Surface Mounting Speakers and Punching Vinyl

[jamiewilson3]

I have a 1997 SN and I have replaced the original strero with Polk dB 651s mounted behind the original grills. I am currently installing a sub and 5 channel amp over Xmas. I am strongly considering reinstalling the speakers surface mounted and pulled the original fabric grills off.

What do I need to do to punch through the yinyl to prevent tears, etc. Do I need to punch pilot holes? Am I crazy to put holes in 12 year old vinyl?

Any help is appreciated.

[EarmarkMarine]

If ever you cut vinyl, new or old, you should terminate it by wraping it around the opening and stapling it from behind. This will keep it from stretching in the heat and eventually wrinkling or withdrawling so that the edge is exposed after a couple of years. There are a number of different methods but that is the basic concept.
Never drill through vinyl that has a foam liner, at least not in forward. If the foam or polyester (batting) liner gets caught up in the bit it will ruin the vinyl and your day. Use an awl to punch through. Better yet, if you want to seal the hole then use a tiny tip soldering iron to penetrate the vinyl.

David
Earmark Marine

[jamiewilson3]

Thanks for the response. I can definitely use a soldering iron tip to go through the vinyl to the top of the polyboard and screw in from there.

I have not decided for sure if I am going to surface mount or go back to the under mount. If I do, then I will go with that method.

I just got everything wired up for a sound check and it is a big improvement over stock.

[EarmarkMarine]

I can understand how sensitive someone might be to a cosmetic modification or even to the work involved. Btw, I've always been great at giving advice when someone else is doing all the work! But, anyway, not to en/discourage you one way or another, I can tell you that bringing the speakers out from behind the thick bolster and short PVC tube will eliminate the 'tunnel effect' surrounding the speakers and make a vast difference in the sound quality.

David
Earmark Marine

[jamiewilson3]

Agreed. This is the primary reason that I want to do it. I did a rough setup of the system with them sitting loose in the cavity. Easily discernable difference with the change.

Acoustics in the boat are already tough enough without any additional impediments.

[TX-Foilhead]

I did something that I think is similar to what your talking about. My boat is a 93 and the speakers weren't mounted in the tubes, but they were pressed into the foam when the PO installed them. I didn't care for the look and wanted to recess them in so that they were flush with the vinyl and the foam wasn't compressed.

After taking all the panels out of the boat I realized that the small panel by the throttle wouldn't allow this so I had to change my plan. I ended up installing plywood rings behind the vinyl that were the same thickness as the foam. I folded the the vinyl in as described in earlier posts and then mounted the speakers. The speakers sit on the surface now and don't push into the foam. The whole thing turned out good, but it was a little work taking the vinyl off the panels to mount the rings.

[EarmarkMarine]

The above is a good technique. We also limit the speaker mounting depth in some padded bolsters so the vinyl doesn't wrinkle. In this case we use split spacer rings so they can be front loaded, inserted behind the padding and mounted in place. In many cases this allows us to retrofit a speaker into the coaming bolster without removing the vinyl or the panel.
We may be talking about a slightly different application though.

David
Earmark Marine

[Mikeski]

I did the same thing as TX foilhead in my MB slalom boat. I used 2 layers of 3/8 birch glassed to the wooden seat base. Also rebuilt the seat while I was at it... The joys of the wood used in MB upholstery bases.

[jamiewilson3]

I think that I have an approach figured out.....

I am going to bond the original PVC ring (that the current speaker grills are glued to to create the flush speaker grill over the recessed speaker mount) to the back side of the speaker on the powder coated steel frame.

I can then use the PVC ring to press fit back into the original hole in the vinyl, requiring no permanent modification to the vinyl. That way, any return to OEM would just require a new PVC ring and new speaker fabric.

I got some M6 1/2" machine screws, washers, and thin nuts to mount the grill to the speaker. The 1/2" screw + washer + nut leaves a flush assembly to prevent a lot of rubbing on the vinyl, as it will gently contact the vinyl.

I will mix the epoxy and see how the bond goes tomorrow. I do not know the Polk Audio powder coat type and application process, so I am using Loctite Marine epoxy as a crap shoot to get a good bond. If it doesnt hold, I will go back and do a proper surface prep of the speaker.