Better wood for boat subwoofer enclosures

[philwsailz]

I have been reading the threads below, and have to add something here.

MDF is not a #1 choice for building sub boxes for boats.

MDF is awesome sonically, in a home, in a quiet living room, in a full range speaker....It has no place in a boat in my opinion.

If you can find it, try to work with 13-ply 3/4" plywood instead. It is tougher, and stronger, it does not move with humidity changes, does not crumble, and does not mind getting wet most of the time.

13-ply is the key; it is usually void-free, and is glued with a two-part epoxy as oppoesd to animal hide glue. Many of the 13-ply plywoods are suitable for home hobbyist boat building.

The fact that it is SO dimensionally stable will allow a better adhesion of any coating you put on it, and it will stay sealed longer, with better results.


MDF got a home in speaker building due to its relative ease of cutting, cost, and acoustic properties for full-range enclosure manufacturing.

FYI...

[Fast1911]

don't they have marine grade plywood in 13-ply? that should be more water resistant than regular plywood...

[philwsailz]

don't they have marine grade plywood in 13-ply? that should be more water resistant than regular plywood...

yes, many times you will find what I am describing sold as marine-grade.

The real stuff will have a stamp on it, or a marking of "BS-1088" which is the real deal for sure stuff, but it is pricey, and hard to find. It is an even better material for lots of stuff, but probably over-kill for a sub enclosure...

[Timmy!]

What's cabinet grade plywood (birch, oak, etc)? Is it 13 ply? I remember when I was 16 I built my first speaker box out of some oak plywood and the box sounded pretty darned good!

[philwsailz]

What's cabinet grade plywood (birch, oak, etc)? Is it 13 ply? I remember when I was 16 I built my first speaker box out of some oak plywood and the box sounded pretty darned good!

I think much of it is...

The stuff to stay away from is normal sheathing oplywood, AC, CD, etc... That stuff has lot of little football-shaped cutouts in it.. Some are in the middle too, the layers are not smooth, and not glued well lots of times, and will buzz

[lee]

What about HDPE for a sub box?

[philwsailz]

What about HDPE for a sub box?

If you can figure out a good glue, that will work great!

[Timmy!]

FYI - I had some "cabinet" grade birch plywood in my garage from another project and checked and it is 13 ply. I paid ~$40 a sheet for it just in case anyone is interested.