10" under helm mount suggestions

[kend]

I'm installing a Kenwood free air sub/amp pkg this weekend in the panel at the drivers feet of a 2001 Air. I've never installed a sub before.

1. Does it matter if its closer to the hull vs. closer to the center of the boat
2. Is closer to the floor or higher up better

5. The opening behind the dash goes all the way up to the battery, is any insulation or dampening needed?

4. Is it better to router a flush mount in the panel or just screw the speaker from the front... or back?

Thanks for any good suggestions!

Ken

[s_kelley2000]

I am not sure about 1 or 2 but I have a few thoughts on 5 and 4. Is the area behind the kick panel totally closed off from the front? I know the dash changed in 2000 so maybe it is but on my 99 the kick panel only goes up just over 3/4s of the way and leaves a gap at the top so it is not sealed front to back. If yours is the same way you will need to seal this gap off so that the front and back are isolated in order to get good sound out of a free air setup I think.

As for your mounting question, if your kick panel is the same as mine then it is made out of 1/2" Starboard pvc board which I am not sure will be strong enough to support the sub. You may want to beef up the structure with another panel behind it to make it stronger. Then I'd probably flush mount it if you could.

[kend]

[QUOTE=s_kelley2000;226915]I am not sure about 1 or 2 but I have a few thoughts on 5 and 4. Is the area behind the kick panel totally closed off from the front? I know the dash changed in 2000 so maybe it is but on my 99 the kick panel only goes up just over 3/4s of the way and leaves a gap at the top so it is not sealed front to back. If yours is the same way you will need to seal this gap off so that the front and back are isolated in order to get good sound out of a free air setup I think. QUOTE]

The panel just goes most of the way up.. project is getting bigger. Do I need to build some kind of box? What sort of box could I build that would work for the open air speaker I bought? (KFC-W250MRW )
I don't have heater or shower so there is 'some' room in there

[kend]

started cutting a speaker hole through the panel; looks like it will need some wood reinforcement to make it stiffer. There is plent of room behind it below the fuse box

[MLA]

Loading a true IB woofer is a small sealed enclosure will be a compromise, just like having it mounted through a partial wall. Without knowing any of the T/S specs on that woofer, its hard to tell how a small enclosure will effect it. If you have room for an enclosure and cannot find out anything about the current woofer, I would consider trading for a woofer that will have a predictable level of performance in a small enclosure. Probably not what you wanted to head, after cutting a hole.

[kend]

Probably not what you wanted to head, after cutting a hole.

Came out ok, and sounds good except not a lot of volume (maybe all I could expect with 200W) but balances out the 6.5" speakers well. I cut the speaker hole in a place where I can come back in with a proper box by just making the hole square

[s_kelley2000]

Glad it's working out for you. Post up a pic when you get a chance.

[EarmarkMarine]

I'm installing a Kenwood free air sub/amp pkg this weekend in the panel at the drivers feet of a 2001 Air. I've never installed a sub before.

1. Does it matter if its closer to the hull vs. closer to the center of the boat
2. Is closer to the floor or higher up better

5. The opening behind the dash goes all the way up to the battery, is any insulation or dampening needed?

4. Is it better to router a flush mount in the panel or just screw the speaker from the front... or back?

Thanks for any good suggestions!

Ken

1) & 2). The woofer output will benefit from being closer to both the outside hull AND the sole. Every surrounding boundary is a reinforcing plane that helps.

5). Even a free-air (infinite baffle) subwoofer needs an enclosure (although one that is expansive) that is totally sealed front to rear for several (4 to 5) feet in all directions away from the sub driver. That is going to be difficult to execute in your situation. On the other hand placing a free-air sub in a condensed sealed enclosure isn’t productive either. You really need an air suspension woofer in a small, custom, sealed enclosure for your application. For the short term, given that the existing panel isn’t sealed over the top, try and attach a 90 degree horizontal panel at the top and behind the mounting/kick panel in order to offer a bit more front/rear acoustic isolation.

4). Since the grill on your sub is integrated you must front load it. However, from an acoustic standpoint, rear or front loading doesn’t make a difference as long as the mounting is well sealed. What is important though is that the mounting baffle is just as rigid as what you would have with a well built full enclosure. Perhaps you can build a shallow and quasi open-backed enclosure with four sides on the back that serve to add rigidity plus some F/R acoustic isolation.

Odin

[kend]

[mnwakerider]

Looks good!