Inside a High-Tech Houseboat
By Zach Worden
An Arkansas family's houseboat redefines the family vacation.

Family vacations are supposed to be relaxing. In reality, they rarely are: the kids wander, planning family meals is futile, and if the weather isn’t picture-perfect, everyone is crammed inside, bored and with “nothing to do.”

Fortunately for the owners of this 170-foot long by 20-foot wide houseboat, an Elan g! system relieve some of the stress.



Tim and Stephanie Bearden can use their iPhones or iPads while relaxing on deck to view a camera aimed at their sleeping child down below. And if the weather doesn’t cooperate, there’s a plethora of music and video to enjoy.

Ten Klipsch AW-650 outdoor and twenty-one Klipsch CDT-5800C and CDT-2650C in-ceiling speakers broadcast music from a Vudu Box, AM/FM Tuner, iPod dock, and Blu-ray players, all of which were tucked safely away by the custom electronics (CE) pros at Sound Concepts, Jonesboro, Ark., in a space specifically constructed for the boat’s equipment racks.

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