Thinking of replacing the stereo on 182 Shabah

bbrophy58 · 11-28-2010, 02:24 PM

As all good boating addicts do during the storage months in the winter, I have been thinking of things I can do to upgrade my boat come spring. I have a 182 Shabah with the stock am/fm cassette stereo. It works fine but I do not always get great radio reception and would like the option of CD's and my Ipod. The stock stereo sits to the right of the helm under a sliding door. I was thinking of replacing it with a CD and Ipod compatible stereo in the spring. My question is....will a standard sized stereo fit under the sliding door? That door is a nice feature I would like to keep. Also, will the antenna and wiring connections be easy enough that I could do it? I want the boat to look stock and would like to make the swap myself if possible. Anyone out there with a similar boat replace their stereo? My biggest concern is the fit. I do not want to cut any new holes in the boat. I appreciate any thoughts or advice. Thanks!

Phlorida · 11-28-2010, 03:04 PM

I have a newer boat and swapped out the stock stereo this summer. My stereo is located in the glove box and has the sliding door also. The new stereo fit perfectly - it would be tough to imagine that Mariah used a non-standard size stereo and sliding door.

The installation was a breeze and was a matter of cutting the old wires and using butt splices to attach them to the new stereo. I probably spent about an hour doing the installation.

For your information I installed the Kenwood KMR-440U that has a front USB for iPod hookup. Since mine is in the glove box I also installed a Kenwood KCA-RC50MR hard wired remote that is an excellent addition. I mostly use mine with an iPhone 3GS running Pandora.

bbrophy58 · 11-28-2010, 06:22 PM

Thanks for the reply on installing your stereo. I am pretty handy and will probably give it a try. I will look up the stereo you installed since it fit and you seem happy with it. Sounds like a breeze to install. It is nice to hear from someone who already tried the install. I ant to update my boat but keep the stock look. A remote control sounds cool too.

Phlorida · 11-28-2010, 11:03 PM

I gave this a tad more thought and had some ideas.

I used butt splices because it was May and I wanted to be out of the heat quickly. Under different conditions I would have soldered them and used shrink tubing. I may still go back and do that soon as the amount of vibration on a boat doesn't really lend itself to butt splices. That would add maybe 30 minutes to the install.

The Kenwood is fine and I purchased it from Crutchfield because they were offering a deal with the wired remote thrown in. Lots of options and dealers out there. I love the Alpine iDA-X100M which is pricier than the unit I installed and possibly larger. I am actively looking for a bigger boat - maybe I will upgrade to the Alipne with that one?

Oregondunes · 11-29-2010, 09:13 AM

check out Fusion stereos. FUSION Electronics Global Home Page

Dredd · 11-30-2010, 03:24 PM

Here's a post of mine in a different thread answering the question about the standard hole, with a picture.
Stereo Replacement/location

bbrophy58 · 11-30-2010, 11:56 PM

Dredd - The picture you posted on the other thread looks like exactly the same setup that my boat has. It is a sliding door that covers the stereo. I wish now that I had pulled he stereo before storing my boat. It is in a garage for the winter and I ca not get to it until spring. Now I am getting psyched to replace mine and want a remote control, too!

RPOLS3 · 12-10-2010, 06:20 PM

We replaced the stock setup in our 2000 182 a few winters back as well. I can't remember the exact model # but it was a Sony Xplod packaged deal. For $100 we got an AM/FM/CD w/iPod jack and (4) speakers (car stuff not boat stuff). In addition it has a remote that we like to use from the sundeck. We put a floating keychain on the remote in case it gets overboard and attached iit next to the passenger seat with some heavy duty Velcro.

Radio was a direct bolt in with no modifications to dash (we can still use the factory plastic cover for the radio) or wiring at all - that part only took about 20-30 minutes to do. We also replaced the (2) factory speakers by the front seats with the ones in the kit and added the (2) rear ones with wiring that was already there. While certainly not audiophile quaity stuff it was a tremendous upgrade from the factory equipment. All in all a very easy and practical upgrade for $100 that we are very happy with.

Good luck

bbrophy58 · 12-11-2010, 02:34 PM

Thanks RPOL3. I am pretty handy but no audiophobe by any stretch of the imagination. My real concerns were the fit and the connections. I want to retain the stock stereo sliding cover and it looks like that is possible based on your experience. My other concern was the wiring and antenna connection. As my boat is 10 years old, I was not sure if the antenna from my boat would fit into a new one. Not that big of a deal, but it would be so easy if the existing antenna would fit the back of a new stereo. I am definitely going to make the upgrade though....and a remote is now a must! Thanks for the help.