Assuming you have a basic understanding of car stereo wiring, installing a marine stereo is largely the same process. The main difference is that marine stereos are designed to withstand the harsh elements found on boats, including water and salt. Here are the basic steps for wiring a marine stereo:
1. Disconnect the negative (-) battery terminal to prevent any shorts while working on the stereo wiring.
2. Run all of your speaker wires from the head unit location to their respective speakers around the boat. Make sure to leave enough slack in each wire so that you can easily make connections later.
3. Connect each wire to its corresponding speaker terminal, then twist on a wire connector (or use soldering if preferred). Be sure not to mix up positive (+) and negative (-) terminals!
4. Once all wires are connected at both ends, reconnect the negative (-) battery terminal and turn on your head unit. Test each speaker to ensure they're working properly before going out on the water.