2025-01-30 Grounded, Again!

No matter how diligent I am with preventive and scheduled maintenance there are always unforeseen issues that arise from time to time.

My mechanic was in the process of replacing a section of exhaust hose that runs from the port engine to the muffler. It was a tight fit and he was struggling to get it in place. He decided to try connecting it to the muffler side first, and then to the engine side. When he tried to connect the new hose to the muffler, he noticed that the tube that sticks out of the muffler was all delaminated from the heat of the exhaust water.

This photo shows the muffler on the port side. That black tube sticking out is the area where fiberglass delamination was detected. The exhaust hose connects from there to the top of the engine. You probably can't tell from the photo, but as with almost all engine maintenance tasks you have to be a contortionist to even get your body up to the location of this muffler.

And of course, with a twin-engine boat you always have to consider the condition of the muffler on the starboard side as well.

This photo shows the muffler on the starboard side. We haven't taken that one apart yet to determine if it has delamination issues as well. It's a little bit easier to access than the one on the port side.

This discovery put an instant halt to the project to replace the exhaust hose. The muffler issue needs to be dealt with first. He said they looked like custom mufflers so he doubted that we could find replacements. He suggested having a fiberglass guy come down and cut that little piece off and fashion a new one.

So, that's the plan for now.

Parts will need to be ordered, and then we have to wait for them to arrive. Once they arrive the mechanic will work me into his already very busy schedule. The fiberglass guy and the mechanic will work together to make a new end for that muffler that hopefully makes it easier to install the new exhaust hose.

All of that means that I won't be going anywhere for the foreseeable future.