Aqua Lift muffler

Jan 19, 2010
1,169
Catalina 34 Casco Bay
Well I knew last summer that there was a problem with the muffler. Soot water was collecting in the bilge. Retreating to the head to view the muffler, sooty water was indeed observed to be flowing over the top and down the sides. Went to Catalina Direct to order a new one.
While my mechanic was removing the transmission for a rebuild, he was asked to remove the muffler. The intake nipple was nearly crushed shut and had developed a taper. But the rest of the box is ok. Called CD to see what the story was with the muffler that was ordered on August 22nd. They are waiting for production to begin. It appears that Catalina actually makes them. My mechanic said, save your money, I can rebuild this..
Cause: At first it was thought that the clamps were cranked down by King Kong.. Now what is believed is during the summer the raw water pump was failing. Several times it would start pumping and then lose prime. The engine would start to overheat and the by-product was that uncooled exhaust was hitting that nipple.
So, the C-34 community... should you encounter engine overheating accompanied by a loss of raw water flow, pay close attention to the muffler ...