One of the biggest advantages to owning a pontoon boat is the way in which you can turn it into a party boat. With a large open deck and plenty of seating, there’s loads of room to install marine-grade audio equipment in so you can really get the party started… or perhaps, like me, you just want a little bit of audio whilst you fish.
No matter what your plans are, installing pontoon speakers into your boat is one of the most popular custom jobs that you can do for yourself. Whilst this isn’t a guide to installing speakers (use the search function instead), it will give you some guidance on what I believe are the very best pontoon boat speakers on the market, and why I think that.
Handy Hint: These are all wired solutions. For something portable, read my guide to portable waterproof Bluetooth speakers that won’t break the bank.
The most important aspect you will need to consider is that will you need to buy specialist marine speakers. The top manufacturers of audio equipment all offer marine models which you can fit to your pontoon, but how do you actually know which are the best speakers for a pontoon boat?
It’s a hard choice, so I’ve whittled down 7 for you to choose from, all of which have their various pros and cons for pontoon boat owners.
All of these pontoon boat speakers I review below are marine specific, come with a clear and crisp sound, and also won’t break the bank. I’ve seen all of these in action, and actually own one of these recommendations myself. The others I have seen on friend’s pontoon boats, so can genuinely review and recommend them with no concerns.
The reviews are below, then underneath that I have put a pontoon speakers buyer’s guide together, which will give you some additional insight into what to look for in your audio.
Best for Sound Quality: Polk Audio MM651UM
Review Scores
- Audio Quality: 10/10
- Design Look: 7/10
- Durability: 10/10
- Price: Expensive
I own a pair of Polk speakers, and there’s a reason why; they are awesome speakers for a pontoon boat and have the online reviews to match up that statement.
With a built-in tweeter, distortion is kept to a minimum, and the sound comes courtesy of 60 watts of continuous RMS and 180 watts peak. They just sound amazing and look reasonably good too.
Lightweight, yet rugged, simple to install and with a stainless-steel finish, mine provide a great talking point on the water with other pontoon boat owners. Back to that sound again, as even when hurtling across the lake a full speed, I can still hear my music clearly and crisply.
If you want to read the reviews, then go take a look now on Amazon to see for yourself. Whilst they are expensive speakers, they are worth every penny that you spend on them.
Best for a Party Boat: Kicker KM 654
Review Scores
- Audio Quality: 9/10
- Design Look: 10/10
- Durability: 8/10
- Price: Reasonable
If you want to turn your pontoon boat into a nightclub, then look no further than the Kicker KM speakers which come with built-in LED lighting that you can change to suit the mood on board.
As coaxial speakers, they also won’t distort, so you can pump that volume up, switch on the LEDs, and have an EDM party right on your deck once night falls.
Last summer I was lucky enough to be invited onto a pontoon boat party by some friends, who had these very speakers hooked up on deck. I was amazed as the captain pre-programmed in the colors, set up strobe lights, and set them to fade on and off to the music.
Needless to say, I had a banging headache the next morning.
Simple to install, great looking, rugged, and LOUD. If you want to get the party started, look no further than the Kicker KMs on Amazon.
Best Budget Option: Infinity Reference 622m
Review Scores
- Audio Quality: 8/10
- Design Look: 10/10
- Durability: 5/10
- Price: Reasonable
These are some of the cheaper speakers, but also some of the best looking. And just because they are cheaper, it doesn’t mean the sound quality suffers.
The only real drawback for me would be the durability. I don’t believe that they will stand up as well as the other speakers reviewed here for salt water, UV, as well as kicks and bumps. They certainly don’t have that heavy duty feel that the others on this page do.
But if you can overlook those factors, these could be just the right speakers for your pontoon boat project.
For more information, carefully read the reviews and questions on Amazon before you purchase. You can find the full specification here.
Best Pontoon Boat Tower Speakers: Audiopipe APSW
Review Scores
- Audio Quality: 5/10
- Design: 9/10
- Durability: 7/10
- Price: Very Expensive
You might want to install and fit your speakers onto a wakeboard tower on your pontoon. That will involve buying marine speakers that can clip and attach to the tower.
I am going to be honest, I think these are a bit too expensive for what you get, and if it were me, I wouldn’t probably go to the expense and hassle of fitting speakers to my pontoon tower. I’d instead opt for one of the other options listed above or below which will fit into your deck somewhere.
However, if it is important to you to fit speakers to the tower, then these ones I have found online should do the trick. They are from Audiopipe and come as a pair. They are very expensive though but kick out 250 watts which should mean even those being pulled behind your pontoon should be able to hear the music above the water noise.
Please note, installing tower speakers is an entirely different discipline to standard ones, and you can check the video below to see how to do it.
Best Water-Proof: Pioneer TS MR-1600 Nautica
Review Scores
- Audio Quality: 6/10
- Design: 6/10
- Durability: 9/10
- Price: Reasonable
If your pontoon is the type that gets soaked after every trip, and mine sure is once I have the kids on board doing their water sports, then these are the pontoon speakers for you.
Of all the speakers reviewed here, the Pioneer name is the one that you are probably most familiar with. But, I am not entirely convinced at how good they are for the marine market, despite being some of the best water proof speakers on this page.
Why? I think the design just looks dull, and in terms of sound quality it’s the lowest rated of the speakers here, which is surprise given the Pioneer brand name. The speakers tend to put out a slightly tinny tone, which would put off boaters who want a high-quality audio experience.
However, I appreciate that many people do like to shop on brand reputation, so if that’s you, go check the Pioneer Amazon reviews to see what other people say.
Ultimately though, choose these marine speakers for your pontoon if you own a boat where water splashing on the deck is an issue – so probably a great choice for those boat owners with kids or those who fish often.
Best for Durability: Fusion Electronics MS-FR6021
Review Scores
- Audio Quality: 9/10
- Design: 9/10
- Durability: 10/10
- Price: Expensive
Good looking, with a great sound, and all encased inside of titanium. Yes, you heard that right… these speakers come in a titanium case meaning you can throw a heck of a lot at them, and they should stand up to all sorts of punishment.
With protection from the sun’s UV rays, salt water, and with a design that prevents dust and water getting inside, you won’t find anything more heavy duty than these bad boys.
If you’re a pontooner who is out on the water often, constantly hosting, have kids, pets, and never know where your pontoon boat is next going to take you, then the Fusion speakers on Amazon are the best fit for you.
Best Random Selection: Boss Audio MR60W
Review Scores
- Audio Quality: 7/10
- Design: 3/10
- Durability: 7/10
- Price: Cheap
And finally, I wanted to show you one last set of pontoon speakers that personally I don’t like, but if you want something cheap and cheerful and don’t care much for looks, they could suit you.
They’re the Boss Audio marine speakers. Take a look at the photo, and you might agree with me that of all the products reviewed on this page, they are probably the ones that look the least attractive that you would want to place into your pontoon deck.
But, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so if you do want something cheap and easy to install, go take a look on Amazon. They won’t win any style awards, but they do provide reasonable sound.
Pontoon Speakers: Buyer’s Guide
I am often amazed at how some pontoon boat owners overlook quality when looking to install marine speakers to their boat. They are more than happy to spend big bucks on a home entertainment system, and only choose the best in sound for their living room, but don’t do the same when it comes to their pontoon.
In my view, a pontoon boat is a home from home, and it deserves good quality audio equipment, with marine speakers that will do justice to the music you are going to be playing. Here are the important aspects you will need to consider.
Speaker Placement & Size
Before you even get started, do you know where the speakers are going to be placed on your pontoon? If you are replacing your existing set-up, then it might be an easy decision, but even if you aren’t, take a think about where you want the sound.
For example, do you need more volume at the front or rear of the deck? Of will you be replacing the factory-installed marine speakers that simply don’t cut it?
One thing you need to be aware of is that not all boat speakers are magnetically shielded. If yours aren’t, and you decide to place it into the console then the speaker’s magnet could interfere with your compass or other gauges.
Also, when looking at the size of the speakers be very careful when looking at the manufacturer spec. The sizes displayed on the product listing can be misleading, it’s the diameter you want to take notice of.
Replacing Factory Installed Speakers
If you are going to be placing your pontoon boat speakers in the existing holes where the factory-installed ones already sit, then make sure your new models are going to fit neatly into that space. See how they do it in the video below.
It’s also worth checking how wide the speaker grill will be. You want to make sure that’s also going to fit neatly over any pre-existing holes that have already been cut.
When it comes to removing the pre-installed speakers double check that there is no corrosion around the wires, as this could damage any new audio equipment that you install. With corroded wires, I simply snip any damaged wire off with wire cutters to make it all near. But you will also need to check for the source of the corrosion to see if that can be resolved.
Sound Quality is Important
Before I put my new marine speakers in, I had some terrible low-end speakers that had been factory-installed. The sound quality was poor, with a muffled and distorted audio experience.
There are three different types of marine speaker on the market which will work in pontoon boats, all of which offer differing sound quality.
- Dual Cone Speakers – Poor audio quality which will probably sound distorted.
- Coaxial Speakers – Much better, but could distort when turned up really loud.
- Component Speakers – The best sound quality, as no distortion, but more expensive.
You could also consider buying a subwoofer for your pontoon. I’ve put together a guide on where you should place your subwoofer, plus some product recommendations.
Why install a subwoofer though? Well, they kick out the low bass frequencies which some people love to hear, especially if you want your pontoon boat to really give off that party experience so beloved by owners around the United States.
Understand What Waterproof Means
Waterproof and water-resistant mean two very different things. But even if your pontoon speakers are said to be completely waterproof, do take that with a pinch of salt.
They will stop working if you drop them in the water, and they also shouldn’t be sprayed with a pressure washer directly when cleaning your carpet down, as waterproof and resistant in most cases just means they can handle splashes and sprays.
Choose Something Heavy Duty
By their nature, marine speakers are heavy duty. This is particularly important with pontoons where the placement will typically be in areas where feet are going to kick against, e.g. under the seating.
With that in mind, if you know your speakers are going to be positioned in areas where there will be a chance of getting knocked, but the most durable and rugged ones on offer.
Getting the Best Sound with an Amp
When you’re out on the water, then can be a lot of background interference from other boats, the water, or from your passengers. That’s why it’s important to also buy an amp.
The majority of pontoon marine speakers will come with a 4-ohm impedance rating. Because of this you are going to need an amp with the same rating. If you don’t, you could end up damaging your audio equipment – especially at high volumes!
The easiest thing to do is to check that the new speakers you are buying can take the power of your system. Check the wattage and see how that compares to your stereo or amp to make you sure you don’t end up blowing them.
Do I recommend an amp for pontoon boats? I sure do, and it’s the exact same one that I use on my own pontoon. It’s called the Rockville RXM-S6 Amplifier. Go check it out on Amazon, it’s awesome.
Additional Options to Consider
The best speakers for pontoon boat will be ones that let you swap around various customizable elements. For example, I would want something with a colored faceplate that matches up with the upholstery on my boat.
That’s often possible with many of the models on the market, as well as aspects such as Bluetooth compatibility, remote controls, and UV resistant casing.
Handy Hint: When buying pontoon speakers, you might also need to buy additional cables to make sure you can run audio from all sides of the deck. Buy additional cabling on Amazon.
