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wakeboarderr77 Newbie
Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 31 City: Redondo Beach
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Posted: Nov 28, 2011 9:33 pm Post subject: tower/ speaker install |
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Tower went on quick, pretty easy install. 2 hours
Last edited by wakeboarderr77 on Dec 04, 2011 12:05 am; edited 1 time in total |
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pat8839 Outlaw
Joined: 18 Mar 2010 Posts: 106
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Posted: Nov 29, 2011 5:11 am Post subject: |
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Looks awesome! Run into any trouble? |
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wakeboarderr77 Newbie
Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 31 City: Redondo Beach
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Posted: Nov 29, 2011 7:22 am Post subject: |
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pat8839 wrote: | Looks awesome! Run into any trouble? |
Only trouble is the bimini wont fold. But I kinda expected it. Also a little of the powdercoat peeled off from some blue painters tape i put on there. Kinda sux |
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pat8839 Outlaw
Joined: 18 Mar 2010 Posts: 106
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Posted: Nov 29, 2011 1:04 pm Post subject: |
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what was the tape used for? I actually just put this tower on my boat-I had the polished aluminum though. My bimini fits, but I have to put it up and down by attatching the front then the rear feet which is opposite of what I did before. I was happy that it still fits though and that I did not have to buy a new one! |
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wakeboarderr77 Newbie
Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 31 City: Redondo Beach
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Posted: Nov 29, 2011 4:15 pm Post subject: |
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pat8839 wrote: | what was the tape used for? I actually just put this tower on my boat-I had the polished aluminum though. My bimini fits, but I have to put it up and down by attatching the front then the rear feet which is opposite of what I did before. I was happy that it still fits though and that I did not have to buy a new one! |
I used the tape to temp. hold the 2 top bars, the H section, so I could drill it. The tape was on for about 10 minutes. Looks kinda crappy but I'm not taking it all apart just to return it |
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pat8839 Outlaw
Joined: 18 Mar 2010 Posts: 106
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Posted: Nov 30, 2011 6:40 am Post subject: |
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I hear that! I would not go through that hassle haha. I scratched my top bars up a bit getting it all put together-it kept raining on and off as we were putting it up and my fiance didn't want to be out in the weather so we kept having to put it down without it being totally assembled. But it looks good and I am quite happy with it.
Were you able to get pretty good backing plates in there? I was amazed at how THIN the fiberglass walls are on my boat (2006 Bayliner 195) so I used as large of backing plates as I could fit inside the hull. |
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Gibster786 Newbie
Joined: 03 Aug 2011 Posts: 30 City: Virginia Beach
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Posted: Nov 30, 2011 3:46 pm Post subject: |
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You could always get a custom Bimini that mounts to the tower. I did that for my bayliner along time ago. Im sure you know this but I like when the bimini is much higher so you can fully walk under it. Nice job on your install. It makes the boat look way different. |
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wakeboarderr77 Newbie
Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 31 City: Redondo Beach
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Posted: Nov 30, 2011 7:31 pm Post subject: |
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I got the 4 exiles wired and mounted today. Not too difficult, just time consuming with the wires hidden. The Harpoon amp is mounted but not yet wired so no sound yet. The speakers are removable and spin 360 degrees. Really nice speakers I think. Maybe by the weekend I'll be able to hear them. |
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pat8839 Outlaw
Joined: 18 Mar 2010 Posts: 106
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Posted: Dec 01, 2011 6:35 am Post subject: |
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Wow that looks awesome! I would like to put speakers up on mine but I am concerned that the increased weight up there may be too much! How much do those suckers weigh? I have an old amp that I could install for the time being if I got some speakers... |
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wakeboarderr77 Newbie
Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 31 City: Redondo Beach
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Posted: Dec 01, 2011 6:00 pm Post subject: |
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pat8839 wrote: | Wow that looks awesome! I would like to put speakers up on mine but I am concerned that the increased weight up there may be too much! How much do those suckers weigh? I have an old amp that I could install for the time being if I got some speakers... |
Each speaker weighs about 8lbs. |
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pat8839 Outlaw
Joined: 18 Mar 2010 Posts: 106
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Posted: Dec 02, 2011 6:44 am Post subject: |
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Oh that's not much at all! I figured they would be pretty hefty. That is good to know! What type of wire did you use? |
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wakeboarderr77 Newbie
Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 31 City: Redondo Beach
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Posted: Dec 02, 2011 7:11 am Post subject: |
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pat8839 wrote: | Oh that's not much at all! I figured they would be pretty hefty. That is good to know! What type of wire did you use? |
I pulled 12g speaker wire through the tower. |
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pat8839 Outlaw
Joined: 18 Mar 2010 Posts: 106
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Posted: Dec 02, 2011 10:48 am Post subject: |
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Do you have any pics of where the wire enters your boat? I'm confused about how that part goes...How about in and out of the legs?
Thanks! |
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wakeboarderr77 Newbie
Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 31 City: Redondo Beach
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Posted: Dec 02, 2011 11:00 am Post subject: |
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The thick wire is a speaker wire loom I purchased. The other 2 thin wires are for the light on the tower. I've not yet decided how to get these through the hull. Probably just through a small hole with a trim piece installed. |
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pat8839 Outlaw
Joined: 18 Mar 2010 Posts: 106
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Posted: Dec 02, 2011 11:32 am Post subject: |
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Wow that is a nice wire loom set up! Where did you find that lovely thing? Is it too small to run the light wires through it? I have not put the light on top of my tower yet. I am sure you ran the light wires to your electrical/fuse panel-how would I go about finding out where to connect it there? |
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wakeboarderr77 Newbie
Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 31 City: Redondo Beach
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Posted: Dec 02, 2011 11:46 am Post subject: |
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actually this is as far as I've gotten. I have no idea where to connect the wires to under the dash. Do I add another switch? Do i attach to my other lights? Not sure. I'll figure it out this weekend though.
I purchased the wire loom with the tower but they are available at pretty much anywhere that sells the tower speakers i believe. |
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pat8839 Outlaw
Joined: 18 Mar 2010 Posts: 106
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Posted: Dec 02, 2011 12:25 pm Post subject: |
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Haha sounds like you are in the same boat as me! I have the stern light on a long pole that goes into the socket on the back of my boat and I imagine if I were to wire up the light to go on top of my tower, it would replace my current stern light (I don't think you should have 2). I guess I need to try and find a wiring diagram of my boat to see where it is wired in, and I would swap out the tower light wires for the current stern light wires...By doing this your current on/off/on switch would allow you to use the tower light as your running light and anchor light.
Thanks for the info on the speakers, you have me very interested in doing that now!! |
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pat8839 Outlaw
Joined: 18 Mar 2010 Posts: 106
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Posted: Dec 02, 2011 1:04 pm Post subject: |
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Just curious-is your bimini going to fit under your speakers? Now that I think of it, my bimini clears my tower by only about an inch! |
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wakeboarderr77 Newbie
Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 31 City: Redondo Beach
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Posted: Dec 02, 2011 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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pat8839 wrote: | Just curious-is your bimini going to fit under your speakers? Now that I think of it, my bimini clears my tower by only about an inch! |
yea. the bimini fits, i just cant fold it. so it's on or off.
Thats a great idea. I'll just trace the wires to the pole socket and hook in there. |
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wakeboarderr77 Newbie
Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 31 City: Redondo Beach
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Posted: Dec 03, 2011 3:14 pm Post subject: |
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Yep. I just left the wires to the pole mount light but spliced into them. Works great. The pole socket still works but wont be used.
Thanks for the idea. |
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wakeboarderr77 Newbie
Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 31 City: Redondo Beach
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Posted: Dec 04, 2011 12:09 am Post subject: |
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Got everything wired up and running today. The speaker/amp install was much easier than i anticipated. It's working and sounding awesome. I'll need to tune the amp but otherwise it's all good to go.
Thanks to Brian at Exile Audio for the installation assistance.
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MobiusLSV Newbie
Joined: 06 Sep 2009 Posts: 33
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Posted: Dec 04, 2011 11:31 am Post subject: |
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I've been running the SXT65's and Harpoon amp for a couple seasons now and love them. Going to get the swivel/removal brackets for next season as I have to remove them for winter storage. It's nice to have a nice sounding/looking tower setup that can be heard at 70-80' clearly without breaking the bank or giving up headroom. |
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pat8839 Outlaw
Joined: 18 Mar 2010 Posts: 106
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Posted: Dec 05, 2011 5:12 am Post subject: |
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Glad you got it all working! Were you able to take her out on the water this weekend for tower test?
Did your existing switch work with the tower light ok? Guess that is what I will do one of these days...
Your set up looks great, those speakers look sweet on the tower. Did you get the mirror too? |
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wakeboarderr77 Newbie
Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 31 City: Redondo Beach
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Posted: Dec 05, 2011 7:15 am Post subject: |
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pat8839 wrote: | Glad you got it all working! Were you able to take her out on the water this weekend for tower test?
Did your existing switch work with the tower light ok? Guess that is what I will do one of these days...
Your set up looks great, those speakers look sweet on the tower. Did you get the mirror too? |
Yes. I got the mirror and the racks and a flag holder. The switch works fine, i didn't even touch it, i just spliced the lines in the boat under the rear tower foot. No test yet. I've got the boat here in CA to do the work but it lives in AZ. I'll get it out xmas time no matter how cold it is |
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pat8839 Outlaw
Joined: 18 Mar 2010 Posts: 106
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Posted: Dec 05, 2011 9:01 am Post subject: |
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That's good! Sounds like the wiring was pretty simple them which is good news. How did you wind up getting the light wiring into the boat? I have to drill another hole in the boat don't I? |
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wakeboarderr77 Newbie
Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 31 City: Redondo Beach
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Posted: Dec 05, 2011 3:01 pm Post subject: |
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pat8839 wrote: | How did you wind up getting the light wiring into the boat? I have to drill another hole in the boat don't I? |
HAHA yep. But once you've drilled 1, it seems
easier! |
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pat8839 Outlaw
Joined: 18 Mar 2010 Posts: 106
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Posted: Dec 06, 2011 4:59 am Post subject: |
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ha I guess you are right. That 4th foot hole for the tower was a lot easier than the first. My fiance looked at me when I was bracing myself for the first hole saying "what's wrong???" She just didn't get it!
How did you finish the hole for the light wiring? I'm guessing that you could not get it to run along with the big black wire that your speakers were with huh? |
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wakeboarderr77 Newbie
Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 31 City: Redondo Beach
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Posted: Dec 06, 2011 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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pat8839 wrote: |
How did you finish the hole for the light wiring? I'm guessing that you could not get it to run along with the big black wire that your speakers were with huh? |
No it wouldn't fit thru the same hole. I just drilled yet another hole right next to the speaker wire and passed the wires thru. A dab of white silicone and it looks great. |
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pat8839 Outlaw
Joined: 18 Mar 2010 Posts: 106
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Posted: Dec 07, 2011 5:03 am Post subject: |
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Did you put anything around the hole in the tower leg where the wires exit the leg? I have heard of people using some sort of gasket to protect the wires from getting frayed by the sharp metal edge, but I have no idea where to get this said gasket...You have inspired me to attempt to tackle this light this weekend! |
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wakeboarderr77 Newbie
Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 31 City: Redondo Beach
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Posted: Dec 11, 2011 7:19 am Post subject: |
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No, I just made the hole large enough so it wouldn't damage the wire from vibration. |
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pat8839 Outlaw
Joined: 18 Mar 2010 Posts: 106
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Posted: Feb 13, 2012 8:33 am Post subject: |
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How did you get the anchor light wires run through the tower? I can't do it, I am stuck!! Please help! |
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