Stereo addition/modifications

My son and I just finished a small addition to the Air Nautique between snow and rain storms. We added a little sound enhancement. I did not take any pictures and the best part of the whole install is that you can not tell anything has been added. So, no pictures needed. We added a JL Audio MHX280/4 and connected to the existing Polk Audio co-axle speakers in the stock locations. This tiny marine amplifier really woke up those speakers. Then to fill out the sound properly we added a Wet Sound Stealth AS-10 sub-woofer boxed amplifier with 500 watts of sound. Now the sound system has a real quality sound to it.

We were able to install the boxed 10 inch sub and amp in front of the kick panel in front of the driver. The small JL Auido amp was also easily able to fit in this space. Being under the dash on and off for hours was not fun and some of those duties were shared with my son. He was a big help.

I also addressed a few other issues that irritated me. I had previously straightened out the bent seat rails that would not allow the drivers seat to adjust. But the seating angle still bust did not seem right. I chanced the angle and height of the seat by shimming the rear of the seat up 1.5 inches and the front of the seat 0.5 inch. I no longer feel like I am sitting in a recliner and vision forward is much better now.

The steering wheel was also about 1/8 of a turn off from being straight when the boat was going straight. The steering shaft had a mark on it but it was not accurate. I remarked the shaft, I pulled the steering wheel adapter off and re-positioned the steering wheel. We will see how accurate this adjustment was this spring.

I am always surprised how bent up some drivers seat rails can be. Just what the hell are these people doing?

OK, so I took some pictures. The first ones are as I stated speaker in stock locations looking stock which was the goal. The next photos are in front of the drivers seat with the kick panel removed. The black box is the 10 in. sub woofer with built in amp. It just barely fits in there. Then there is the JL Audio amp. I realize the wiring is not the prettiest thing you have ever seen.
First we had to use what was available in a small town, wire lengths were not optimal and I allowed my 13 year old son to run the wiring and make connections. Although he is always tinkering with things this was his first major project. It all worked the first time around with no revisions needed. Success, and a positive outcome. As this area is in a hidden compartment it was a perfect opportunity to allow my boy to hone his skills. Then I talked about planning your wiring routs so things looked good when you are finished. Such as the stereo system in the Z car.