Wiring radio on 1994 sport nautique

Keith,
What you are experiencing is a classic case of undersized wiring up to the dash causing a large voltage drop. In the maintenance section there's a FAQ thread with links to just about anything. Here's one of the thread out of the FAQ's that explains running heavier wire.

BTW, if you can't find and answer in the FAQ's we are always around to help out.

My stereo is a clarion m303 18 watt with 45x4 output. Running 4 6.5-inch speakers. I also have a powered subwoofer hooked up whih has its own dedicated power that I ran from battery. I think that i am probably ok with connecting to one of the circuit breakers without needing to run a dedicated supply to it and going throuh a relay. Im not sure how to do that anyway. ......Does anyone know exactly which color wire to splice to on the circuit breaker...say ACCY 2...someone may be very familiar with the wire color configs in a 90's nautique? (Mine is 1994). Would I need to mess with the existing ground to the stereo or just worry about the power supply from the breaker?

Keith,
Wiring your existing sound system to an alternate existing source under the dash is NOT going to cure the voltage drop that's causing the cutting out. As mentioned, you need to upgrade the wiring for the power to and from the dash. Read the thread I linked and see if it's something you feel comfortable doing. But, as Kris mentioned, if you need help get some. .

Guys. After thinking about it,What would be wrong with running a dedicated hot wire and dedicated ground wire straight from my battery just for the radio and forget about the switch and only worry about the power button on the radio. I could still leave the yellow wire from the radio that keeps all the memory stuff powered just like it is now. I know it is a simplictic approach but what is wrong with that?

You will get a higher amp draw off the battery if the radio has power but is just turned off. I have mine wired on all the time and take the faceplate off which lowers the amp draw. I'll probably wire it to a breaker over the winter.

David, where do find the correct type of relay. I've tried to search for it before but get all kinds of results and not sure exactly what I should be using.

Good information. Let me be sure I understand. See attached picture for what I am asking. I run a dedicated hot wire from the battery (say 8 ga?) with in line fuse and a dedicated ground wire from battery (8 ga?), .....both to the relay. Run one wire from the switched side (the side that is not hot when the switch is off) of my spare ACCY breaker over to the "switched power" side of the relay. Then run a power wire form the relay over to the hot wire of my stereo. Seems simple enough....Correct me if I am wrong. However, can I leave my ground wire on the stereo as is or do I need to run a ground back to somewhere else?
Thanks,   Keith

I think I will do a "grounding block" from an 8 gauge, maybe run the ground straight from the engine block if you agree., then re do my existing grounds in the dash to the same block and also attach the radio ground and relay ground to the same "grounding block". While at it, I may as well have a separate "power block" and attach the new 8 ga hot wire over to my hot side on the ignition and beef the whole thing up. My biggest problem is capturing all the existing ground wires in the dash where they connect. I looked at the original link posted where the gentleman daisy chained all his grounds with "piggy back spade connectors" and then later went back and did a central grounding block. I can tell you everything in the 1994 dash is original and unmodified except for my new stereo (which is wired the same way as the factor radio.....One thing I have contemplated is how to physically make that hot connection to the ignition and to the ACCY breaker I want to use. My thought is to put a insulated spade connector with the built in "piggy back" and connect to the breakers that way.? Is that a good idea or what would you use?

63 Skier, Regarding your last paragraph....what I was intending to explain is that I plan to run the 8 ga wire from battery to a terminal block , then power the relay from that block with a smaller wire (say 10). The spare ACCY breaker would then be wired from the open side of the ACCY breaker over to the relay switch port so when the ACCY breaker is closed it will close the relay switch and power the stereo.. Okay, now the second feed I spoke of would also come from the new hot terminal block to the hot side if the ignition breaker (say 10 ga) ....this would in effect boost power to the ignition breaker and everything else when the ignition breaker is closed. That breaker would then have a dual feed in actuality...the existing feed and a new “beefier” one. (Any problem with that...duel feed?) I would also implement the ”tying” together of as many ground wires as I can over to the new and separate ground block I mentioned....Does this make sense?

I think you guys are over thinking this for a typical head unit. I would not be adding relays for this purpose, it doesn't make sense in this application.

Most head units will have a larger gauge wire intended to be constantly hot. They will then have another smaller gauge that switches the head unit on. Either run a new ground and hot bus bar (using 8ga-4ga wire) under the dash, splice into your existing ground and hot wires in the dash, then run the head unit always hot wire and ground wire to the bus bar, use the factory wiring/switch for the switched on/off wire. Fuse/breaker where appropriate. I did this on mine and fixed my cutting out issue among other low dash voltage issues. I used 4ga to the bus bars, 8ga power and ground into existing dash wiring at main junctions, and then put my other accessories (Perfect Pass) to the bus bar. Sounds like more or less what Keith is thinking of doing at this point. Using the jumper/multiple spade connectors should be fine. My boat is a Supra and this is how the factory dash is wired, just a huge jumble of those multiple spades piggy backed on each breaker/switch/etc. Maybe not how I'd do it if starting from scratch, but it works. well enough.

drekeith wrote: Only question I have now is should I cut in an in line fuse on my new hot wire near the battery for any reason? Assume my circuit breaker will take care of that unless I have a crazy short develop somewhere. If so, what size breaker?

It sounds like you have essentially bypassed the 50 Amp breaker on the engine. I would put a 50Amp fuse or breaker between the battery and the buss bar,