Sub under the driver console, Good thing or Bad?

[mfloski]

I am getting ready to take out my MTX 10" from under the pasenger seat (it currently consumes ALL of the storage space under there) and put a JL 12".....the speaker isn't going to fit in the same spot. I have a DD '99 Sport and put sacs on either side of the motor. I have heard of lots of people putting the sub under the driver console. My only concern is the MASSIVE vibration that I am about to create with the sub damaging the gauges or vibrating everything loose....anyone have an expert opinion on this? Thanks for all the great info found on this site, it is awsome!

[Mikeski]

RE: Sub under the driver console, Good thing or Bad?

No worries, I don't think the vibration is as "massive" as boating over choppy waters.

[Daytomann]

RE: Sub under the driver console, Good thing or Bad?

Are you going to put it in a box? Or what?

[mfloski]

I have already built the box, per JL specs, out of MDF board (I built the box two years ago and have had the speaker in my mustang). Can anyone recommend some sort of paint or coating to treat the speaker box to be more water resistant?

[Mikeski]

Some guys have them painted (or do it themselves) with spray in truck bed liner, tough and waterproof.

[TURBOURBO]

I fiberglassed mine with 2 layers. makes the box waterproof and even stronger than MDF without.

[surroundsound64]

I fiberglassed mine with 2 layers. makes the box waterproof and even stronger than MDF without.

Good call w/ the fiberglass!

[surroundsound64]

And I doubt you'll have a prob. the vibrations from it.

[SANfan]

Mine has been there now for three years with no problems. Biggest one was getting enough cubic feet for performance. This was what I wound up with. On my model SAN (2000), the fuel fill line necessitated the curve in the back, so I had to add the extension to get the footage right.

Definitely layer on the glass resin, but also think about using angle brackets to get the enclosure off the floor - If it sits on wet carpet you'll eventually get permeation.

[SANfan]

Couple of other notes:

* I used glass resin for water proofing, and stayed away from MDF for the same reasons. I used 5/8" plywood. Note that plywood is more prone to resonate than MDF, but with all the curves and angles I didn't worry about it too much. It doesn't resonate.
* Construction is waterproof glue with SS #8 screws every 4 inches. The screws are overkill. I like overkill.
* The protrusions on the front are bumpers to make sure that the kick panel does not get into the sub. I did not cut the kick panel, you can't tell the sub is there until you crank it up.

Best solution? I don't know. For me it was, since storage space is always at a premium on my boat. Toward that end, I mounted the amp on an aluminum plate under the left gunwale - it follows the angle of the hull side, is protected from water, but more importantly uses none of the observer seat storage area. Ditto for the CD changer. I've seen boats with a lot more subwoofer, but I rarely if ever feel the need to crank the gain control wide open - it's plenty for most everyone.

[SANfan]

Oh and volume... If you want to figure the volume of a mocked up or completed enclosure forget all the cute calculations. Get a straight-side 5 gallon bucket and determine the volume per inch by

measure the inside diameter of bucket and divide by two.
Square that.
Multiple by 3.14, (ok, ok, 3.14159265358979323846 if you want to get picky)
fill your mocked-up enclosure (cardboard and masonite is what I used) with foam peanuts. Pour the peanuts in your bucket, level, and measure the depth. Multiply by the number you just calculated and you have cubic inches. Divide by 1728 to get cubic feet. Remember that if you mocked up with thinner material, numbers may be off slightly