[C320-list] water lift muffler

[Greg Flanagan]

Excellent ideas, similar to my thinking with the rubber gasket. The factory should have put some sort of vibration isolation system/material between the muffler bottom and the hull.

Thanks,

Greg
Hoop Dancer #1076
Sidney, BC

> On Sep 19, 2021, at 11:13 AM, John Frost <johncfrost at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Lou
> 
> The underside was flat fiberglass. I put a rubber mat between the hull and
> the new muffler to absorb vibration. I didn't use any gaskets.
> I don't have a picture of the strap. I have a roll of nylon webbing
> something like seatbelt material. I folded a tab on one end and screwed it
> to the hull using a big washer. I then ran the belt over the muffler and
> did the same to the other.
> I did this because all of the failures that I read about happened at the
> mounting screw holes. Either they are too close to the inside of the muffler
> or they create a stress point for vibration.
> 
> By the way, I wasn't sure I would get my new muffler in time for a trip so I
> "repaired" my old one by putting epoxy on the outside of the crack and
> heavily spraying inside the muffler with the black sealant material sold to
> patch gutters and things. I tried to form a rubber bladder inside the old
> muffler. I never had to test it, but you might give that a try
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> John C. Frost
> President
> Safety Technology Services, INC.
> 2627 Trailway Rd. SE
> Huntsville, AL 35801
> (256) 650-0335
> john at frostnet.net 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: C320-list <c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com> On Behalf Of Louis
> Spitz
> Sent: Sunday, September 19, 2021 12:41 PM
> To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] water lift muffler
> 
> John, Do you recall what the underside of the muffler looked like? What
> gasket did you use? Could you send me a poicture of the anti-vibration
> strap?
> Thanks so much.
> Lou
> 
> > On Sep 19, 2021, at 10:47 AM, John Frost <johncfrost at gmail.com> wrote:
> > 
> > That is a common failure for 320's. The fiberglass muffler develops 
> > cracks because of loads and vibration. A mechanic in Chattanooga gave 
> > me a temporary fix by grinding out the crack and filling it with 
> > epoxy. That got me home. Catalina will make you a replacement but 
> > requires a number of specific measurements and significant lead time. 
> > You can also buy similar mufflers from other suppliers. The volume of 
> > the muffler is important so that it doesn't fill during starting and 
> > cause engine damage. When I replaced mine, I used a strap to hold it 
> > down to minimize vibration stresses. Others have also added flex hose 
> > on the inlet side to reduce stress
> > 
> > John
> > 2009 C320MKII
> > Hull #1118
> > Lake Guntersville, AL
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: C320-list <c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com> On Behalf Of 
> > Louis Spitz
> > Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2021 8:12 PM
> > To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
> > Subject: [C320-list] water lift mufflerl
> > 
> > I panicked when I saw water above the floorboards.Turns out after all 
> > the panicking, checking thru hulls, etc., that the culprit was the 
> > water lift muffler. Water was gushing from around the entire base. 
> > With the engine off and all thru hulls closed, the water stopped 
> > flooding. Now, how do I fix this thing? Any advice appreciated!!
> > Thanks.
> > Lou Spitz
> > #195, 1995 C320
> > 
> > 
> 
>