Among the most significant benefits of owning a pontoon boat is the ability to convert it into a party boat. There’s plenty of room on the large open deck and plenty of seating to install marine-grade audio equipment so you can get the party started, or perhaps you want a little bit of audio while you fish.
Whatever your plans are, some of the most popular custom jobs you can do for yourself is installing pontoon speakers into your boat. While this is not a guide to installing speakers (for that, use the search function), we’ll provide you with some recommendations for the best pontoon boat speakers on the market. It should be noted, however, that these are all wired solutions.
The most important factor is whether you need to purchase specialized marine speakers. The top audio equipment manufacturers offer marine models that can fit your pontoon, but how do you know the best speakers for a great time on a pontoon boat?
It’s a difficult decision, so we’ve narrowed it down to the top ones for you to consider, each with its advantages and disadvantages for pontoon boat owners. These boat speakers are marine-specific, have a clear and crisp sound, and are reasonably priced.
Polk Audio MM651UM
These are fantastic pontoon boat speakers, and the online reviews back up that claim. The built-in tweeter reduces distortion, and the sound is powered by 60 watts continuous RMS and a 180 watts peak. They sound fantastic and look decent as well.
These lightweight yet rugged, stainless-steel-finished speakers are a great point of discussion on the water with other pontoon owners. Back to that sound, you can hear it clearly and crisply even when you’re going across the lake at full speed.
While they are highly priced speakers, they are well worth the money you pay for them.
Kicker KM 654
If you want to transform your pontoon into a nightclub, look no further than these Kicker KM speakers, which include built-in LED lighting that you can adjust to suit the mood on board. Because they are coaxial speakers, they will not distort, so you can crank up the volume, turn on the LEDs, and have a party right on your deck when night falls. You can set up strobe lights, program the colors, and have them fade on and off in time with the music.
These speakers are easy to set up, stylish, durable, and loud. Look no farther than the Kicker KMs to get the party started.
Infinity Reference 622m
These are some of the less expensive speakers but also some of the most attractive. And just because they are less expensive does not imply that the sound quality suffers.
The only real disadvantage is that they will not withstand salt water, UV light, and kicks and bumps compared to the other speakers. They don’t have the same heavy-duty feel as the others in this article. However, these speakers could be ideal for your pontoon project if you can overlook those considerations.
Audiopipe APSW
You may wish to install and mount your speakers on your pontoon’s wakeboard tower. This will entail purchasing marine speakers that clip and link to the tower.
These should suffice if adding speakers to the tower is important to you. They are Audiopipe and come in a set of two. They are expensive, but they produce 250 watts of power, which should allow those pulled behind the pontoon to hear the sound above the water noise.
Please remember that installing tower speakers is a different skill than installing standard ones.
Pioneer TS MR-1600 Nautica
If you have a pontoon that gets soaked after every trip, these are the pontoon speakers for you.
The Pioneer brand is probably the one you are most familiar with among the speakers reviewed here. Choose these speakers for your pontoon boat if you own one where water splashing on your deck is an issue – this is probably a good choice for boat owners who have children or fish frequently.
Fusion Electronics MS-FR6021
Beautiful, with an excellent sound, and all encased in titanium—yes, you read that correctly. These marine speakers come in a titanium case so that you can throw a lot at them, and they should be able to withstand it. You won’t find anything more durable than these bad boys, with UV protection, salt water resistance, and a design that keeps dust and water out.
If you’re a pontooner who is frequently on the water, constantly hosting, has kids and pets, and never knows where your pontoon boat will take you next, the Fusion speakers are perfectly suited for you.
Boss Audio MR60W
Lastly, if you want something cheerful and cheap but don’t care about appearances, these Boss Audio MR60W speakers might be for you. These are most likely the ones you’d want to put on your pontoon deck because they’re the least appealing.
However, check these speakers out if you want something inexpensive and simple to install. They aren’t going to win any style accolades, but they do provide adequate sound.
Changing Out Factory Installed Speakers
If you intend to install your pontoon speakers in the original holes where the factory-installed ones are currently located, ensure that your new models will fit neatly into that space. Pay careful attention to the new speakers’ dimensions to limit the amount of re-cutting and potential work in panels or placement areas.
It’s also great to measure the width of the speaker grill. You should also ensure that it will fit nicely over any pre-existing holes that were cut.
When removing the factory-installed speakers, ensure there isn’t any corrosion around the wires because this may damage any new audio equipment you install. To make it all close, snip any defected wire off with wire cutters from corroded wires. However, you must also look for the origin of the corrosion to see if you can resolve it.
When installing marine speakers on their pontoon boat, some owners overlook quality. They’re happy to spend a lot of money on a home entertainment system and only select the best sound for living rooms, but they do not do the same for their pontoon.
A pontoon boat s a home away from home, and it deserves high-quality audio equipment, including marine speakers that’ll do justice to the music you’ll be listening to.