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I was pressure testing my muffler after epoxying the separated seam at the base. The seam part seems to be holding up ok. However, there are some leaks from a couple of the corner holes. For some reason I have two holes per corner, but only one screw in each corner securing the muffler to the plywood base. I plan on filling all the holes with unthickened epoxy and re-drill smaller hole through the filled area to prevent future leaks. Is there any great advantage to screwing the muffler down, or would a beefy tie-down strap that goes under the plywood and then comes back over the top of the muffler do the job? I don't sail hard or plan on crazy heel angles so the muffler should stay put. What do you guys think?

What part of the sink hose could you not get off?  All I had to do was remove the two hose clamps below the white blob thingies, nothing more was needed for access to the muffler (in my case for replacement but what I recommended for removal, too).  Am I missing something?

I undid the hose clamp on the sink hose, but despite all tugging and yanking the hose did not come off the faucet barb (is that what you are calling the "white blob thingy"?). Maybe I suck at getting hoses off, but this dissuaded me from exploring that route any further. I think I mentioned the large glass-bowl fuel filter that is also mounted under the sink. I suspect it will block the muffler coming out that route as well even if I manage to get the sink hoses off. There are very few one-size-fits-all solutions in these boats.

Stu,
I did try the sink route but couldn't even get the sink hoses off. After spending considerable time trying to do laparoscopic surgery through the head sink door,  this was the path of least resistance for me. I guess I will reevaluate the options when the time comes to put the muffler back.

Muffler is finally out. It felt like midwifing a Great Dane puppy out of a Dachshund, but it did come out the aft berth after executing a 90 degree clockwise turn. The muffler bottom seam on the port and aft sides is clearly separated. The starboard and fore sides are intact. The inlet/outlet tubes on top don't appear too bad. Plywood base seems reasonably solid. My question is, what is the best way to fix this separation? I have some marine-tex, JB Weld, two-syringe marine epoxy sold in hardware stores, old West System 105 epoxy/206 hardener (both over 10 years old),  some fiberglass cloth. Also, a tube of six ten thickened epoxy (that can be applied with a caulk gun). I am open to whatever gets the job done. I looked through this forum, most of the discussion seems to be about the inlet/outlet tubes. One guy in Australia posted about fixing a hairline crack in the bottom. Would appreciate hearing from anyone who has done the seam repair.
Junaid

It looks like a lot of work to get it out from the head sink compared to disconnecting one PSS vent tube and then easing it out from the aft cabin. I have a large Dahl fuel filter mounted under the sink as well as a snakes' nest of hoses and through-hulls under the sink. Seems like there are two schools of thought on the muffler extraction. The link below with pics is the aft cabin method. I think Ron also got it out through the aft cabin ?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/catalina34enthusiasts/permalink/1276666863111769/

Junaid

In the ongoing saga of the exhaust system, I have disconnected all the hoses/screws and am ready to pull the muffler out of the aft berth. Unfortunately, it is a tight fit due to the bladder water tank and the hose from the PSS shaft seal vent tube. Is it OK to disconnect the PSS vent tube temporarily to get the muffler out , or will it start gushing sea water into the boat?

Centek makes nice fiberglass adapters. 

I don't know the particulars of a C34, but if I recall correctly from Bill's project wouldn't there be a height limitation?

Wouldn't getting an adapter plus the injection wye plus hump hose to fit be an issue?

Is it a Centek brand waterlift?

It's Aqualift brand. The inlet is on the side so hopefully there would be enough room to connect the inlet to the water injection Y. Not sure about the outlet clearance on the top .

There is a new aqualift top-out, side-in cylindrical muffler for sale near me for cheap. It is 2" vs 1-5/8" hose dia, and the height is 11", diameter is 10".  The volume of this muffler is about the same as the old rectangular muffler (12"x12"x6.75") and somewhat less than the volume of the new CD cylindrical  muffler (14" dia, 7.5" high, $900).  Can I just replace the old rectangular top-in, top-out with this guy and use some kind of step-down fitting on the hoses?

Jun : You own the leaking muffler, I'd try to patch it before buying a new one!!

I am definitely in favor of repairing the one I have. Getting that thing out from under the sink is going to be tough...

I "fixed" mine 2x (seam) before replacing it with a stainless can muffler.

Where did you find the stainless can muffler? Thanks.

After putting in the new exhaust riser I have run into a new issue. The muffler appears to be leaking from the bottom.  While replacing the old inlet hose with the hump hose, I noticed the muffler seemed full of water all the way to the top of inlet hose barb.  However, after starting the engine I noticed no water out of exhaust and a ton of water/exhaust coming from under the muffler. It is possible that the guy helping put the hump hose put so much force that he damaged the muffler.

Is it possible to rebuild this muffler should I start shopping for a replacement? Can one just connect the inlet and outlet hoses together and just bypass the muffler? Maybe put a valve or a rise in the junction to prevent backflow into engine?

Video of the current situation. Notice the new orange hump hose with gorilla tape padding for clamps. The Westerbeke water injection nipple is also visible. https://youtube.com/shorts/E_RPegUhlkY?si=dlSuN-VMDn5m-X-j

Leak appears to be coming from the aft side of muffler. https://youtube.com/shorts/hhm_ImLz6BY?si=pUoLya4ZAzleliVL

Guys : I went to Noah's site and saw the price of a stainless riser and almost fainted!!  Inflation  WOW!!!

Yeah, $600 for a stainless pipe is too rich for my taste. Compared to $60 for black iron at the plumbing store. The original lasted 40 years.

What kind of thread sealant (if any) should I put on the various joints of nipples/elbows in the exhaust riser? Highest temp thread sealants seem to go to 400F. Over at the Moyer Marine forum there is some discussion that suggests that black iron will eventually rust and seal without any pipe dope.

I ordered the water nipple from Westerbeke, it doesn't appear to be stainless steel, but hopefully more resistant to corrosion than the black iron tee I was thinking of using. The exhaust flange gaskets are also available at Westerbeke. Part #: 298600 https://www.westerbeke.com/Product/GASKET/298600

Stu,

Thanks for the diagram and pic, I saw this hump hose on Amazon, seems like it would work? https://a.co/d/7yyALPo or https://www.ebay.com/itm/175392097964

Also that crinkly alum-silica heat shield, what is a good place to get that? Or can I just double wrap the upper section with the heat wrap?

Junaid