Speakers a tower of power for dealerships

The prevalence of wakeboarding towers those shiny silver cages topping the majority of new high-end competition ski boats spells an increase in business for stereo shops.

Designed to give wakeboarders a higher angle for their towrope, towers have become the next coolest thing to customize on a boat. Typically they hold one or several wakeboards and waterskis, freeing valuable real estate inside the boat. They also provide space for four to six enclosed tubular speakers.

"It used to be the guy who had the super high-end boat had a tower, but now they all started coming with towers," says Curtis Weethee, a longtime employee of Nevada Auto Sound on South Virginia Street. "When they came out with towers, they started figuring out how to put speakers on them. Now we are seeing wakeboard boats with 10 speakers already installed, and we are putting four to six more up on the tower and a subwoofer in most of them."

Such trick-up costs are significant. Polished towers from online retailer Monster! Tower run from $1,200 to $1,800, while single-tube speakers start at $400. A four-bar speaker setup runs $1,400, as does a four-bar light bank.

Boats in the mid-1980s rarely provided space for such accessories. By the early 1990s most ski boats included a stock AM/FM cassette deck with four cheap speakers.

Today's high-end boats, such as MasterCraft or Malibu, usually come with stock stereo systems that would be envied by many homeowners: Six to 10 speakers, as well as pre-wiring for subwoofers, amplifiers and iPod connections.

"The quality of speakers is way more substantial then you find in a regular car stereo," says Jason Gurzi, salesman at Cope and McPheters Marine. "The cost is more because you have to buy speakers, cans and clamps, and that makes the speakers a lot more expensive. But they are very popular. We have sold a ton."

Cope and McPheters offers tower speakers from $500 to $1,800 for a big triple-speaker with a foghorn-like amplifier for music junkies who want to hear their tunes while they are towed behind the boat. Big systems provide big, big sound - and for most, that's the main idea.

"The main thing with a lot of people is to be bigger and better. It is the keeping-up-with-the-Joneses deal," Gurzi says.

Brad Stout has owned Nevada Auto Sound since shortly after graduating from Sparks High School in 1988. He says average systems for boats run $3,000 to $5,000, but a $10,000 price tag is not uncommon.

"Our summer percentage of boats has definitely increased," he says. "Our guys love working on boats. They have been doing cars all their lives. It is not that the money is better, it's just fun. They have their sunglasses on and their shoes off. I think that is why we do so well with boats. A lot of (installers) are scared. When you are working on an $80,000 boat, and you are cutting holes in it, that can be scary for some people."

Jesus Chavez has owned JC's Car Audio (935 South Rock Blvd.) for four years. Boats account for about 20 percent of his summer business. "Before the towers we used to do (some), but a lot more people have started doing it now," he says.

Last week Chavez says a customer dropped off his Malibu for a very customized install.

"He had about 22 speakers, three amps and Sirius Satellite Radio," Chavez says. "Some people, they don't care. They just want it loud and clear."

Boats remain a relatively small percentage of Stout's overall business as well because his shop space limits his installers to two boats a day.

"There is only so much we can do," he says. "It is not like we just want to get them in and out. Half our customers who have a boat, they drive a $50,000 car and an $80,000 boat. That is their baby so we have to make sure they turn out perfect."

Despite often-watery conditions, DVD players are not uncommon on boats either, Stout says.

"That clientele, they don't care," he says. "Some of these guys get a new boat every year."