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Hi All,
I have a new-to-me 2006 Ski Nautique 206 that I bought last year. Though I’m a lifelong boater, I have finally stepped up to Nautique from the sterndrive/outboard worlds. I am preparing to upgrade my stock Clarion CMD-? head unit to a Fusion Audio MS-UD650 head unit. My biggest question is how to upgrade the driver side remote control.
Background/Setup:
I already have a Wetsounds HT-4 amp driving a pair of Wetsounds Pro80s on the tower (transferred from my old boat). I have JL Audio M700/5 Amp driving 4 in-boat JL Audio speakers and a JL Audio subwoofer (2 years old, from the previous owner). The head unit doesn’t currently drive any speakers directly.
My Plan:
I am missing zone control and the in-boat speakers are VERY loud before I can get much out of the tower speakers. They were way louder on my old boat (I previously used the WS-420 eq). I am planning to upgrade the head unit to get integrated zone control, obtain USB and bluetooth connectivity, and overall better quality sound from the head unit. I am not concerned with the head unit swap; i’ve done similar projects on 3 other boats. I know Fusion makes a CMD-to-Fusion adapter and there seems to be plenty of space in the glove box for the swap. My big concern in the remote on the driver side.
My problem statement:
My SN206 has the old style oval remote in the stainless steel bezel. I removed the bezel and the Fusion NRX300i can’t mount in the existing stainless bezel without being offcenter and showing some of the previous oval hole. I want the installation to look OEM. This boat is too nice to have things tacked into place. Nautiqueparts.com offers a similar bezel for the newer style round remotes, but that doesn’t help me with the Fusion. Since I can’t cast custom stainless parts at home, my plan is to use the existing bezel to make a fiberglass female mold. Using the mold, I can then create a new bezel, also from fiberglass. As long as I integrate the mounting bolts on the back in the correct place, I can then cut the hole for the Fusion remote wherever I want it.
Questions:
Has anyone done the Clarion to Fusion NRX300i remote upgrade before?
Is there an eaiser way than creating my own fiberglass parts?
Any tips or tricks with using the stainless bezel as a fiberglass mold?
Since I can’t match stainless, what color finish would look best? I am thinking carbon fiber would be cool, but it wouldn’t match anywhere else on the boat. Going with gray to match the dash, or flat black to match the steering wheel / electronics switches may be better.
Thanks in advance!
I have a new-to-me 2006 Ski Nautique 206 that I bought last year. Though I’m a lifelong boater, I have finally stepped up to Nautique from the sterndrive/outboard worlds. I am preparing to upgrade my stock Clarion CMD-? head unit to a Fusion Audio MS-UD650 head unit. My biggest question is how to upgrade the driver side remote control.
Background/Setup:
I already have a Wetsounds HT-4 amp driving a pair of Wetsounds Pro80s on the tower (transferred from my old boat). I have JL Audio M700/5 Amp driving 4 in-boat JL Audio speakers and a JL Audio subwoofer (2 years old, from the previous owner). The head unit doesn’t currently drive any speakers directly.
My Plan:
I am missing zone control and the in-boat speakers are VERY loud before I can get much out of the tower speakers. They were way louder on my old boat (I previously used the WS-420 eq). I am planning to upgrade the head unit to get integrated zone control, obtain USB and bluetooth connectivity, and overall better quality sound from the head unit. I am not concerned with the head unit swap; i’ve done similar projects on 3 other boats. I know Fusion makes a CMD-to-Fusion adapter and there seems to be plenty of space in the glove box for the swap. My big concern in the remote on the driver side.
My problem statement:
My SN206 has the old style oval remote in the stainless steel bezel. I removed the bezel and the Fusion NRX300i can’t mount in the existing stainless bezel without being offcenter and showing some of the previous oval hole. I want the installation to look OEM. This boat is too nice to have things tacked into place. Nautiqueparts.com offers a similar bezel for the newer style round remotes, but that doesn’t help me with the Fusion. Since I can’t cast custom stainless parts at home, my plan is to use the existing bezel to make a fiberglass female mold. Using the mold, I can then create a new bezel, also from fiberglass. As long as I integrate the mounting bolts on the back in the correct place, I can then cut the hole for the Fusion remote wherever I want it.
Questions:
Has anyone done the Clarion to Fusion NRX300i remote upgrade before?
Is there an eaiser way than creating my own fiberglass parts?
Any tips or tricks with using the stainless bezel as a fiberglass mold?
Since I can’t match stainless, what color finish would look best? I am thinking carbon fiber would be cool, but it wouldn’t match anywhere else on the boat. Going with gray to match the dash, or flat black to match the steering wheel / electronics switches may be better.
Thanks in advance!
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