Decisions: Locating Master SR AV Equipment

I thought it would be fun to share one of the experiences of building a custom boat as one example of the large number of decisions one has to make.  In this case a small one but it does demonstrate the amount of thought that often is required.

This challenge involved where to locate the AV equipment for the Master Stateroom.

Background.  We decided to have top quality AV in the Master Stateroom with surround sound and high definition TV.  To accomplish this we specified a Bose V35, a Samsung Blu Ray, an Ipod dock and a 32 inch Samsumg HDTV. To make this work you also need a satelitte receiver, a power supply, speakers and a woofer.

The question then arose as to where to locate the equipment (4 boxes and an Ipod dock) that power the system.  This turned out to be a bit complex requiring several discussions with both Luis at Concord and Mike at Outer Reef.

The first proposal suggested the equipment be located on the floor of the hanging locker on the starboard side.  This did not seem to be a good idea as the equipment when stacked one on top of the other require almost 17 inches.  If located in the starboard side hanging locker it would pose a problem no matter where it was placed.  If toward the back the Ipod dock would be hard to reach.  If toward the front it would create an obstacle to getting at stuff in the back.  The problems would be exacerbated if the equipment were located in the hanging locker on the aft bulkhead as this is where the stabilizer equipment is located.

The master stateroom has considerable storage.  Two hanging lockers to starboard, shelves and draweres to port on the aft bulkhead, drawers on the built in nightstands and a "double" cabinet on the foward bulkhead port side.

The "double" cabinet is a large one on top of a smaller one.  It has two doors.  We explored the possibility of locating the equipment in the bottom locker but there was not enough width,  The final solution was to locate the equipment in the upper locker.

The key here was to minimize the amount of space.  One part of the solution involved replacing the power supply with a unit that was wide and flat (for a small upcharge of course).    The decision to use the stackable power supply as opposed to the more utilitarian box version made sense.  I had originally proposed locating the power supply behind the other boxes but decided against it when Luis pointed out that that the reset button must be accessible (and that brought back memories have having to hit the reset button on for the 48's entertainment system from time to time).

The other decision was to locate the Ipod dock on top of the shelf rather that under a shelf.  That solution required 15" as opposed to 12' in the final solution (shown below)

Final arrangement of Master SR A/V Boxes

The result had two very positive effects.  First, the equipment was easily accessible and right next to the master's king size bed and, second, the space taken up in the locker was reduced to 12 inches.  Notice that the Ipod dock sits on top of the shelf rather than under the shelf.

Written by Les.