music on board

Hey Madwand
I rarely ever listen to 'outside' music when I sail, as I find it intrusive.

I used to sail my last sailing yacht (Catalina 27, Thumper) blindfolded at times when I was well offshore, and my passed wife agreed to act as my 'eyes' only if I needed her.

Amazing experiences, Dude...

It is disorientating at first, to say the least;

Yet if you get sensitive and learn to breathe properly, a whole new world opens up to you...

Sounds that used to be so disregarded, like a seagull circling overhead, the splashes on the bow as you shift course by 5 degrees...

All those factors opened me up to a degree of unused sensory input (and heightened perception)

I swear at that time if some idiot, close to us, blasting away at their own idea of what music (according to them) ought to be,

someone would have gone down below and put a 12 gauge shell into the shark gun.....simply as a warning shot across their bow.

Happy days
Trinomite

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Always looking for ways to make good things 'Gooder'

Well, I am a sailor first, so i understand the communing with nature thing. It is a large part of why I sail. But I like my music too.

Madwand

I have my own recording studio so obviously I love music.

Yet there is a time and place for everything.

This world of ours can be highly distracting.

I treat the ocean as a common denominator:
We are all treated the same in the eyes of Nature.

God knows, I would not have it any other way, Buddy
Fred

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Always looking for ways to make good things 'Gooder'

I have been using the Grace Digital unit and it works pretty well. Not very loud though

which is a good thing in my book

I'd like it to be loud enough to hear over the wind and rushing water. It's not like you're in a library and you're going to be disturbing other people. We're not talking about blasting it over a P.A. system.

Sometimes this is true, sometimes not. It could depend on the conditions, your orientation to the wind and what you are playing!

These are personal observations - not intended as advice or criticism:

Close hauled, heading into a 15 knot wind and waves, there is a LOT of noise on the AI/TI, mostly in the form of white noise from the wind accelerating past my ears and the rigging, waves slapping, and the sail flexing/flapping. It is more than enough at times to drown out my VHF marine radio or make direct conversations difficult. I have come to count on my big ears as "wind indicators".

I would need to blast a small radio at these times, and it usually sounds distorted. Given that sound travels so well over water, anyone within a hundred yards or so might hear this and wish they didn't.

Running downwind feels calmer and quieter, a radio on low can be enjoyed and I won't wake up any babies sleeping on shore. I think,..

When I am far offshore, there's really noone to disturb. But in the navigation channels, or near a coastline things are different. There is a chance I may not hear motors,bells, whistles or voices that could alert me to danger. Plus - just having the music on tends to make my mind wander from the moment at hand.

I have now taken several expensive waterproof radios onboard and drown them. I'm kinda glad I did. The only time I really miss music now is while trolling long, steady fishing runs. But then, I can pay better attention to birds and subtle changes in the wind/ocean, or my reel's clicker signaling a bite. (That's the sound I want to hear.)

My only real advice would be - if you are going to bring a radio along, keep it on low and keep it dry.

As far as trying to make stimulating conversation with your mate - I am hardly qualified to comment on that!

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The Wind Is Your Friend...

I agree somewhat on not booming it around crowded areas. But it is on the water where you generally have the most obnoxious jackholes blasting their noisy engines. So I don't worry too much that I'm disturbing anyone. If anything, the engines are bothering me. They don't seem concerned about that.

Otterbox water proof case for an ipod and water proof headphones. There are pillow speakers that could be splash proofed with a ziplock bag/clear packing tape and worn under the back of a jacket or shirt if you want your ears free.

Ones music quickly becomes others noise.

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I use an old iPod Nano (I could care less if it dies, I'm actually shocked it still works.)
In the headphone jack is a bluetooth transmitter that sends to a waterproof bluetooth headset.
The nano and transmitter are kept around my neck, along with my phone in a BeachBuoy waterproof bag.
I found most of the stuff on eBay for around $75. As usual with eBay find the item and see who else sells it because the exact setup could have cost me as high as $200.
Minus the player most of these items are all made by the same company and probably out of China they just carry the branding of the selling company.
Might be a good thing for Hobie to offer and brand! <--hint!

PS: The headset can be paired to multiple BT devices including the transmitter and my phone. Unless it's my Daughter calling the phone will not be answered while I'm out playing

I used to take regular, almost every Saturday afternoon, cruises around in a long skinny kayak. Now I'm sailing my Golden Papaya AI.
I love music and Prairie Home Companion that would come on NPR for two shows between 5 and 7pm.
I don't have to have it but enjoy turning it on from time to time. I love classical symphonic music at low volume out on the water as well.
What I found would work quite well is an old fashioned transistor radio in a zip lock bag. Radio Shack has one for $14.99. You can put the ziplock bag inside a FedEx padded pak and fold the padded pak over around the radio and use two rubberbands to secure it and place it under a bungee in a place less likely to get hit by major splashes and fiddlle around with it to get best reception and possibly crack open the bag for better sound, without the radio getting wet.
Today's little radios have much better sound than 20 years ago.
This way you won't worry too much if it did get wet as all you have lost is $14.99.
The quality of the sound being minimal can be overshadowed by the quailty of the music or content you dial in.

hey all
Not sure if this thread was really all about the joy of listening to music under way or music gear that will survive a pounding more so than a 12" sub woofer.
If the later was the intent, may I suggest a simple as hell solution:
Model 1449, Plano Moulding Co. Waterproof box.
It has a killer seal; it is large enough for an iphone, or any ipod or what ever else (like a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. And yes there are micro plugs than can be slit and sealed for your Uber Duber Bose Waterproof head implants.
There are a ton of varations on the same theme also in the Pelican line.
....so do we want to continue this thread on mounting an 8" sub to 'rock your boat'?
If so let's also talk about a 40 lb battery to power the 200 watt amp to drive it....
....not to be sarcastic, but where does all this sheit go on a 'minimalist concept vessel'??
Regards
Fred

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Always looking for ways to make good things 'Gooder'

I didn't want something big, I wanted something waterproof that wasn't my $600 android phone. I'm not taking that thing anywhere near the water. But I already bought this from Amazon because it floats and is not too big:

Madwand, the system looks really good, yet it is a single speaker system.
I'm assuming that there is a head phone out female available.
Might it not be a better idea to seal it in a waterproof box and use high end waterproof earphones to get at least a 2.1 stereo effect or better yet in the 5.** region to get full surround. The box also keeps shock levels at a min as a kid stepping on your sound system.
Chinese Manufacturers are nasty for not sticking to ISO standards. That also includes in cheating on the waterproofing.
Just a simple idea.
Btw M8, sometimes simply getting back to land means I can surround myself with rich, lush sounds of either my own or someone else's idea of 'rich and lush'.

"You don't miss your water until your well runs dry"; Sweetheart of the Rodeo Album, The Byrds

Be well Madwand;
best to you always
Trinomite

_________________
Always looking for ways to make good things 'Gooder'

I'm not looking for a concert on the water, just some tunes. I'm ok with the Jap standards. I'm going to be keeping it in a hatch anyway. Just wanted the waterproof cause the last time I took a radio on the water, I capsized and it sank to the bottom.

My girlfriend who will be going with me wants the music on board as well.