I have a similar setup. I have a 21' center console Scout w/ a step down cabin w/ portable toilet and I keep all of our life preservers, tackle boxes, etc in that little cabin. In my boat, when you step into the little cabin, on the bottom right side is a pretty decent sized access panel for getting underneath the driver's console. We stuck an 8" marine tube inside of that access panel basically locating it UNDER the floor where I am standing to drive the boat. So, basically, it is DOUBLE buried on my boat and takes up no useable space. And, you definitely know it is there. My guess is you would actually get as good or better sound with a similar installation on your boat as you would hanging the tube "free air" on the side of your console. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of the install, but hopefully what I described will be helpful to you. I would definitely experiement with burying the tube in your console somewhere before embarking on alot of custom installation....you might be surprised!
