[C320-list] Exhaust Riser Elbow & inward flange - Key West

[James Harkness]

Had a very similar problem a couple of seasons ago, only in our case the 
cracks were around the base of the muffler. I understand that the 
muffler is produced for Catalina under contract and while they were 
happy to supply a replacement the solution we went for eventually was to 
take the muffler box to a specialist fabricator locally. This was 
certainly faster and, as it turned out, much cheaper. Repair involved 
cutting off the entire base, which revealed the slightly alarming extent 
of weakness in the original, and rebuilding the box with a new lay-up. 
The much strengthened muffler has been back in the boat for two seasons 
now without any further problems

Ours is a '96 hull and at the time of the problem had around 650 hours 
on the engine (Westerbeke). Am interested in your current experience 
because I was fairly sure that the leaks developed because of engine 
vibration at low rpms. That short section of hose from the engine was, 
or had become, sufficiently rigid to transmit much of the vibrational 
stresses to the muffler box and I replaced this hose at the same time, 
with as flexible a substitute as I could find. As I say, so far no 
further problem!

Jim Harkness
Simia   # 303



A. R. Gates wrote:

>On the way to Key West 9 days ago, our flange/pipe leading into the muffler from the hose at the rear of the engine developed leaking cracks around most of the circumfrance where the flange joins the muffler box.  The bilge pump more than handled the leaking water so we made it fine.  I supose the cracks are from age/vibration.
>Before returning, I patched all around the flange with Marine Tex epoxy which held well during the return voyage to Naples in 6-7' seas, sustained 25 kph winds with gusts to 35!  The last nighttime 9 hours of that 21 hour leg were in that sort of weather but the boat did well with one reef in the main (if I'd known all that was coming I'd have put in 2 reefs before dark).
>Do those cracks mean it is time to order the replacement muffler from Catalina?
>
>Although our boat is a 1995 model it only has 320 hours on the engine, having spent its first 7 years in light use on fresh-water Lake Winnepausaki in NH.     I had the pleasure of meeting Joe Barrett in Naples where we ended up in a slip across from his -- he and his fit crew were winners in races that started a few hours after we arrived in the weather discribed above!   Rollie  #182
>
>-----Original Message-----
>  
>
>>From: Dave Anderer <danderer at udel.edu>
>>Sent: Apr 21, 2006 4:32 PM
>>To: C320-List <C320-List at catalina320.com>
>>Subject: Re: [C320-list] Exhaust Riser Elbow
>>
>>The surveyor told me my elbow was leaking and needed to be replaced (a 
>>99 boat with the Yanmar.)  Called Catalina Florida, and they did some 
>>research and told me it was a standard Yanmar part - call a Yanmar 
>>distributor.  'Course Florida was just starting to build 320s, so they 
>>may not have had their facts straight.
>>
>>I pulled the elbow and found there was nothing wrong with it, so I never 
>>pursued getting a new one.
>>
>>For what it is worth.
>>
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