Winter Layup Projects - WS420SQ and Box the Sub

[jester3653]

Just thought I'd share my winter layup projects that took place the past few months in my '14 22MXZ.

First project was to add the Wet Sounds WS-420SQ.  Mounted under the right side dash under the main boat touch screen.  I put it in their black, machined aluminum under-dash mount.  It looks fantastic.  Used a small piece of HDPE to help mount and support the installation.  This upgraded aspect of the sound system is huge.  Being able to control in-boats, from tower, from sub is sweet.  And the rider mic is cool too. 

Picture attached.

Second project was to put the stock RF 12" sub into a sealed enclosure.  Most know that the amps are tuned very low from the factory.  I fixed that problem early on, but the sub was still pretty weak.  Imagine my surprise when I found that the sub was free-air in the MXZ.  Wow.  So, we commenced to design and build a custom 1.1 cu ft sealed enclosure for it.  Debated on how or if to reuse the stock plastic front, but it just wasn't possible given the size of the box and the depth under the helm.  So I bought some carpet from Malibu (factory match) and built my own front.  Looks great.  The box is full glued, cleated (no external screws whatsoever), and line-x'd.  There was a lot of engineering that went into this box, measuring, Visio designs, mock ups.  Whew!

I have to say, if you have a MXZ, build yourself a sealed enclosure!  All I can say is it turned a sub that was probably a 2 on a 10 scale into I'd have to say a solid 7.  It hits exponentially harder now.  The bass is much more tight.  Very pleased with the results.  Now, don't ask me how much money I spent on the box ... 

Big shout out to my two 14 year old sons for helping for a change!  Also, an even bigger shout out to my good friend, fellow 'Bu owner, and Crew member Brent Wall, I wouldn't have gotten through either without his help!

3 pictures attached.

Happy surfing this year folks!

Jesse

[MLA]

You will be happy to know that the 2016 MXZ now has an actual enclosure. I'll give Malibu an A for effort on it. Only found a couple of small leaks that were easily sealed. The internal volume was right about 1.0. They use an actual terminal cap and it was glued and screwed in, rather than just a drilled hole with the wire fed through.