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Floor Board Sub Woofer Upgrade Simple Improvement


JAXONBOATS

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Floor Board Sub Woofer Upgrade Simple Improvement

Not being a big fan of the Floor Board (or kick panel) Subwoofer design that was the original installation in our 2007 247, and not willing to live with the lackluster performance of the shallow mount P3 Rockford Subwoofer. It was time to get a bit creative and build a 1.2+ cubic foot enclosure that would accommodate the Marine Grade 12 Subwoofer, clear the extending heater tube, clear the heater placement and not interfere with any of the cables behind the kick panel.

With a bit of 3/4" MDF, 1x2" Hardwood, Fiberglass cloth/ resin, subwoofer sealing tape and 100 screws we have a new fully sealed subwoofer box that houses a new Rockford Fosgate M212S4 SUPER THUMPER Subwoofer. Now the lows of our bass carry through to the swim platform. The only things we changed to accomplish this night and day full bass chest thump result was the enclosure, the new RF sub and 12 gauge XLN subwoofer grade wire. In total a 3 day off and on project.

Here is one design that incorporates the existing subwoofer hole in the drivers kick panel. Our goal was to achieve an enclosure that was at least 1.2 cubic feet, could accommodate a 7" mounting depth, be completely sealed and fit behind the kick panel without interfering with the any heater components or cables behind the kick panel. The enclosure slides in freely, the kick panel slides in at an angle and then resumes its original placement with the subwoofer mounting screws pulling the kick panel flush with the face of the enclosure. A piece of blue tape on the outer heater regulator mounts took the potential rattle out of the equation so we stayed with the original heater outlet bracket mounting location.

The original enclosure was made from the hard plastic for the shallow mount subwoofer; it used the kick panel as the face of the enclosure. The volume measured to be about .5 to .6 cubic foot, half of what was need for the new subwoofer. The original cut out was less then round so we improved the shape.

Here are some before, during and after pictures to show how we approached the improvement. The results in sound are incredible!! It is NOT THAT DIFFICULT!!

4c265e20763a6a5538b0987922733596.jpg0abe4d5fae4185f98899c5b350631cbf.jpgc351b5be9ca2f221ad85d4268bc9b805.jpg591a2d3fcc7ecbc0f68a1470b91a6d6e.jpg48b3757c5f01dda4b6918372b6e85eb6.jpg676850d81b15412050e6da815cecabd2.jpg5636269b1d85e340851cbc71a118cdb9.jpgd16f71bd14a0289a3207fc749103eec7.jpg1eba1a5e1b3aa847cfa4cd542303bd1b.jpgf165d9f50be83f3120cb05e78be130be.jpg

Edited by JAXONBOATS
  • Like 1
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JAXONBOATS,

You say it's not that difficult but my head hurts from thinking about those compound angles and how that impacts the edge cuts. WHEW! I'm glad it was you and not me. I'm impressed at how tight all the seams are with all those angles. Nice job.

David

  • Like 1
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Thanks so much!

It did take a bit of thought before cutting and just like me with crown molding I used a bit of MDF and made a few mistakes but all in all most cuts were either 30-45-60 and 90 degrees. What seem to help the most was making a cardboard mock up box first to make sure things fit and then take the outside measurments to come up with the actual size.

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Here is my quazi swag at the dimensions of the enclosure. If DIY Bu Crew interest continues; I will most likely pull the enclosure and get exact dimensions.
It is probably best to make a cardboard enclosure FIRST to check your fitment requirements especially when dealing with the heater tube placement.
The inside of the box is consistently 16" wide with an outside width of 17 1/2". The inside of the box with the funny angles was built first, once completed we traced the outsides panels to match the odd shapes. Two of the inside panels are rectangles- the base and first vertical, the other 3 panels are trapezoids.
We used less then a quart of fiberglass resin with 6 ounce cloth to seal the enclosure and tie in the 1 x 2 hardwood braces on each side to prevent any enclosure flex.

Should we pull the box and make a mold to build heavy duty fiberglass enclosures?
I guess if it keeps raining, filling up our LAKE, it might be a fun project.

Heater vent ports had a bit of play in the metal mount, with one wrap of blue tape on the outer rings they fit nice and snug.


Edited by JAXONBOATS
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JAXONBOATS,

You say it's not that difficult but my head hurts from thinking about those compound angles and how that impacts the edge cuts. WHEW! I'm glad it was you and not me. I'm impressed at how tight all the seams are with all those angles. Nice job.

David

Ditto.

Been working on my sub/amps/ws420 install a few hours a week at night for last few weeks and that sub box looks intense, measurement wise. I don't even trust my table saw to make perfect cuts, usually end up with a slight curve even when using the metal guide.

but that looks great!!

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One thing I've never seen on these installs is somebody glassing in all that compound stuff instead of using mdf/ply. Is anyone aware of anyone glassing the back wall of a sub install in order to fit all of the curves and such? Seems like it'd be a lot easier. Solmething along these lines.... http://www.ajquick.com/cars/tutorials/fiberglass.php

The angles on that box look crazy intense!

Edited by shawndoggy
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Nice Work Jaxon!

I am almost finished with my sub box and I got a little frustrated at my inability to cut a straight line. Let alone a perfect trapezoid...I guess I got a few of those inadvertently. I better stick with my day job, which does not include crown molding or subwoofer boxes.

I guess I consider myself and average carpenter, and I bet I would not have gotten that box straight.

The only question I would ask of the crew is if it might be nice to have the box suspended a little bit above the floor to allow any super large rogue rollers that go over the bow to not get the carpet under the box wet. Anyone put 'feet' of sorts under their box? (has not happened to me in this boat, but I have had 4 inches of water covering ALL of the floor in my other boat) When I took out my current box, you could see where some water had soaked into the MDF and crept up about 1/3 of the way up the box. It was on the floor. I plan on lifting this box an inch or so. At least then it can dry out.

Edited by TallRedRider
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I am going to use a plastic cutting board and slice up some chunks to mount under the corners. Has anyone use a rubber screw type foot similiar to a home stereo speaker/

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The inside of this box is all fiber glassed (cloth and resin) in an attempt to seal the enclosure, but to make sure the MDF does not get wet we used just the glass resin on the outside in hopes to prevent the MDF from getting wet after taking one over the bow. I like the idea of using that cutting board material for a riser that would work perfect. This enclosure mounts directly to the floor and supports the kick panel. I have since been able to turn the volume up and the bass floats fish to the surface. Well worth the time changing from a shallow mount to the Big Mama!! Even at low levels the chest punch is just perfect!

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  • 1 month later...

Designing and building another subwoofer enclosure for our 23LSV. I will take pictures on the way. Looks like the width can be as much as 4" wider then the 247. Staying with the Rockford Fosgate M212S4 Subwoofer with the D Class 549 watt continuous RMS Rockford Amp.

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I got to spend today going after our 23LSV subwoofer enclosure project. These enclosures are simple, easy and they do not look as SWEET as the one with Blue LED Lighting but they do only take a day to build. This one has no wicked angles because the 23LSV has much more space behind the floor kick panel compared to our 247.
As for the 12W7 design.. with a , 9.5" mounting depth and a ~1.4cubic foot area requirment, without a heater- No Problem.

Process steps:
1. Build a cardboard mock up box to test fitment
2. cut the mdf based on the cardboard mock up
3. trial fit the mdf box a few times during your construction to make sure it will fit
4. I doubled the end caps with 1x2 hardwood then sealed the ends
5. fit the enclosure underneath the dash, fit the floor panel, drilled a center hole through boat floor panel and front of box, cut both holes out ready for 12" Rockford Fosgate M212S4.
6. Fiberglass resin and cloth to seal the interior of the box, fiberglass resin thinned with Acetone to seal the outside of the box for waterproofing.
Once things dry,
7. paint the box black
8. install under dash, mount down through floor board
9. insert carpet covered floor panel, bolt in subwoofer
10 attach side carpet panel- ALL DONE- turn up the volume!

The width of the box is 21 3/4" -- the height is 15 1/4" -- the front angle is 60 degrees --the depth of the box at the bottom is 14" -- the depth at the top of the box is 6 3/8". It is much wider then the 247 enclosure shown above in this post. Wild angles were not needed in this box as the 23LSV has much more room underneath the dash. This is pretty much a 90 degee for all sides except the 60 degree front.

Edited by JAXONBOATS
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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 8 months later...

Im looking to build a similar box for my 23 LSV with heater installed.

Did you mount the sub grill to the kick plate?

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For what is it worth, I fit the JL 10W3v3-4: 10-inch Subwoofer Driver, 4 Ω into the stock subwoofer encloser. I realize this is no match for a high powered 12" like many of you put in, but its a simple drop in upgrade. Significantly more stout than the stock RF woofer.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yes the grill is mounted to the kick plate. I see some of the pictures fell off the posting and will get those back up so you have a bit more reference to work with. NIGHT and DAY difference in the sound quality. I purchased the rockford fosgate T2D212 a whopper 58lbs sub that I have a larger fit under the dash similar shape box that i am going to try. 2400 watts- Yippeee

This will replace the twin T1s that are taking up all the room under the glove box

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martinarcher

Gotta keep the box a good 1/2 off the floor.

I would say that's a big deal if the box is MDF or something that could wick up water. If it's Baltic Birch and sealed well you'll be fine on the floor. I've been rocking birch boxes sealed in bedliner for 5 years now and they are as dense and solid as the day I built them. I guess another thing to note is my boat is a garage queen and is never outside in the rain. The floor at the helm rarely gets more than the water from my wet feet after getting out of the lake.

Killer box Jax!

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Even a solvent based plywood like birch can delaminate if placed directly on the sole. Polyester fiberglass resins are micro-porous and will pass trapped moisture but do a decent job of shedding water if the enclosure is elevated. Resins also tend to lay on the surface and not penetrate the wood although there are techniques to improve this. Exopy resin is better but still not completely waterproof. A thick pro-applied RhinoLiner seals things pretty good. I still have an objection to placing that much surface area against a carpeted sole in avoidance of mold and mildew. 1/2" risers allow for drainage and evaporation.

David

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2007 23LSV Enclosure and 2007 247 LSV Enclosure

Step by Step pictures

73b755479e12ce8e6cbf3633f75e8362.jpg496dccda3bfac035c4c1148bae47c5af.jpg2a6c79d6ffd0401e5b43c3ba86f62ced.jpg1d3c925c58e42647a555e9a36db85695.jpg2a6c79d6ffd0401e5b43c3ba86f62ced_8zyr.jpeade0c0807ca44ea7abc08a8a26b6553.jpg9c567e26da8613b92d2366ce7c2da367.jpgdccd883e773c46a2f1079dc3e026177c.jpgc258a313ee2d16d1096176f97d165302.jpg6b8c438c57e4ce78743cffad7d63cc2c.jpg898f36693a64702a52a06c828e3dd18e.jpg

bdaaa1f9925f1b381ce6b349a1c88aab.jpg

247 Version

4df0950fa84625d94fcb1d3f99a005ce.jpg

Process steps:
1. Build a cardboard mock up box to test fitment
2. cut the mdf based on the cardboard mock up
3. trial fit the mdf box a few times during your construction to make sure it will fit
4. I doubled the end caps with 1x2 hardwood then sealed the ends
5. fit the enclosure underneath the dash, fit the floor panel, drilled a center hole through boat floor panel and front of box, cut both holes out ready for 12" Rockford Fosgate M212S4.
6. Fiberglass resin and cloth to seal the interior of the box, fiberglass resin thinned with Acetone to seal the outside of the box for waterproofing.
Once things dry,
7. paint the box black
8. install under dash, mount down through floor board
9. insert carpet covered floor panel, bolt in subwoofer
10 attach side carpet panel- ALL DONE- turn up the volume!

Edited by JAXONBOATS
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Dang it I have a virtually identical box to jaxonboats' gathering dust in my storage unit. It's probably a hair deeper, but the exact same shape. Please somebody in nothern nevada, come and get it!

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  • 1 month later...

Jax, Thanks for always providing us with all the GREAT info!! Nice Box...

I thought this would also help someone out. Was trying to remove the drivers kick plate (kick panel, kick board, sub board, floor board etc.) to run wires for my new sub. To remove this was a pain in the a_ _ ! It took me over an hour to find the 4 stainless screws. I ended up sliding a putty knife along the base of the board until I found the screws. The top right screw was actually buried under the carpet, making it more challenging to find. Hope these pics help.

photo2_zps06817cd2.jpg

photo1_zps37441ee3.jpg

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Built my sub box of 3/4" of plywood and used 1/2 pvc pipe plugs for feet to keep it off the deck and let moisture that gets under there in the carpet dry out. I drilled a hole in the middle of a pvc pipe plug and mounted to the bottom. Put a short piece of 1/2 pvc pipe into it then a pvc pipe cap. Also allows adjusting for height and is very sturdy as is or if you are concerned you want something more stout, you can use pvc ells and brace 2 legs together like a "U".

Edited by Roster man
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One thing I've never seen on these installs is somebody glassing in all that compound stuff instead of using mdf/ply. Is anyone aware of anyone glassing the back wall of a sub install in order to fit all of the curves and such? Seems like it'd be a lot easier. Something along these lines.... http://www.ajquick.com/cars/tutorials/fiberglass.php

The angles on that box look crazy intense!

Fiberglass is not strong at all on flat areas. This is what I made for my bu. The back and bottom which are flat areas are MDF. The rest is fiberglass (polar fleece fabric).

IMG_0019.JPG

(Below) Finished - coated MDF in fiberglass resin/body filler mix and carpeted.

IMG_0424.JPG

(Below) Installed

IMG_0460.JPG

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