Community Forums

StephenW · 06-10-2017, 01:33 PM

The Jensen stereo was failing in our 2006 Sea Breeze, so did some research and decided on a double din size replacement with remote control mainly for the larger screen and large touch buttons vs a single din unit's tiny buttons. I ended up buying a 320 watt BOSS stereo and the installation was pretty straight forward. Hope the following helps others considering an upgrade on their Sea Breeze. Pics attached...I hope:

A double din requires enlarging the existing cutout by about 1/2" in height. Width and depth are fine. I used the oscillating tool with a saw blade (pictured) to remove 1/2" across the bottom of the existing cutout. I clamped a straight piece of wood to guide the oscillating tool, though it turned out to be easy to control and not necessary. I already had this tool for an earlier tile project, think it cost $15 at Harbor Freight.

The new stereo did not come with a mounting cage (sleeve), so I cut the Jensen cage in half to handle the additional height with a hacksaw and mounted the cage to the BOSS. You can see the mounted cage and where I cut it in the pic with the yellow screwdriver handle. New double din cages are available on Ebay and Amazon, I mainly tried this for fun and it worked out fine.

The third pic shows the new unit in place without the trim ring and the fourth shows it installed with the trim ring. I used one of the (included) new brackets to support the rear of the new stereo, screwing it into existing plywood in the dash.

Wiring was a snap. I cut off the existing Jensen wiring harness and connector from the back of the Jensen and since the color codes were exactly the same, I used butt connectors to wire the Jensen harness to the BOSS harness (wires are labled). This eliminated having to figure out what connector National used and worked perfectly.

The new unit sounds great and 80 watts per channel vs Jensen" 40 watts per channel will put a smile on your face. This was an easy project, taking about 3 hours, including interruptions. BTW, besides playing CD's, DVD's, flash drive and memory cards, this unit can be connected to a backup camera, so now I have a back up monitor for my backup monitor! Most of the double dins I looked at had these features.

Steve

Thewellz · 06-10-2017, 10:46 PM

Nice upgrade....and installation, looks great!

Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376 · 06-11-2017, 11:09 AM

Very nice job. Been thinking of doing the same. I do have one stupid question though. Why the heck did the new unit not come with a mounting sleeve? How would you of mounted it if you weren't smart enough to do what you did?

StephenW · 06-11-2017, 01:15 PM

Rick, National used a sleeve on the Jensen, probably due to no framework behind the radio to attach to. To your question, I would have bought a new mounting sleeve online if unable to modify the old one. I guess some brands come with a sleeve and some don't.