River Radio Cooler

[Chad_E]

My old college buddies were on my case for years to build a river radio. Although my college years are gone, we still take a couple of annual trips for which a river radio could prove “useful”.

This radio has actually been in planning for quite a while. I wanted to create one where the cooler remained useful. I looked all over the internet and really didn’t find all that much help in building one that didn’t destroy the cooler. Obviously the battery takes up quite a bit of space so I wanted all the other components to be as small as possible. With a little searching I came up with a 250W 2-channel motorcycle amp. The amp has a built in radio tuner and aux jack for a MP3 player or ipod.



So my idea was to mount 4 ~ 6” marine speakers to the top of the cooler, thereby limiting damage to the cooler itself. I used pieces of 6” PVC and cut them to approximately 45 degree angles. Attaching the speakers to the PVC was a trick…



As for the cooler, I wanted one that small enough to fit in an intertube. Also, I wanted to be able to control the ipod playlist and volume from the outside without having to get into the cooler. However, most people are afraid to bring their ipod on the water so I bought a Pelican waterproof case built for an ipod.

[Chad_E]

It took quite a bit of fitting to get the PVC pipes to fit on the top of the cooler the way I wanted. After that I attached all four and ran all the wiring for the speakers.

[jacobm24]

thats a really good idea...not putting the speakers in the cooler itself. please post how well the works for you

[Chad_E]

Ultimately, I plan to fiberglass the top so I needed to fill in all the gaps and create a smooth surface. So this morning I filled in the large gaps with some spray foam insulation.





Later this afternoon after the foam cured I cut it down into closer to what I want the final product to look like. I also added a u-bolt which will be used to attach the Pelican ipod case. I figured the waterproof case could come in handy for more than just the river radio cooler so I wanted to be able to take it off and on. It came with a Velcro strap that I’ll be able to wrap around the u-bolt.




The next step will be to cover the foam with plaster of paris to get the final form before fiber glassing. I was able to start on that tonight, but ran out of plaster. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll pick some up and finish the plaster. More to come…

[Huntin Addict]

Looks good so far!!

I hope you are keeping my Optima Battery off of the concrete!!!!

[bowfishin fool]

Looks great!!

[k9trainer]

Ultimately, I plan to fiberglass the top so I needed to fill in all the gaps and create a smooth surface. So this morning I filled in the large gaps with some spray foam insulation.

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Later this afternoon after the foam cured I cut it down into closer to what I want the final product to look like. I also added a u-bolt which will be used to attach the Pelican ipod case. I figured the waterproof case could come in handy for more than just the river radio cooler so I wanted to be able to take it off and on. It came with a Velcro strap that I’ll be able to wrap around the u-bolt.

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The next step will be to cover the foam with plaster of paris to get the final form before fiber glassing. I was able to start on that tonight, but ran out of plaster. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll pick some up and finish the plaster. More to come…

That is an awesome radio

Looks good so far!!

I hope you are keeping my Optima Battery off of the concrete!!!!

That is an old wives tail

[Peacock]

Sweet!

[Chad_E]

Looks good so far!!

I hope you are keeping my Optima Battery off of the concrete!!!!

That's just an old wise tale...

"Myth: The old myth about not storing batteries on concrete floors is just that - a myth. This story has been around for 100 years, and originated back when battery cases were made up of wood and asphalt. The acid would leak from them, and form a slow-discharging circuit through the now acid-soaked and conductive floor."

http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm#Mini Factoids

[ETEXASHUNTER]

This looks like a great idea so far.. wonder if a wheelie cooler would work as well.
weight and all might get heavy with the internal items and I'm guessing adult beverages and Ice. (but then again it might not let it fit in the TUBE.) my overactive mind!

[JDR996]

Nice

[Jude]

very nice!!

[Chad_E]

This looks like a great idea so far.. wonder if a wheelie cooler would work as well.
weight and all might get heavy with the internal items and I'm guessing adult beverages and Ice. (but then again it might not let it fit in the TUBE.) my overactive mind!

I've already started thinking about adding a detachable wheel system of some sort for those times when the cooler is in "full" use away from the river. I have a feeling my brother may be helping me with that one. Although he doesn't know it yet...

[TB80]

that's pretty cool...if you don't mind me asking, what was the total cost for all the parts?

[Chad_E]

I knew someone would ask me that. I'll have to backtrack and try to come up with a cost. I've bought things off and on for a while so it will take some figuring. I'll try to post a total before I'm all said and done.