cracked or leaking?
Denny, My aqua lift muffler cracked on my 1990 C28 last season. The main box was ok, but the intake nipple cracked at the base from the vibration (I assume) and cracked completely off when I attempted to get the hose off (it's a tight fit). Whatever the problem, it needs to get fixed as when you see soot you can assume toxic exaust is escaping into your head rather than out the stern pipe! Since I had the entire intake nipple in my hand (about 3") and it was still pretty round, I sanded down around the hole in the aqualift muffler and lightly roughed the surface of the intake nipple and glassed the nipple back onto the aqualift. I used 4 layers (to be safe) of repair glass and west spoxy. The glass was 3" wide so I have about 1.5" inches on the muffler and then the same folded up around the nipple. This repair held fine for the last 3 months of last season and still appears solid. If the lift and/or nipple is not cracked at all, try to get the hose off the aqualift and the exaust riser (about a 6-8" section) and replace it. When replacing it, make sure the double clamps on both ends are tight. Also make sure that the aqualift intake nipple is as round as you can get it. A problem that causes leaks there is that the exaust and water is being shoved down into the muffler at that point and if the nipple is not round, the hose doesn't seal properly and a dozen hose clamps won't keep it from leaking. Good Luck! Mike Elmore Windward Hull C28 - Hull #7
