Speaker boxes for a boat

[David Ragan]

A friend of mine asked me to make him a couple of small boxes for speakers on his boat.

We are in Georgia.

I have some what I think is teak.

But, as long as there is no direct exposure to water (fresh water only), what would be the best finish?

[Matt Day]

If there's no exposure to water, finish them however you'd like.

But if you want to really get into speaker building, mdf and veneer is pretty much the standard. There are a number of forums dedicated to Speaker building, lots and lots to learn.

[David Ragan]

This will be a KISS project.

Not really interested in the esoterics of speaker enclosure/sound wave propogation on a boat.

No problem using regular wood, that's what I'll do.

[Bob Grier]

If the speakers are inside and not exposed to moisture such as spray, rain, fog, or extended bouts of high humidity, and the inside cabin is slightly heated in winter or dehumidified in summer to keep humidity from condensing on the surface during storage, then a good marine plywood with veneer will work. If wood is outside and exposed to the elements such as sun, wind, and water, then solid wood such as teak would be good. It is difficult to maintain wood on the outside of a boat. The easiest finish to maintain is oil finish such as a Dalys Teak Oil but there are other oils. A varnish is more durable but harder to maintain and needs to be sanded when refinishing. They both need to be maintained but oil is more often and easier. Solid wood gives thickness for sanding, refinishing and maintaining. An alternative with woods similar to teak is no finish and let it go grey. If you try to maintain a finished look, invariably there comes a time when stain needs to be removed by sanding. This is where the thin veneer finish is problematic. It can only be done once or twice if you are lucky. If poor grade of plywood is used then delamination may happen. Inside the cabin there should be very little exposure to water and very little water staining so plywood veneer should be ok. There will be lots of change in humidity so expansion and contraction is big on solid wood.

[scott spencer]

Teak should hold up well, but I'd wince using such nice wood for a marine application, unless it's a beautiful boat and the speakers are visible. Marine plywood would easier to swallow and equally effective.

[Peter Aeschliman]

I know you said you don't want to be picky or anything. But solid wood might be a problem in such an application because you're going to have big humidity swings, so you'll need to account for wood movement. It's going to be tough to have both a sealed speaker AND design it so that two of the panels can float for expansion and contraction.

Are you set on using solid wood? I would do MDF, veneer, and a layer of fiberglass like the canoe builders do... like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsupx-IXOzU

And make sure to coat the inside of the MDF with resin to seal it, because MDF doesn't like moisture.

[Ken Krawford]

I did exactly what you're getting ready to do. I made my enclosures out of some scrap mahogany that I had laying around. Finished with WB poly. That was 10 yrs ago and they still look great today.

[David Ragan]

I did exactly what you're getting ready to do. I made my enclosures out of some scrap mahogany that I had laying around. Finished with WB poly. That was 10 yrs ago and they still look great today.

WB is Water Based?

I have some teak around, but will need to resaw and glue, etc. What type of glue will be best?

[Ken Krawford]

Yes, WB = water based. When using teak, make sure you clean any surfaces that will be glued with acetone first. Teak tends to be a bit oily and many glues will not adhere properly if not cleaned first. In this type of environment I'd recommend Tite Bond 3 glue available at any big box DIY center.

[David Ragan]

My friend who is a wood whisperer said use white oak as a choice, among others. Great idea considering he has alreafy guven me a lot of it- and for ages it was/is used to make casks-it has tyloses in pores thst prevejt water seepage. I asked him about rough surface (boat owner insists on painting) He said one option to fill pores for smooth surface is........Bondo(!). I thot kinda thick, right? He then goes-cut the Bondo w acetone. So-im good w that. Will knock out tjis wkd

[Mike Heidrick]

rhino liner

[David Ragan]

rhino liner

Explain? ....

[Max Neu]

I would use XTERRA, it's exterior grade MDF.That stuff is not affected by the outside elements.

[Max Neu]

Actually I think its spelled Extira, or atleast that's closer than my first post.

[Mel Fulks]

I've had good luck with XTERRA,too. Just made some cornice end caps with it.