Decent AM/FM antenna

[Beer-30]

Anyone found a decent looking AM/FM boat antenna? Mine doesn't have one, so all I have is CD / Changer. The deck is XM ready, but I don't want to add it. Not happy with the quality and won't use it enough to justify cost.
Would just like to have something to make noise while changing CDs, or after CDs have been removed from boat.
Anyone?

[desertbird]

I've always had pretty good luck with a universal style from Pep-Boys. Mount it under the bow, parallel to the glass.
In my Lavey, I just mounted it horizontal, behind the dash.
Never had a real problem with reception. Picks up "The Knack" just fine!!!! On a good day, Rock 107 from Vegas gets through.
Good luck! PM me if you want a pic of how I did it.

[Beer-30]

Ah, like under the glass where a bow rail is, parallel with the rail? That just might work.
I noticed Overtons has a "hidden" one that is two wires (right and left) and you just staple them in somehwere. Didn't think anything would work well underneath the glass, but if your's works well enough.....

[desertbird]

You got it! I don't know about Overton's 2-wire thing. I've had good luck with a regular 'ol car antenna.
It just so happens that I am working on the boat today, so I jumped out and snapped a pic for you! I mounted it with the zip tyes that have the screw eyes, and some short screws.
http://www2.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/2501DSC00142.JPG
I haven't had this on the river yet, but in the driveway I got all the locals. (The head unit is out right now, I'm changing the cover.)
Good Luck!

[Beer-30]

Thanks! I was going to get one of those short white marine "rubber ducky" antennas from Overtons, but was wondering where I would put it so that it didn't look tacky. I like your hidden idea. :cool: Thanks for the pic.
Did you say you were gonna be at Mojave around the 27th-30th?

[desertbird]

Yes Sir! Me, my wife, some friends and boats. We are staying at the Edgewater, and will probably launch at Mojave. I still love the river, but w/o the Sandbar, there isn't a great place to hang, and we all hate the ride back from Havasu in the 6 foot swells....
I'd still like to launch Moab on Sunday. Do you know how Jack Smith park is coming along?

[Beer-30]

Hee hee. Well, I'm not too worried about the swells, but it does sound like Hava is being hassled a little. Besides, the 5 or so times I've been to Mojave, I have never gone all the way to Hoover. Gettin er done, this time!
Staying at Flamingo.

[Beer-30]

We all wanted a gambling trip anyway, with light rent.

[desertbird]

The trip to Hoover is awesome. The water up there is soooo cold. It's like the "penguin" club, and you have to jump in.
I had planned to do it this time around. The motor only has 3 hours on it, I intend to break it in good that weekend! We should hook up Saturday Morning for the ride. Do lunch @ Cottonwood and head north!
Did Castaic yesterday afternoon and today I am working out some of the bugs I found! I come inside every hour or so to cool off. It's well in the 90's here in the San Fernando Valley today.

[Beer-30]

Yeah, here too. Which part? I used to live in Woodland Hills. For 18months, that is.

[desertbird]

I live in Canyon Country (down the road from Valencia and Magic Mountain), but my condo doesn't have room for the boat. I work on it here at momma's house in Granada Hills.

[Beer-30]

Ah.
Yeah, dam run sounds good for tentative Sat planning. I will have to make sure my crew doesn't have some other plans for that day. We will pick a place on Friday for our day camp and probably just hang in G.A. and around those parts. Maybe explore some other coves.
Is there a good bar/rest at Cottonwood?

[desertbird]

There is a nice Marina. I don't remember a bar or not.

[Beer-30]

Ok. We usually come prepared anyway. My first ride up the river from Kaths was on a Malibu tourn boat. Great ride to the little marina before the dam. The water was almost glass the whole way. Topped off the Sea-Doos that were running with us. The dam was closed, due to maintenance, so we couldn't go any further.
We start back to our day camp, which was south of Kaths. We get to the Big-Basin area of the lake, just out of the river, and get greeted with 24" chop. Well, a Tourny boat doesn't handle that at anything over 20 mph. Almost a 3 hour ride back to camp. Ran out of beer, water, food. We learned from that experience.

[desertbird]

I guess you don't need to worry about that in the SleekCraft!
My last 6 years on the river have been in my 18 ft Cheetah Outboard. Don't laugh, I built the Merc 150 to the max, and that little boat would get up and boogey on clean water. Fastest we ever saw was about 62-63.
The beauty was the 45-50 mph cruise, which meant it couls keep up with many of the boats on the water.
Even being a Semi-Vee, anything more than regular wind chop, and your kidneys were bleeding the next day! The boat only weighed about 1200 pounds loaded.
I'm looking forward to life in the 23 footer.

[Beer-30]

That's funny. I grew up skiing behind a 16' Cheetah / 105 Chrysler outboard. 10 Gallon portable gas tank that quick-coupled in and out. Under seat 8-track player. The works.
Our last boad (me as a kid) was a 20.5 Tahiti open-bow with a 175 BlackMax. If memory serves, it had a 19 pitch on it when we bought it. Good for 55 with 8 people. Then we had a 17P for skiing. Would hit about 40-45 mph at 5800, but it would beat ANYTHING out of the hole!