Help - I can't decide where mount my Alpine transom remote

My Alpine MC10 just arrived today (a steal @ $98 shipped brand new - gotta love that E-bay).

But I'm having trouble deciding if I want to go above or below the rub rail, and port or starboard side. On the back of the boat for sure.



I was leaning towards starboard above the rub rail, but I wonder if that will be too high for shorter people swimming that want to use it (I'm 6'3" so no issue for me). FYI the top of the swim deck is about 2" above the water when the boat is in (about 2" below with both 500lb ballast tanks filled in the rear, 1" with the front tank also filled...likely lower when I swap in 750's this winter).

Another concern is above the rub rail it is not totally flat like it is below the rub rail. Also, it will be angled up a little bit where it would be harder to see the display above the rail, which the display is important since the head unit controls both my Sirius and my iPhone. I have seen factory installs above and below, so that's no help!

I want it to be both functional, look good, and not have water damage/leaking problems. I am only going to drill once, so I need to make sure I will be 100% happy with me decision.

As big as that remote is, I'd stay below the rubrail. Also to the port side so the power cable is a shorter run to the helm, if that's where youre powering it from. The adhesive tape on those remotes is pretty serious, so once it's stuck on, there's no getting it back off.

can somebody help me understand the whole rationale behind a transom remote? Am I missing something, as I totally don't get it. so when the rider slides into the water, they turn back and hit fast forward or whatever to get to the music they like and the volume they want?

I'm not trying to be a smart-ass, but it just seems so much easier to tell the driver (usually me) while you're getting your gear on what you want to listen to, versus trying to program your music from the back of the boat.

Sorry, just one of those things that has always seemed to me like a waste of time.

If I were looking at a used boat from a buyers perspective a transom remote below the rub rail might just be a deal killer. They make a wireless surface mount remote that will control that unit that you could install without drilling a single hole, that would be my call. Keep in mind this is coming from a guy that has cut plenty of holes in his boat. I wouldn't do it. Most transom remotes tend to get adjusted accidentally more than intentionally. Many get abandoned when the water eventually finds it's way inside the unit. When your head unit becomes obsolete in 3-4 years your upgrade options suddenly become very limited.

I mounted my rear remote inside the passenger area and I added a 3rd wireless waterproof remote I keep on a lanyard. The wireless remote works from 100' away from the boat and gives me the ability to control the system from the wakesurfer, a floating lounge, the beach, or the dock. It's just a better solution any way you look at it.

Then you're buddy loses the remote, or someone kicks it off teh boat.

My boat has a transom remote. I'm mostly anchored at a beach and control the stereo 90% of the time from the transom remote. It's also good for what Tommy G mentioned. Mine has been there since 2007 and nothing has leaked or broken. I've found that if you have something in the boat like a small remote, or something that you'd tend to keep around teh back of the boat, some other idiot will kill it. I believe in the Alpine remote like the OP bought because it's more permanent.

it floats, just pick it up and toss it in the boat, or keep it on your wrist.

Ahhh, didn't know they'd work that well. On the other hand, my Droid X was sitting on a towel on the sunpad of my boat last year. When another boat was tying up the towel got moved enough to roll off the back of the boat, and the phone was gone. I barely caught it out of the corner of my eye, had I not seen it happen the phone would've been gone forever. Luckily the water was only 4' deep.

Wireless remote lacks something really important - a display. It is hard to tell what channel I'm selecting on my Sirius or what album I'm listening to on my iPhone without a display. The remote would be good if you listen to CD's (boat doesn't have a CD player) or welfare radio (Iwhich I refuse to listen to), so the display is a must.

Still I'm not convinced which place is better. My two worries about below the rub rail are water intrusion, and makes it easier to hit it with a wakeboard.

MIkeski, what wireless remote do you have. Been looking for one for awhile now. Sorry to hijack. Thanks.

I just make my wife change it.

Any of these headunits make a wireless remote (small handheld) that you can use?

We had a run of the mill car head unit in our boat for a while and the remote didn't need a line of site to work .... it was waterproof and floated too.... so we would just have it velcro to the back while swimming.... and if it was lost or busted a new one on ebay was like $10

Alpine does make a waterproof wireless handheld remote that works with their head units.

Haugy, if you want something done right, most of the time you've got to do it yourself

H2O waves, I think Earmark sells them.