keyboard for a boat

[mountainjammer]

Hi forum players. Love all your dedication to this channel. Would love some advice on a keyboard to take cruising on a sailboat. 4 octave is fine, lightweight preferred but will sacrifice that for reasonable keyboard quality (at least semi weighted) and close to full size keys. I find 'toys' very hard to play on. Built in speaker or I could Bluetooth to the boat speakers. 12v probably doesn"t exist but alternatively a battery powered keyboard would be fine as I could charge 110v when the motor is running. Piano and electric pianos and maybe an organ is all I care about, but half decent quality. Im guessing most boards in the class won"t be crazy expensive so price is probably not a factor.

 

Thank you. And BTW in case anyone considering the same, I found the perfect guitar for salt water cruising - a carbon fiber Journey guitar with removable neck.

 

Main rig: Nord electro 5 HP and Mojo 61. Space station v3

[AnotherScott]

49 is tough. The only thing that comes to mind is a Yamaha MX49, and that doesn't run on batteries. If you could possibly fit a compact 61, the forthcoming Casio CT-S1 looks like it might do the trick.

[drawback]

You didn"t mention your budget. I think you might get a few Casio CT-X recommendations but if I could dream, the one for me would probably be the Dexibell S1. I"d want 61 as well (the S1 is 68 but it"s slim, portable and ticks quite a few boxes).

 

And of course you could always do the controller/iPad thing. Bluetooth, USB power, etc.

[CEB]

Oops, sorry, never mind. I thought you traded a keyboard for a boat.

 

I think battery power could be wise. I leery of electric power on boats based on a very small sample size. There was a boat in St. Louis I played on. The power was horrible.

[cp-the-nerd]

Roland Ax Edge keytar!

 

[MathOfInsects]

You'll probably only need the middle of the range, since the boat will already be on the high C's.

[AnotherScott]

The downside to the AX-Edge as a 49 is that it's about as long as a 76!

 

p.s. - back to the OP, don't count on bluetooth audio, too much latency. Though there other kinds of wireless audio adapters you can use.

[Brad Kaenel]

I just bought a B-Stock Roland Juno DS 61. Runs on 8 AA batteries; very nice unweighted action; only 12 pounds, all plastic. Plenty of good sounds. 1/4" stereo (phones) and L/R outs; no built-in wireless -- you would need to add an accessory.

[Adan]

There's a lot of talk on this forum about travel/lap keyboards. Speakers, battery powered, easy to transport, easy to pick up and play when the inspiration strikes, easy on the ol' quadriceps. Keyboards meeting this criteria only seem to come in 61. I wish there was a 49, that's the world I want to live in someday.

 

Leaders in this category are the Roland Go:keys or Go:piano and the Casio CT's, including the new CT that's coming to market in a month or so. The CT has better action and costs less, so if you don't hear the "hard a lee" and the keys go overboard, you can afford another one.

[area51recording]

Don't have any suggestions, but I WOULD like to know how much it would cost for you to take me with you......

[nursers]

You'll probably only need the middle of the range, since the boat will already be on the high C's.

 

For the record I actually did laugh at this

[Fleer]

My keyboard for a boat.

Maybe get a Korg i3?

[AnotherScott]

You'll probably only need the middle of the range, since the boat will already be on the high C's.

And obviously, the Nord Wave will be more appropriate than the traditional suggestion of Nord Lead.

[Tom Williams]

I'd seriously consider the $150 Casio CT-S300. It has a built-in speakers, is velocity sensitive, and 61 keys. And, as I don't trust saltwater, at least at that price it's a sorta disposable commodity.

[stoken6]

Tom Williams and Adan +1. This is a "couch keyboard" requirement. That new Casio looks ideal.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Al Quinn]

I"ve brought my Yamaha Reface CP and Yamaha NP11 on the boat many times. I recently bought a Korg MicroKey Air 61. This keyboard wirelessly triggering instruments on my iPad or iPhone seems like a great boat rig. I"m going to try it soon as the boating season is just starting to kick in on Long Island.

[jeffincltnc]

Korg Nautilus.

 

Obviously, the marketing geniuses at Korg chose the name "Nautilus" and nautical theme of the chassis design to target the incredibly lucrative market of gigging keyboardists who take their keyboards onto sailboats, right?

[Adan]

Korg Nautilus.

 

Obviously, the marketing geniuses at Korg chose the name "Nautilus" and nautical theme of the chassis design to target the incredibly lucrative market of gigging keyboardists who take their keyboards onto sailboats, right?

 

Only fools, skallywags, and landlubbers would sail the seas with a keyboard named after an underwater vessel.

 

The Korg airkeys is a good suggestion but the OP doesn't like mini-keys. Problem with 5 octaves is that space is at a premium on boats. Ideally you'd want to be able to squeeze into small spaces to play.

[Mike Davis]

You'll probably only need the middle of the range, since the boat will already be on the high C's.

 

Not bad!

[Biggles]

Korg Kross 2.

 

Small body but with full sized keys, runs on batteries, very light weight.

 

I would not consider a Casio CTX, I bought one as a stop gap. It lasted the weekend, flaky OS, and it would not store registrations reliably.

[Mike Kent]

Battery power and built in speakers:

I'd look at a Yamaha PSR series.

Then Casio CT-S1, Casio CT-S200, Casio CT-S300.

If those are not your thing, then maybe Roland Go:Piano, Go:Keys.

 

Or Mainstage on a Macbook with a USB MIDI controller keyboard might take up less space and have higher sound quality.

 

Bluetooth to your boat's built in speakers would probably have very high latency. Not playable.

[mountainjammer]

Thanks all. The peanut gallery in my house got a kick from the responses....I think they were laughing with me .

 

Will research all the above. It"s seems 4 octaves is only an option for a midi board- that"s a shame. Love simplicity of all in one. Good point about Bluetooth latency SynMike- won"t bother figuring that out. Will revert back after the chosen one has gone through its pace of C-trials! Cheers.

[Al Quinn]

While it"s true audio over BT has unacceptable latency, I feel no latency with Midi over BT. Therefore, a battery operated keyboard with BT midi coupled with a phone or pad that has a wired connection to amplification (e.g., the boat"s sound system) might be an approach worth considering. I do this with the Korg MircoKey Air 61 and it works great. I realize you don"t want mini keys so perhaps there"s a battery operated 49 key keyboard with BT Midi that would fit the bill.

[cjfox]

No one's asked how big the boat is. I did a cruise on a friend's boat and brought a Casio PX S3000. Lightweight, batteries, speakers, and I could bring it ashore for impromtu jams at the pubs along the way. Do you need weighted keys? Can you store it on the boat easily?