Time to lose the cassette deck!!
 

I'm probably one of the few people to have the original stereo in my 1995 Talari 180.

It's time to get a unit that can I can plug in my daughter's MP-3 player and at least play CD's instead of cassettes. I haven't done this before because the only time I use the stereo is to listen to Cardinal baseball. Otherwise, I prefer the quiet, but the teenagers are staging a mutiny for tunes!

It's mounted at an angle under the dash in a fiberglass compartment and has the traditional (believe it or not) KNOBS on each side of the unit.

My question is, how much if any surgery will I have to perform on the enclosure to make a new unit fit?

When I switched from cassette to CD in my 1995 Talari 210 all I had to do was cut a rectangle to fit the DIN player, hook up speakers and power. When I cut the holes to add rear speakers, Mariah had already ran speaker wires to that area, they were probably used in the Z package. You can see the speaker placement in z275st’s 1995 210 Talrai.

Paul, believe it or not, you can still buy dial control radios. In fact, after I had my old Sea Ray 180's stereo vandalized due to an attempted theft, I replaced it with one of the cheapest radios I could find. I headed to the local Wal-Mart and found a $39 replacement that came complete with dial knobs, cassette deck, and MP3 Aux input jack right on the front. The aux in jack is what sold me. If playing CD's isn't essential, you could get by this way for super cheap!

Your application is a single-DIN unit, so finding a CD replacement should be a snap, and you shouldn't have to do too much surgery to get a new one in there!

Good luck with it, and keep us posted!

The speaker wiring is prewired on all models, not just the Z series.

They are also prewired for speakers in the bow! (They thought of everything!)

I forgot to ask about wiring. Does the wiring on the stock stereo go to a single plug or will I be doing some cutting and splicing?

You are not alone. I have the original "knob" style AM/FM/Cass stereo in my Shabah.

Soon to be replaced though. I came across a sweet deal on a new unit with USB input and a SD card slot, detatchable face plate, and dual RCA outs. It's sitting here on my desk, it'll have to wait until boating season for the install. My boat is waaaaay deep in a steel building 2 hours from my home.

Good to know about the pre-wiring. I currently only have the two speakers at the front, so I'll be upgrading those and adding some at the rear...

not only is it pre-wired for speakers in the bow, cockpit and rear area, each of the wires are also labeled too!! I damm near had an orgasm when i saw that. :wink_thumbup:

Hmmm that was a little bit of " TMI " from MiketyT there ..... :rolling_laugh:

But... I would have to agree with him the first time I crawled under my dash and noticed all these labels and then noticed the speaker wiring to the rear with more labels. I would like to take advantage of the rear speaker wiring.

PaulF: I still have the orginal " Mariah Premium Sound System" deck in my boat as well. It is a "Craig" tape deck, complete with missing radio tuner face plate to boot. I eventually found it when cleaning up randomly one day to the lower right of the drivers seat on the flooring.

Shabahz250 went the route I would like to go. Go for a deck with AUX inputs and bring an mp3 player on the boat. We rarely listen to the radio to begin with, because it usually interferes with talking to one another. We tend to talk a whole lot on the boat, talk about this, this cottage or that boat .. etc.

But I would like to change it over, just because. So I will keep watching this thread for more detailed information about how to swap it out.

I noticed that single wire coming off the back of the unit as well. After looking at some decks on Ebay with the wiring, they looked different.

I would be happy with something that is basically "plug and play". Remove some screws, plug the new one in, power it up.

It is going to be difficult to find a unit that will match older model wiring connectors. I think you will need to splice wires.
If you put in a common brand now you may be able to upgrade later with same brand without splicing.
My cabin has a Sony CD form 2001 and I am replacing with Sony CD w/ mp3, card slot, and USB. Old one will slide out and new one slides in with same connectors. True plug-n-play!

I think mine was probably similar. Someone before me replaced the original stereo with an old Sony and i replaced the Sony with a Pioneer DEH - 4900 model. I also got rid of the old & cheap t-bar type wire antenna and installed a Shakespeare AM-FM antenna that sticks to the side window glass & cost just under $50. It doesnt look like an antenna so it doesnt attract any attention and it performs really well. Anyway...whoever swapped the original unit & installed the Sony had to do some 'cut & splice' because i had to clean up some of those connections. I bought some plug style connectors & used those rather than tieing wire together or using marrettes so it would be easier to remove if needed. I also installed one of those waterproof stereo covers which gives the radio just a little more protection.

I've done 2 radio updates in my life:

I added a FM converter to my AM radio in my '72 Dodge Dart Swinger back when I was in college.

I replaced my AM (No FM) /8 track out of my '77 Pontiac Grand Prix with a Kraco AM/FM cassette in 1978.

So it's been a while. ;)

Even if you have to cut & splice wires it's pretty simple now. All the stereo wires are colour coded and there will be a wiring diagram to say what each are for. And since the Mariah wiring is labeled, it shouldn't take more than an hour or so to complete the swap.

I take that back........

I did install a stereo system on my 82 Glastron that did not have one.

You heard the carpenter's saying, "Measure twice, cut once"?

I probably measured 40 times over a 5 day period before I cut an opening into the fiberglass panel!

I won't have any problem with the wiring. I've been down that road before.

Yeah for me, getting wiring hooked up shouldnt be a problem. I can swipe almost any type of wire connector from work. Heat shrink tubing as well.

The problem for me would be understanding what wire does what and where.

Regardless of how simple a radio wiring diagram made up would be, it wouldnt match what it looks like on my boat.

I think Z275st is right though. I would have to "update" the wiring to match what is current.

OK, fellas, the process has begun. I've pulled the old radio. 4 screws and it's out! It looks like I won't be able to use the old metal black mounting plate unless I enlarge the hole in the metal plate. It's cut for the center of the unit with holes on both sides which attach it to the knob stems with 2 flat nuts.

I now have a fiberglass hole with 4 screw holes from the metal backing plate. How will the new radio attach to the boat? Do I just screw it into the fiberglass?:confused:

Maybe if I went ahead and bought the new one, I would figure it out.

Hey Paul,

Yeah, a new one's instructions would help... It's hard to say without seeing a picture. Chances are, you'll need to modify the hole in the fiberglass to match the rectangular sleeve from the new one.

Try looking on Sony's or Clarion's website for downloadable instructions. Hope it helps, and good luck!

I'm in the process up upgrading mine. I pulled the panel and used a zip saw to enlarge the rectangular hole for the new head unit. I'm also having an aluminum backing plate made up to stiffen up the plastic panel. There wasn't much left at the sides of the plastic panel after I was done cutting out the hole for the head unit, so the plan is for the backing plate to hopefully carry most of the weight of the rectangular mounting bracket for the new stereo.

I'm also going to use the zip saw to cut some holes for a pair of 6.5" coaxials on either side of the back bench seat.

Z202,

I mounted rear speakers in the same place shortly after I got my boat.

I didn't trust myself to cut the holes for the speakers, so I removed the panels and took them and the speakers to a local shop and they did a very nice job for very little money.

Just changed my stereo out from the original AM/FM/Cass to a new Kenwood CD with Polk Momo speakers and a Blaupunkt amp. Sounds way better than the old radio with 2 5 1/4 inch speakers did. I am going to add to Polk Momo 6x9's and 2 more Polk Momo 6.5" along with 1 10" sub. Should sound great when its done.

As for your wiring I found that mine was pre-wired for the aft speakers although they were never installed at the factory. The wire was under the carpet and tought to get to but better than running new wire on your own.

Did I see that someone said that Mariah also pre-wired the bow in all the boats?

Yep. They did.

I have a nice 8 track tape deck i can sell ya. ;)

I didn't see any "extra" speaker wires in the wire loom or bundle though. Do they have them run somewhere different?

Also, where in the bow are the ends? Mid bow, forward bow?

Thanks

I'm not sure where they are located in a 252. In mine they are located in the forward bow and labeled. Mariah used a full wiring harness with labeled ends no matter what level (Z, Ltd or basic) boat.

Yeah, I was surprised to find my 202 was already pre-wired for 6 speakers. The loom behind the stereo has them all identified with tags. They seem to be pretty substantial speaker wires. I'm not sure where the forward (bow area) ones terminate though.

@Paul: I've got a whole pile of 8 Track tapes for that deck mikeyt is trying to sell you. Though you'd have to be a fan of 70's tunes to enjoy them... ;):D

Thanks Mike I will have to get back down there and check it out. I am heading out on the water again in the morning if the weather permits. Otherwise I will go out in the afternoon.

EITHER WAY I AM BOATING TOMORROW!!!!!!!

I remember hearing about these " 8 track " things on the History channel....


:D

I have the z model and the wires are in the bow, but didn't come with speakers. This will be my next addition, as my teenagers are looking for bigger sound.

I added a pair of 6" and a pair of 6"x9" Kicker speakers to our boat. The previous owner had added a Sony AM FM CD player. It sounds great now!:yes_grin:

Adding the 6x9s was a bit difficult, as I had to make up a vinyl covered plywood oval spacer, as the back of the speaker magnets, were touching the inside of the hull after I cut the holes. It worked out in the end though.;)

I did it for the kids too... Only the biggest kid in our house... is me...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...r/DSCN0175.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...r/DSCN0174.jpg

The spacer looks good behind that 6x9. Looks very clean.

Replacing the Radio
 

I have a 1994 182 Barchetta and I order a Sony CDX-M10 with 1620 Speakers to upgrade the exsisting Cassette Player. It should be here on Thursday, just intime for the weekend.

Reading some of the posts, I was wondering about the wiring on mine, if it had the exsisting wire for rear speakers and if there a plpace already to cut out?

I am new here, so I have lots of questions :)

I just installed some Clarion 1625's in the back last weekend. There were no markings for cutout, so i just chose to mount them on either side of my rear bench seat. I cut the 5" holes using a rotary zip saw. You can use a jigsaw as well. Just wear a mask when cutting the fiberglass.

Speaker wire ends were pretty much right behind where I cut the holes. Just hanging loose and they were well labelled. Made for a very quick install.

There isn't a specified spot that you have to put the speakers at, just what you feel like is the right spot. As for wiring the ends should be towards the rear of the bench seat. Mine were hidden behind the carpet (made it interesting) and tied up in the wire loom still. Others have said that the bow area is also pre-wired but I haven't checked that out yet.

And welcome to the boards from another Missouri newbie.

Sony Deck and Speakers
 

This ought to be interesting.
My System is suppose to be here on Thursday, and I plan on spedning the evening installing it.
One of the problems I hop I don't have is that the head unit will slide out and back in. I saw where some have had to recut the holes.

The speakers should be a direct replcement, I Hope.....

If it is possible, I might move the Old speakers to the rear, but not quite sure where to mount them, I need to do some more detective work.

I am in Joplin, recently moved from St. Louis,
Where are you from?

Help!!!
 

Hello fellow Mariah owners!

I'm new to posting on the forum, but this subject is very appropriate. I just bought a 1994 Z212 Shabah, however, the original owner said the radio was stolen a few years back.

I plan to install a new stereo soon. Looking at the wiring, all six speaker wires were unplugged and intact and labeled.

Unfortunately, the idiot who stole the radio cut the main wire bundle and only left me with a 3" stub of wires emerging from the main harness!! Nice!

I have no labels to tell me what wire is what!! The 5 or 6 wires in the cut bundle are of various colors.

I'm hoping someone out there who has a similar boat and is working on their radio can look at the wires and tell me what colors correspond to what labels!!!

I'm new to the forum, but plan to be an active contributor!

Any help would be appreciated!

If necessary, we do have the wiring schematics available to our contributing members.

MariahLooker - that shouldn't be difficult. It sounds like the thief cut the wires from the stereo, they're usually color coded the same as all of them.

Just making assumptions, you already know the speaker wires... The rest should be red (switched power), black (ground), yellow (memory - constant power), and an antenna lead.

Hope this helps. If not, send me a PM with more detail of what exactly you have.

Paul, go ahead and leapfrog technology and get an ipod. Go right past the CD's. I don't even bring any out anymore and I always have tunes on. From Johnny Cash to Bach to the White Stripes and Led Zeppelin, there is always something to fit the mood!

My new deck has a USB conector and a SD card slot. I just loaded up a 4gig SD card with tunes and was good to go!

Reading some of these threads there appears to be some aditional wiring that I/we might not be aware of. Looking at my book it looks like there are some wiring diagrams in the back for some of the models, but I didn't see mine listed. I have a 1994 182 Barchetta. Does anyone have any information on this model?

I am getting ready to install my new Sony CDX-M10, I'll trace the wires for you. It'll be this weekend.

Hoping to get underway on Saturday with the new Stereo in place.

We are in O'Fallon.