Jet Ski Speakers & Listening to Music on your Jet Ski

Music on a PWC can be a must-have, but what speakers do you get? Over the years I’ve seen some good ideas and some downright bad ideas that I talk about in this post! Please don’t make the wrong mistakes when you want music for your jet ski! We also have some cool installs that people have done and easy/cheap ideas for music below.  

It’s become more common for watercraft manufacturers to either include sound systems or make them easily available to owners.

Many of the stock options install easily, while others will require a bit of work to make it work. If you ask me, you’re better off getting the manufacturer’s sound-system option if you can (usually a higher price then MSRP), as it looks the best and often has easier controls compared to aftermarket options.

Safety and Legal Concerns

Some states require you to have working mirrors on your PWC for pull sports, and since some people replace the mirrors with speakers, you got to keep that in mind.

Let’s not forget that loud music can be distracting, and it doesn’t help if you drive at night. When playing music you need to be more aware of your surroundings. I know it sounds crazy, especially when you listen to music in your car all the time. But a PWC and boating are different. You don’t have roads to keep people on track, and a lot of people are not paying attention to where they’re going so you must be more aware. 

Portable Speakers Are the Best Option For Jet Skis

If you want my opinion, I say go with the portable Bluetooth speakers as that is the best option. These things have come a long way and some even put out more sound than you might think. 

The beauty of a Bluetooth Speaker is that you can take it with you when you get off the watercraft or hang around the beach or bring into your home. It won’t matter where you go, even if you beach the watercraft or chill on the water, you’ll have a Battery Powered Bluetooth Speaker to keep the music going. Try to get the Bluetooth ones that are waterproof because that is where it will be used most often. Another key factor is looking for sound-systems that are sand-proof too. This should not be hard as there are many options these days. 

Will it be loud enough? I know this is the number one question someone might have about getting a Bluetooth portable speaker for their jet skis. It’s a fair question, but yes, most will be loud enough. What I like to do is store it in the glove box, which acts as an echo chamber to help keep it loud and away from the elements. 

But it will not be the loudest option. If you want loud, then you need to go with the custom installs that we talk about below! If cost and ease of install are the main concerns, then go with the Bluetooth portable options like these here…

• Cambridge SoundWorks OontZ Angle 3 (Amazon Link Ad)
• Xeneo X21 Portable Outdoor Wireless Bluetooth Speaker (Amazon Link Ad)
• JBL Flip 4 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker (Amazon Link Ad)

Custom

If it’s got to be loud, then you got to get the custom speaker job done on your watercraft. Many audio places will do it, even the ones that do cars and trucks. This option will be the most expensive one but the best-looking one. I’ve had people do this to their Sparks, which works well for speakers, like this picture below shows. 

The Negative – There is a downside to going with the custom speaker installs, which some might not even care about. The number one downside if you ask me is that it will take away your storage. Often the subwoofer and amps get put in the storage compartments of the watercraft. Another negative (and it’s pretty big, too) is that they have to cut holes into your PWC. The holes will be for the speaker-drivers to go through. The bigger the hole, the more it weakens the structure of the body. 

These holes might even lower the resale value of the craft if the next owner doesn’t want it. When it comes to resale value, it’s best to keep the machine looking stock because the next guy might not care how cool it looks. 

Even with the few negatives, there is nothing like having a sound system that can overpower some of the boats on the water. Plus, it looks cool too. When you do get the custom speaker system installed, make sure they epoxy the holes they drill really well just in case you flip the jet ski it doesn’t sink from the speaker holes.

Placement & What To Avoid

Where you place them is important. You must keep the wind in consideration when riding. So placing them behind you facing forward does not work as the faster you go, the harder the speakers will have to work and the quieter the music will be. I see people buy ATV speaker tubes and mount them behind them facing forward and the only thing holding it on his some straps. Don’t do that. The straps won’t hold for long with all the wave jumping, and the music gets muffled because the speaker are facing forward, and when you go over 40mph you can’t hear the music. 

Overall, don’t use speaker tube systems that are made for ATVs. ATV sound systems are big and hard to mount on a watercraft. It just doesn’t work or look right no matter what other say or show – when you get it out in the real world and use it they don’t hold up.  

Cool Installs

Here is a list of some of the coolest PWC speaker installs I’ve seen.