help w/new stereo what to get??

Hey all, I am taking delivery of my first v-drive next weekend. 2007 Calabria Sport Comp VTS. I bought it with out stereo system and Perfect Pass because I can put my Perfect Pass from my old boat in it. I had a Pyle Marine system w/ PLMRA420 1000W 4 channel amp, PLCD15MR Head w/ wired remote (4X40W out) and 4 PLMRW65 Tower speakers. I had 2 6" speakers and 2 6X9 from the original factory stereo. I have no clue about stereo systems and I have read many posts from people who seem to know on this site. My new boat has nothing-clean pallet. I would like to stay in the $1000 to $1500 range and my stereo guy wants to charge @ $400 for install. Installed with his stuff the estimate is $1850. I do not have exact specs but basically a Sony head w/ no remote (I did like my remote) 2 Bazooka Tubbies,10" sub, 4 6X9s and a 6 channel amp. I want tower lights front and rear and the Tsunami Box, Night vision Gen II. or X-Box Gen II looks cool but I cannot find prices on them. The Wet Sounds speakers sound like a possible choice but may blow my budget. Another one that looks good are the Infinity system w/microphone. Does any one have suggestions? I know basic stuff ( ASE Master Auto Tech ) but am not knowledgeable about compiling or wiring stereos. I do want the sound to stay clean at any level. Do I need 2 four channel amps to run 8 speakers? Is this a do-it-youself thing? If so I could put $400 towards more equiptment. I want it to be a clean looking install also, not like Gomer did it. Any suggestions or info would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

this is totally a do it yourself thing. i can barely change a tire and have no problems with a stereo hook up its pretty self explanatory but if you need directions they are included with your stereo and amp purchases. dont waste your money on paying someone to install. if you want to go with a wetsounds box i would seriously consider not getting any interior speakers at this point.
this is my reasoning- since you are on a budget you may not be able to afford the quality interior speakers that you will be able to hear along with the wetsounds. you need to decide what is important, to hear music while riding or good quality music while hanging out in the boat. if its more important to hear music while riding go with a pro audio set up.if its more important to hear music inside the boat then get some good quality interior speakers. if you werent on a budget id say do both then you could get an eq/fader and turn down one or the other when not needed. trust me, pro audio is very loud. personally i would never put any interior speakers (other than a sub) inside of my boat b/c it would be too uncomfortable and i only use my boat for wakeboarding, no partying.

you'll probably need three amps. one for interior, one for the tower, one for the subs.
i always think its best to buy good quality stuff first rather than trying to get lesser quality and end up replacing peices b/c you realize they are junk, take your time and put together a good system and you'll end up wasting less money. (plus its the end of the season you'll have all winter to build something impressive)
ive heard the infinity system. i wouldnt bother with it. it sounded ok but nothing like a pro audio. i think the system would be help if you coached alot, then you could talk to people as they ride, other than that i dont see much use for it.
if it were me at this point id get a pro audio speaker set up, a quality amp(buy as much power as you can afford, there are great deals on ebay), and a head unit(stereo).

(Message edited by alanp on September 10, 2006)

Given your budget I'd go with something like the wetsounds on the tower and skip the interior speakers for now like Alan suggested. I have the wetsounds on my tower (a 485 and a pair of pro80's). With the EQ turned all the way to the tower speakers it is fine for listening in the interior as well and you will be able to hear them clearly while riding (assuming you don't do the amps and wiring wrong). Obviously if you could swing it I'd get some interior speakers and sub as well, but the pro-audio tower speakers will cover it all for now. Then add the rest later when you can.

what they said... get the decent gear so it doesnt overheat and break...

would suggest a decent head unit (alpine or eclipse with a pac ir repeater), couple decent amps (one of inside and one for outside) and nvs tyrant speakers ( the wetsound pro 80's are loud but need some help in the crossover ) and some basic image dynamics ctx speakers and worry about the sub later...

Thanks for the input. How about model #'s?? if I try e-bay then I need to know what I'm looking for, or good sources for the stuff. Thanks again.Fred (learning as I go)

if it were me id get a ppi 4125 for the tower speakers. these are available on ebay for about 300 bucks and put out 500 rms a side at 4 ohms(they freakin kick ass and may be a little over kill but its better to have more power than not enough). i have no recommendations on head units since i dont run one. i would also suggest a planet audio line driver(40 bucks on ebay and other sites) its a cheap addition that will boost the signal to your amp from your head unit. dont worry these are easy to hook up too.