Hump Hose Installation

[RV61]

I have ordered the new hump hose and have searched have found most of the info I was looking for . What a great site. The old hose as Ron puts it is a bear to remove and I would like some helpful has to how others have removed the old hose,  what  specific tools and procedures were used as I am somewhat mechanically challanged however have been learning again thanks to this site.   Could use some help full tips on how to remove the aqua lift as it may need to replaced or do the Stu repair once I get the hoses off.   I think this is the last of the leaks into the bilge.
Thanks

[Jim Fitch]

Hi Rick -

I just pulled the riser out to do the same replacement.  I cut the hose in half with a small saw, a hack saw would work well.  The bottom part seemed to come off the muffler pretty easy, turn it first to loosen it while you lift.  The top of the hose was pretty well fixed to the riser but since I had the riser out it was easy to attach with wire cutters to snip each turn of the wire.  I think I cut into the rubber first to expose the wire.  Then after snipping the wire turns I tore the rest off with pliers.

I beefed up the muffler in place with a 2 oz Marine-Tex kit from West Marine.  It was easy to mix right in the little bottle.  You need to clean the input with a solvent and rough it up with 60 grit sand paper.  I used a flexible shaft on the Dremel to do as much of the roughing up as I could, then sanded by hand.  It could all have been done by hand though.  I just spread the mixed Marine-Tek around the muffler inlet with rubber gloves and kept a clip on light on it for a couple of days to keep it warm to cure.  The stuff is like a loose putty and was pretty easy to work with.  I'll mess with the wet exhaust hose side another year but the input side looks a lot stronger now.

Getting the riser flange off the exhaust header was the big part of the job and a much longer story.

For anyone interested, Catalina uses Armite LP250 on the riser threads to mate it to the exhaust flange.  MacMaster-Carr #1280K1 for a 2 3/4 oz tube $7.13, phone (562)692-5911.  That foil insulation on the riser is Catalina part number 50044, it comes in a 14"x20" blanket and is $38.  There wasn't much left of the old foil on my riser, it kind of fell apart.

Fortunately my riser was stainless and seems to be in good shape.  The flange however, was seized to the riser and the same for the bottom stud and bolt.  I had to grind all them apart, hard to do laying on your back in the bilge behind the engine.  The Dremel flexible shaft was the only grinder I could work into the area and I broke a lot of cutoff wheels before I got through the nut/stud.  I did spray PB Blaster a few days before but it was hopelessly seized.

Jim Fitch
Sunshine
#1103

[Ron Hill]

Rick : Jim is correct, the only way to get the old inlet hose off of the muffler (while the muffler is in place) is to cut thru it with a hack saw.  Reason - That hose is (heavy) wire reinforced.  You might have to make 2 cuts and take out a "Donut slice" so you don't stress the inlet pipe of the muffler.  

As far as removing the muffler out of its mounted location - I wrote a Mainsheet article about that very topic.  It will come out thru the opening (after the door frame is removed) under the head sink.  The problem is all of the BLACK, SOOTY liquid that may come out of that muffler!!  You can try to use duck tape and seal off the in/out pipes, because you'll have to turn the muffler on it's side.  You'll have to take off the sink water lines to make room to get it in and/or out.  Not a difficult task.

If I had to patch my old muffler, think I'd use use mat and glass to best adherer to the existing fiberglass muffler.  

[RV61]

Thanks everybody,
The info helped and even this mechanically challenged sailor was able to complete the job in less than a couple hours.