MacGregorSailors.com

Well, how lame is this. Almost 6 months later and I'm still putzing with this install - of course, I did change my mind and buy a different stereo as well as having an awful engine problem to deal with for a long time. I just cut my holes in above the Vberth, that was pretty easy with a dremel and a drywall cutting bit on it. Now I go tackle the holes in the pedestal...I think those will be a bit harder but I will try to use the same tool just going a bit slower.

The real reason I'm re-posting to this old thread is to ask if anyone has mounted a stereo to the ceiling before?

I got an under dash black enclosure which should do the trick but I'm not sure whether I should try to glue a piece of wood to the ceiling and screw into that or whether there is enough room to to put screws right into the fiberglass without going thru to the cabin roof. I'm putting it on the ceiling right in front of the head wall. Are there two pieces of fiberglass there or just one...its rather flat right there so I'm concerned there is not enough room to drill. Eventually, I plan to hang a TV screen on the head wall itself so that is why I am not installing there. Plus, I think its a good idea to keep these things high in case the boat ever gets swamped (without sinking all the way of course) and to keep little kids from messing with it too (I got a bunch of those). I just cut a new electrical panel opening out next to the stock one to put some more circuits in for all these goodies including my new LED light for the head room also. Yup, its a modgregor alright...

ModsNote: "Back to the Future~!" (... date jumps here) ~fc


Frank, your idea seems great to me, as usual for your mods ....
In this case, about mounting small computer speakers upside down from the sliding hatch, on "self-closing" hinges that allow the speakers to swing down and face the cockpit, or up and facing down at the sole for stowing and in-cabin listening.

This would avoid cutting up the cabin wall, or at least postpone it, and avoid running wires thru the headliner, while satisfy both cabin and cockpit sound.

Could you pleez take/show photos, and inform which store and hinge model you used ? and which speakers you found, or at least the shape. Computer stuff changes every month, so even if not exactly same available, at least the general shape.

How did you fasten the speakers ? ...

Alex,

I'll have to scour a bit ... IIRC, there's one picture of my speakers stowed somewhere on my hard drive. That's about like accessing the stowage in the X's aft-berth!

Following shows my hinged instrument panel ... folds under the slider when moored.
Small speakers flank this panel left & right, but they're folded back in this pic.


Short answer is, I mounted tiny scraps of 1x2 (little wooden blocks) to the slider with hinges from HmDepot (they corrode quickly!). Then I disassembled the computer satellites and used their base-mount screws to attach to the wood blocks. Ya gotta wing-it on that part.

The major problem with this strategy is wire management. Wires must be arranged and secured so they will move with the sliding hatch, yet not droop into the cabin headspace. Ya gotta wing-it on this part too. In picture you can see one of my instrument panel wires draping under the slider, extending into the head. You can just barely see the starboard (black) speaker, folded up under the slider.

Ok, thanx, Frank ....
' now got the inspiration and kernel idea of what to do about the speaker location.
I already had the wire problem when I mounted two flex solar panels to the top of the slider, and ran the wire around the end horshoe gaps to under the slider, where they have to follow the slider back and forth from their attachment point to the support post at the galley (equivalent to your use of the head enclosure) The speaker wires can follow that same path as the solar panel wire.

Don't do like my first trip to the Bahamas in 1974 on a 22 ft Catalana we installed great speakers and just out of site of Miami we started paying attention to our compass and it was spinning every time we tryed to correct our course. Another boat doing the crossing came to our rescue and looked at our boat and laughted at our spekers were too close to the campass and not the Bermudia triangle out to get us. Haha

I installed my speakers in the forward part of the cockpit on either side of the companionway in that bulge (below the winches on the M26). It was my first mod on the boat, so it pained me to drill such big holes, but it worked. Then I hung my stereo inside in those nooks above the aft berth (opposite from my comm radio) for easy access from the cockpit. It was easy to stash the wires around the fiberglass, under the mattress, and to the batteries. Have no problem hearing when WOT and the speakers are located far enough away from the compass on the pedestal to not impact its direction heading. Since I bought it before MP3 jacks were common, I plug my ipod into one of those radio pre-set devices that can play my ipod through a radio station (88.1, 98.1 & 107.9). Works great.

I have posted my speaker installation a number of times but seeing as the mod pages are down, here it is again. I wanted good sound in the cockpit and the cabin so I mounted my Jensen Marine speakers on stainless hinges from Home Despot. They are held in place with bungees in case they get kicked as folks access the companionway. I used small rubber pads to prevent banging. I also put a Jensen wired remote on my pedestal. After years of service I still love this install.