A GLORIUS DAY!!!! (AAAWWW F*CK Part 3)

Well the day is finally here, the jet boat repair saga has a happy ending!!!!!!!!!

My last post listed some new hurdles that I had encountered while servicing this 21 foot jet boat with the 351 Windsor powered Kodiak jet pump. The manifolds had freeze cracked and the power valve had gone bad in the Holley carb that was on this boat. I sent the carb to a buddy of mine that is really good with them, I rebuild carbs ALL THE TIME but, I don't do Holleys!!! I bought a new set of OSCO brand exhaust manifolds to replace the bad ones, they aren't an exact fit but they will work with a little modification!!

I got the new manifolds painted, installed, plumbed, and the exhaust hose modified.
The carburetor came back from my buddies house, we put in on, backed the boat into the water and fired her up.
SHE RAN ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!!!!!!!
We barely had to adjust the carb and that is really rare on a Holley!!!!
I ran the boat for about 20 min, and took her up to full power while on the trailer to make sure the secondaries were opening up all the way and by how fast the gas gauge went down they were!!! wink: wink: wink:
Actually this jet boat ran absolutely great!!! I am sure that Coach won't have any more trouble getting out on the water!!!!

For those of you who have older Kodiak Jet packages in your boat I have posted some pictures to show how I made the new OSCO after market manifolds work.

As you can see the "Kodiak" manifolds turn straight down (90 deg)in the back to connect with the exhaust hoses.
The OSCO manifolds are available in either a 10 degree down angle or a 30 degree down angle. I opted for the 30 degree and then bought a 3 inch (60 deg.) 1/6th bend cast iron "Soil" pipe elbow from the local plumbing supply.
The 3" soil pipe elbow has an O.D. of 3 & 3/8" and since we are using 3.5" exhaust hose it was close enough that the clamps squeezed the hose down tight!!!
I checked to see if a 3.5" elbow was available from OSCO or BARR Marine but they do not make an elbow in the 3.5 inch size so, this was my best option and since they were way, way cheaper than if the were "Marine" it turned out to be a good one!!
I used new "Soft wall" marine exhaust hose instead of the original "Wire Wound" because it was much easier to work with and has a thicker wall thickness.
I also replaced the 1/8th inch pipe and valves used for manifold drains with new 1/2 inch PVC drains to allow for better flow and since they are all plastic they will never rust or corrode. The 1/8 inch drains were the reason that the manifolds cracked in the first place. The tiny little drains got plugged with sand and did not allow the water to drain from the manifold and then came the freezing weather, CRACK, end of story. I considered the durability of the PVC and decided that since they were located in between the manifold and the exhaust hose they would be well protected and in no real danger of physical damage and since the manifolds only reach 160 deg F. they do not get hot enough to damage the PVC fittings.

He should be one happy boater...

looks like a good job, i went thru the same thing in my last boat with a kodiac 350 in it, the 1/8" drain plugs would always plug up and you had to stick a wire in them to clear them, it was a pain in the ass.