Sub Woofer Box Behind Driver Seat 2001 Super Air Build

[fortnox]

I was wondering if anyone had any examples of a custom box behind the driver seat of early Super Air. I have 2001 Super Nautique so it will be for that.
Has anyone built custom box for that and how did it turn out?
I was thinking of using the box as a seat as well and making it into wrap around seating?
If you have any pictures or ideas for this please post.
Thanks,
Ryan

[ers906]

check over the last few days posts, a guy was selling one

[fortnox]

Ya I actually saw that posting; but I did not really like how it looked in the boat. I was looking for ideas that had a little more of a factory look. I think my overall goal would be subwoofer box that had upholstered seat ontop of it.
Thanks for the suggestion though.

[EarmarkMarine]

If you can fit a subwoofer, even a moderate sized one, under the driver's helm you will find that you get alot of acoustic leverage by the fact that the woofer is benefiting from the surrounding planes. This effect can even be compounded a bit by side-firing the sub at the outside hull surface. And, if you run a bass-reflex alignment you will gain even more output.

Placing a sub in the middle of the cockpit reduces the amount of comparative output. Down-firing with the woofer only slightly elevated off the sole tends to choke the output. Keep in mind that in a boat's open field environment that the acoustics are very different from the enclosed cabin of a car, truck, or SUV. A 10-inch woofer in a bass-reflex 1.25 cu ft box can dramatically outperform a 12-inch woofer in twice that displacement depending on how you design and tune the system. This pays dividends in the cost of amplifier power too.

David
Earmark Marine

[wake4life6]

http://www.planetnautique.com/vb3/sh...762#post145762

[fortnox]

Thanks guys this last post is exactly what I was referring to! All good info.

[jhiestand]

The issue with the 01 and older SANs is the seat height is a serious obstacle to making a good box -- don't have much space to work with. I did a curved, custom step for my '01 and am very pleased with the results, but it would most assuredly sound better if it had more clearance. Some pix, along with other folks' boxes are on this thread.

http://www.planetnautique.com/vb3/sh...ghlight=kicker

[Cam003]

earmark
i have a 04 210sante and would love to put the sub under the drivers helm, but there is a ton of stuff under there the breakers, balast hoses and the heater. is there any simple solution to the madness under there or do i just need to get in their and clean it all up before designing the box. also 10 or 12 bass reflex for under the helm would you still want it side fireing? is there any premade plans for these boxes or do i just wing it?

[EarmarkMarine]

Cam,
Typically the facade is rebuilt and moved out slightly. The fuse/breaker panel can usually be re-bracketed or re-mounted to the new facade without extending any cables. Once you do get things re-arranged and cleaned up a bit then the available space will automatically dictate the size of sub in the best type of enclosure and the orientation whether side-firing or direct radiating. Much of this will be determined by the amount of depth that you are willing to give up. But the first step is always to determine the available external displacement and the available space around the woofer and/or port to freely radiate. From there you will closely follow the woofer parameters and not force fit a particular size or enclosure type.

David
Earmark Marine

[foo]

i have a sub box custom built for my 01 SAN. It fits perfect and also has the Nautique N raised of the front . I dont have a picture though.

[Shooter]

How does a sub under the observer seat compare to the driver kick panel sub that Dave is referring to. Is there a way to vent that area for better sound like the newer (07+) nautiques? Seems like there is much more space to work with in that storage area.

[EarmarkMarine]

Shooter,
From an acoustical standpoint under the dash is better because the output of the sub is unobstructed. This means the same sub will have more output and the bass sound quality will be optimum provided all other things are equal. But some boats just do not give you this option so you have to take what the boat gives you.
Within the port locker (behind the observer's seat) places a sub enclosure within an enclosure. Several issues result from this. You need as much vent surface area as possible so that the bass radiation can freely pass through the locker boundaries. Otherwise you get lots of bass vibration but not alot of what you would identify as musical bass. Even with substantial venting its unavoidable that the locker will have an impact on the bass tonal construction as the bass tends to take on the characteristics of the locker just as a woofer takes on a slightly different coloration based on the type of box you use. So in this application I would probably do what I could to maximize the output in overcoming the locker. Between a sealed box, bass reflex box and bandpass box, the bandpass will give you the most output and leverage followed by the bass reflex box. In this particular environment the tonal differences between the various types of loading will be nullified for the most part. A good bandpass box design that is well damped can give you a relatively smooth response over an octave or a bit more which is all you need. The output can be 6 dB greater than a sealed box which is the equivalent of four times the power. And this is effective at overcoming the restriction of the locker. Of course you will sacrifice valuable storage space.

David
Earmark Marine

[Shooter]

You rock david! I always enjoy your post. I wish you had a shop in California