Ok. I am finally getting around to building myself a new sub box and redo'ing my stereo. Anything I should know before I start? I'm going to be using 3/4" MDF and plan on putting resin on the box to waterproof it. Any recommendations on the easiest way to carpet the box once complete? Are you guys caulking the seals also? Any info would be great for a sub box building virgin .... Thanks!

I'm by no means an experienced box builder, but I built mine and am very pleased. Most recommend doubling the side that the sub mounts to, so instead of 3/4", it's 1.5". Wood glue on all joints then silicon caulk along interior seams will do just fine. As far as carpeting, crutchfield has a nice writeup on building a box and they say it's best to have two opposing sides of the box about 1/2" inset to make carpeting easier. Because of how my box sits under the pilots console, I left the bottom and top uncarpeted and nobody knows the difference.

Oh yea, I was going to go with 1" on the side that the sub mounts to. Should I go thicker?

When he says double thickness, he just means to use two layers of the 3/4" MDF. It would suck to have to buy another whole sheet of a different thickness only to make one side with it.

Carpet... Go to your local upholstery shop and buy spray adhesive. spray both the box and the back of the carpet and wait.... Wait until you can touch it without it sticking to your hand. About 8-10min. fold the carpet over the sides and staple it. if the staples don't go in all the way use a hammer to gently tap them flush.

Any idea on the type of screws (or size) I should use to secure the double thickness?

3/4 Medex (Sub) <BR>5/8 Medex (Speakers) <BR>1 1/2 Stainless screws <BR>Construction Adhesive <BR> <BR>I used Medex. It's water resistant MDF. <BR> <BR>If you want to question its ability to resist water I have a few bare pieces that have been in direct exposure to the elements for a year. They look a little dirt but structurally are sound as new. <BR> <BR>I would waste your time with the double face unless you’re building a huge box with multiple speakers in the face. <BR> <BR>Pre drill a few holes <BR> <BR>Glue the seams. <BR> <BR>Place a few screws <BR> <BR>Pre drill and screw in the remaining screws. <BR> <BR>I then added a little polyurathane to and a coat of paint. Mines deep under the bow. No need for carpet. <BR> <BR>For the side speakers I did the same but carpeted. <BR> <BR>I got pics somewhere if you need them. <BR> <BR>I’m not an Audiophile but everyone that gets in the boat says it F'n rocks. <BR> <BR>Derby out!!! <BR>

Ronia, what sub/size are you using? And what kind of power are you going to put to it? If its just a regular 10 or 12 in a small sealed box with a couple hundred watts then I would have to agree with Derby that doubling up on 3/4 or using 1" isnt really necessary. If its an IDMAX 12 with 1k watts in a 3 ft^3 ported box then its a different story. <BR> <BR>I will add that its a good idea to use t-nuts for mounting the sub in MDF. <BR><a href="http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&amp;DID=7&amp;Partnumber=081-1070" target="_blank">http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&amp;DID=7&amp;Partnumber=081-1070</a> <BR> <BR>And, the screws only hold the box together while the glue dries. No need to go crazy, just some 1.5" wood screws.

Just a 10inch sub in a small sealed box (14x14). <BR>Nothing huge. Good to know, I won't double up the face.

Derby, <BR>pics would be great if you got! Thanks.

Here are some pics of the box I built for my car. Nothing special. It holds a single 12. <BR> <BR><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v127/rj3series/stereo/110_1097.jpg" target="_blank">http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v127/rj3series/stereo/110_1097.jpg</a> <BR><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v127/rj3series/stereo/110_1098.jpg" target="_blank">http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v127/rj3series/stereo/110_1098.jpg</a> <BR> <BR>You can see the t-nuts used to mount the sub. They can be purchased at Home Depot or Lowes as well. <BR> <BR>Here is the after of my carpeting job. The trick I used is to fold the carpet over itself and cut through all the layers. Pull the excess away and two remaining edges will line up (if that makes sense). <BR> <BR><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v127/rj3series/stereo/111_1111.jpg" target="_blank">http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v127/rj3series/stereo/111_1111.jpg</a>

Are those Cutco scissors? Those things rock! :-)

ronia you should check a couple of the car audio forums. these guys live and breath this kinda stuff. you can probably use the search function and find anything you need

Thanks Alan. I will do that.

One last question, I got my swing away tongue on my trailer painted and there is a lot of left over paint. Just wondering if I could use that paint to paint the sub box ....???? What do you think??

Ronnie, Thought you might like to see a couple photos on my Launch 21 box that holds a 12" sub<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/338213.jpg" alt="Upload"> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/338214.jpg" alt="Upload">

Dan, <BR>Is that in the storage compartment on the port side or under the driver's feet?

that is under the driver's feet, you cna tell by the curvature of the hull (outside wall) and the key "floaty" in the top left of the pic.

oh yea, .... duh! <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/uhoh.gif" border=0>

wow there is a lot of room back there!!

yeah, this is what my stereo shop does for all of my installs. It's a seperate trim plate with a grill on the front and the odd shaped box is resined to make it moisture proof. There is a ton of room back there, especially if you don't have a heater. I could have them built ready for you with trim panel for under $275+shipping. A do-it-yourselfer can do it much cheaper, for me I do 2 a week and pay for the speed and quality. Here's a better pic of the box out of the boat. <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/338365.jpg" alt="Upload">

Unfortunately my Launch has the angled step underneath the drivers feet so that wouldn't fit in my boat.