kicker l7s in a boat

[95snake 10+ year member]

I was thinking of putting 2 12in kicker l7's in my boat. under each dashboard. I was wondering if i could mount these subs in the plywood under the dash. and used the storage compartments under the front seats of the boat as the enclosure?//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif . Its probably about 8 or 9 cubic feet big in the compartments and has a few holes to drain water, so it isnt air tight. If i put about 1000 watts to each speaker, would this work ok?

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[tommyk90 5,000+ posts]

Well, first off, it's gotta be sealed so if water hits it you won't screw your shit up. Second, use 3/4" MDF, not plywood. I have seen an install with some subs on a boat, but the guy didn't do a sealed box, he did a somewhat bandpass idea so the sub wouldn't be exposed to water splashing on it. And do you realize how big 8 cubic feet is? That is a huge area, and way too much for L7's.

 

[swimfreak26 10+ year member]

to me it sounds like if it were to be airtight then it would work...but probably not with the holes in it.

With the holes, you are going to get sloppy sound I would think because the sub will see that the box is like a ported box, only tuned to an undesired frequency.

I think you could do it however, just because the tuning freq would be so high that your subs wouldn't play in that range, you will just notice a decrease in output.

All in all, it is possible, but you will not get the optimun performance out of those subs...you'd be better off just building a box within each compartment

 

[paikiah 5,000+ posts]

Yeah, I guess it's this kind of time that bandpass boxes are required. It won't sound too good, but then again, I dont' think you should be too concerned about imaging and SQ.

a 4th order bandpass (maybe with a rubber bung at the bottom in case water gets in). Still, I wouldn't waste an L7 in there. I'd get me some cheap crap and do it. I dont' think the salt water vapours are any good to the subs (I don't think rusty VC's are a good idea)

 

[95snake 10+ year member]

I was thinking the same thing along with building a box within the compartments but my dad thinks it will be alittle tough to get the boxes in.

Do most ppl use two channle amps with these things or buy 2 (1 channel) amps? What kind do they use too?

 

[95snake 10+ year member]

Sorry, its water tight, unless we put wet life jackets in there //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/nono.gif.eca61d170185779e0921b0faa9704973.gif . But The holes are in tiny notches in case water gets in, which will drain to the back of the boat along the floor.

 

[paikiah 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by 95snake I was thinking the same thing along with building a box within the compartments but my dad thinks it will be alittle tough to get the boxes in.

 

Do most ppl use two channle amps with these things or buy 2 (1 channel) amps? What kind do they use too?

to me, it don't matter, except for power draw (mono is D class, slightly less draw).

Having two terminal posts does not mean you gotta power them with two separate amps (that's another story). They can be used to accpet different power levels, what peope call impedence, measured in ohms.

if you dad is worried about MDF (it's gonna get wet, so it might weaken) learn how to fiberglass a box. It would be lighter, and waterproof. More layers=more strength. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[dave_3148 10+ year member]

Originally posted by 95snake I was thinking the same thing along with building a box within the compartments but my dad thinks it will be alittle tough to get the boxes in.

 

Do most ppl use two channle amps with these things or buy 2 (1 channel) amps? What kind do they use too?

you can hook up as many subs as you want to a one channel amp. you dont need 2 amps. here is a great boat install with 2 brahmas http://www.sounddomain.com/id/wkerat

 

[95snake 10+ year member]

We are definatly going to go with a box then. These things need to work right. They are expensive. Any suggestions on an amp to use with them?

 

[dave_3148 10+ year member]

Originally posted by 95snake We are definatly going to go with a box then. These things need to work right. They are expensive. Any suggestions on an amp to use with them?

how much are you going to spend?

i would go 2kw's total but it will kill your alt after a while

 

[tommyk90 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by dave_3148 you can hook up as many subs as you want to a one channel amp. you dont need 2 amps. here is a great boat install with 2 brahmas http://www.sounddomain.com/id/wkerat

That's the one i was looking for. Good work.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[95snake 10+ year member]

300-400?