo system upgrade...they have a separate volume control so i can control them separate from the other cockpit speakers...

I can now tell you based on first-hand experience that there is nothing fancy on the inside of a Yeti. There is no godlike insulation in there. It's plane jane foam insulation. The amount I removed was minimal overall. I suspect the impact to it's ability to keep cool would not be measurable over the period of 3+ days.

As for why start with a Yeti - I was a victim of marketing and the term "limited edition". It's a sad state...

 

[Stee6043]

Looks good. Will you strap this to the swim platform?

She'll be in the cockpit while underway, an extra seat in front of the transom door. When we anchor out I'll throw it on the swim platform. I doubt I'll strap it. It should float ? ha.

 

[Jandcinok]

I like it! Our big cooler rides on the swim platform anyway.