i dont know the answer to this but i can say that if you call kicker you will get more info then you could ever want. they helped me through my entire install and answered all of my questions with full detail. they even called me back one day just to see how it was going. i was shocked at the level of service i got.
no it's not, yes it can be used for the cutout, used it for my cutout, and did not use the splat on the install. Just make sure that you use a nice thick, strong baffle and some long azz screws!