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Fresh Air Exhaust (FAE)


Bradley Thornton

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So when I bought my boat it had the straight pipes out the back my buddy had the turn downs his was about 20% quieter. So I bought the turn downs. Been reading up on the FAE and decided I want the boat much quieter and so round 3 long story short will put it on every boat I own. The boat is 100% quieter. We were surfing and talking in a normal tone at the same time. The only problem I see now is that the XM9s seem louder in the boat when turned up so the wakeboarder can hear. No fumes at all they weren't bad before but now I have none. Install was like 40 min after getting the turn downs off now that took about 2 hours. If you have the stock rubber flap style or straight pipes it will take you like 40 min total. FYI buy the T bolt clamps I did but it is a must. Power loss I don't think so yes, I could hear the boat motor better and knew it was under a load but thats just my 2 cents. If you are thinking about it do it worth every penny. When the wife says it was worth the money and she never says that about the boat than it must be a good buy.

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I have a power wedge. Will the FAE work? Can you please post a pic when you get a chance.

Yes, I have the power wedge will get some pics today.

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You may see they shorted me a few Tbolts they will be in Tuesday.

Edited by Bradley Thornton
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I love my FAE system and still tweaking it a little bit to fit my needs. I'm looking at doing a back PSI test on the system with and with out the FAE. I have not seen any performance problems. The install was about 2 hours but could have cut it down if I didn't goof off.

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We now have a FAE for all Wedges. The Wedge operates normally. The trap door still allows access on some and is blocked on others. Yes the FAE is happy to see you; we have to extend so far to clear the Power Wedge but it works well.

I do not agree the T-bolt hose clamps are necessary. With the Manual and Power Wedges there can be NO tee rotation. We now install a locking pin so there is no rotation. Our standard hose clamps are heavy duty and American made and have worked very well for us. We have had boats that even with the T-bolt clamps there was rotation; thus we developed the locking pin.

I absolutely DO NOT think the T-Bolts are worth the expense; unless you just like the way they look. If anybody is having an issue with the Tee rotating they just need to contact us and I will tell them how to install locking pins.

Larry Mann

Fresh Air Exhaust

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I have mixed feelings for the FAE. Pro: It's super quiet and there's no exhaust. Seriously it does what it's advertised to do. Con: It's definitely effecting my surf wave making it washy out the middle and giving it a "ledge". One thing I've noticed is the PW version goes around the wedge where the manual wedge version goes over and "through" the wedge arms. See D-goose' pic. The problem I had was in order to get the FAE in an appropriate position so it didn't effect the wedge AND I was able to use the trap door for the wedge, made the FAE sit at a forward angle, almost driving the water up the edge of the exhaust (outside edges only) and into the swim platform.

Just my two cents, I'm not happy with how it's effected the boat performance but it does work so well for noise and exhaust that I'm struggling to make the call on taking it off.

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Larry,

Why don't you run the FAE around the manual wedge in the same way you do the power wedge? It would have solved my problem for sure?

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We now have a FAE for all Wedges. The Wedge operates normally. The trap door still allows access on some and is blocked on others. Yes the FAE is happy to see you; we have to extend so far to clear the Power Wedge but it works well.

I do not agree the T-bolt hose clamps are necessary. With the Manual and Power Wedges there can be NO tee rotation. We now install a locking pin so there is no rotation. Our standard hose clamps are heavy duty and American made and have worked very well for us. We have had boats that even with the T-bolt clamps there was rotation; thus we developed the locking pin.

I absolutely DO NOT think the T-Bolts are worth the expense; unless you just like the way they look. If anybody is having an issue with the Tee rotating they just need to contact us and I will tell them how to install locking pins.

Larry Mann

Fresh Air Exhaust

He would know more than me about the Tbolt but it sure looks better and I have piece of mind. I did read you needed them on an old topic but they may have fixed the problem and it sounds like that is what he is saying.

I have mixed feelings for the FAE. Pro: It's super quiet and there's no exhaust. Seriously it does what it's advertised to do. Con: It's definitely effecting my surf wave making it washy out the middle and giving it a "ledge". One thing I've noticed is the PW version goes around the wedge where the manual wedge version goes over and "through" the wedge arms. See D-goose' pic. The problem I had was in order to get the FAE in an appropriate position so it didn't effect the wedge AND I was able to use the trap door for the wedge, made the FAE sit at a forward angle, almost driving the water up the edge of the exhaust (outside edges only) and into the swim platform.

Just my two cents, I'm not happy with how it's effected the boat performance but it does work so well for noise and exhaust that I'm struggling to make the call on taking it off.

I will say on my style I have the sprinkle but it is just that a and doesn't effect the wave at all surfing or wake boarding. FYI a friend has a 2013 VLX with the FAE and it doesn't effect his wave at all. Look when I say sprinkle it isn't even worth talking about it is just that small. But both of ours comes out past the wedge.

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I hear you guys, mine definitely deserves mention though.

As for the T-bolts, I personally think they're necessary. I also managed to break 6. Yes 6 SS T-clamps (at ~$7/pc). This was before I knew about the lock pin (read, flat head screw) that is supposed to go under the clamps as those instructions were never received, so it was impossible to keep it from moving. I spent way to much time trying to get this setup and I'm still on the fence as to how satisfied I am with it.

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I hear you guys, mine definitely deserves mention though.

As for the T-bolts, I personally think they're necessary. I also managed to break 6. Yes 6 SS T-clamps (at ~$7/pc). This was before I knew about the lock pin (read, flat head screw) that is supposed to go under the clamps as those instructions were never received, so it was impossible to keep it from moving. I spent way to much time trying to get this setup and I'm still on the fence as to how satisfied I am with it.

From my post on the FAE from over the winter:

Now maybe that's because of my own shadetree mechanic install skills (which I'm not claiming are great by any means)? But that brings up another point... the kit Larry gives you is pretty rudimentary and will require quite a bit of custom fab/Macguyvering on your end to get to work. I remember spreading out all the parts and thinking "really?" Make sure you have a hacksaw and some really good drill bits on hand. Access to a hardware store with good stainless steel stuff would be good too. I know some people can get the FAE set up with the worm drive hose clamps Larry ships with, but I would VERY strongly recommend not even messing with those and going straight for some high quality "t-bar" hose clamps that you can really crank down on.

The install is a bit trial and error... which sucks if you end up in an "error" phase for a day on the water. Dunno about you guys, but summer seems to go way too fast to spend a valuable day on the water fiddlin' and tinkerin'. If I lived on the water and could mess with / test the install adjustments after work I'd probably have a different opinion. We trailer at least an hour each way to the water, so a "fail" can ruin the whole day. This is absolutely positively NOT something you want to install right before a big trip to shasta or powell or something. Do it on a "throw away" couple of days on the water, where pulling the boat to mess with the FAE is part of the plan.

Edited by shawndoggy
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Shawn, I had that post in the back of my head the whole time I was doing it. I kept thinking it was SG that was driving me nuts, but than I stepped back and realized that took a day, maybe 2 once the parts were in, the exhaust was never ending.

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The first thing I think most of us can agree on is this.

  • Larry will talk with you as much as needed to have FAE working on your boat.
  • Noise level drops drastily.
  • CO2 smell is gone while under way.

Some problem area's that I have seen.

  • Like TN my FAE points forward and causing spray up into the deck.
  • Wakeboarding, the center wash has a few more bubbles, but not affecting my riding. Just observation.
  • Surfing, it is causing some washout on the lip and sure it's from the angle of the pipe. Should have a fix soon.
  • I can still use the trap door with the position of the bracket but then again I still need to get wet because the wedge is sticky and needs to be wiggled.

For me the pro's out weight the con's. Heck I don't like lowering my tower each time I put into the garage but I do it.

Why are you using the T handle clamps? To stop rotation? If so, then just put a screw through the rubber into the pipe on both sides of the center T section. On some you can drill a hole through both pipes (that slide into each other) and stop rotation that way. I have to remove my FAE to store the boat in the garage and have had no problems with the clamps provided.

Power loss, I can not see any performance or power problems with the boat at this time. I will be up at 4K feet this coming weekend and will report back. I do plan on doing a back pressure test one of these days. Just need to do it with and with out the FAE.

One thing we maybe forgetting is each FAE system is custom for each boat as the exhaust pipes, wedge and swim deck are not in the exact same place on all boats or within the same model.

I have mixed feelings for the FAE. Pro: It's super quiet and there's no exhaust. Seriously it does what it's advertised to do. Con: It's definitely effecting my surf wave making it washy out the middle and giving it a "ledge". One thing I've noticed is the PW version goes around the wedge where the manual wedge version goes over and "through" the wedge arms. See D-goose' pic. The problem I had was in order to get the FAE in an appropriate position so it didn't effect the wedge AND I was able to use the trap door for the wedge, made the FAE sit at a forward angle, almost driving the water up the edge of the exhaust (outside edges only) and into the swim platform.

Just my two cents, I'm not happy with how it's effected the boat performance but it does work so well for noise and exhaust that I'm struggling to make the call on taking it off.

Larry,

Why don't you run the FAE around the manual wedge in the same way you do the power wedge? It would have solved my problem for sure?

I think one of the resons why is because the power wedge has a place for a bracket to be mounted over the wedge plate.

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The first thing I think most of us can agree on is this.

  • Larry will talk with you as much as needed to have FAE working on your boat.
  • Noise level drops drastily.
  • CO2 smell is gone while under way.

Some problem area's that I have seen.

  • Like TN my FAE points forward and causing spray up into the deck.
  • Wakeboarding, the center wash has a few more bubbles, but not affecting my riding. Just observation.
  • Surfing, it is causing some washout on the lip and sure it's from the angle of the pipe. Should have a fix soon.
  • I can still use the trap door with the position of the bracket but then again I still need to get wet because the wedge is sticky and needs to be wiggled.

For me the pro's out weight the con's. Heck I don't like lowering my tower each time I put into the garage but I do it.

Why are you using the T handle clamps? To stop rotation? If so, then just put a screw through the rubber into the pipe on both sides of the center T section. On some you can drill a hole through both pipes (that slide into each other) and stop rotation that way. I have to remove my FAE to store the boat in the garage and have had no problems with the clamps provided.

Power loss, I can not see any performance or power problems with the boat at this time. I will be up at 4K feet this coming weekend and will report back. I do plan on doing a back pressure test one of these days. Just need to do it with and with out the FAE.

One thing we maybe forgetting is each FAE system is custom for each boat as the exhaust pipes, wedge and swim deck are not in the exact same place on all boats or within the same model.

I think one of the resons why is because the power wedge has a place for a bracket to be mounted over the wedge plate.

I agree with you on all your bullets.

I was using T-clamps to try and stop rotation. The FAE came with the bolts but I didn't get any instruction on using the little bolts so I was still trying to stop the rotation with friction. On the 3rd weekend/call we realized I wasn't using the bolts to stop the rotation and I adjusted accordingly. They still allowed some motion and effected the wedge so I had to "over angle" the exhaust so when it slid back a bit even with the bolt it still remains out of the wedge's path. I also now have 2 extra holes in the exhaust.

Goose, on the 6th bullet point, whats the fix you should have soon?

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All of this has me reconsidering it my my boat. I had one on my Tige and thought I would never live without one.

My buddy put one on his 2007 Malibu and was convinced he had some power loss. But I think his did not fit like Bradley Thornton's. It seemed that his went above and then below the wedge, and the pipes were eternally long. Bradley's looks like there would be very little exhaust restriction. I am tempted to try it again, and Larry would probably let me return it. I would be interested to do some objective numbers like time to reach a certain speed, etc to verify if there really might be a performance loss.

My wife hates exhaust fumes, so the office of budgetary support would absolutely be on board with this one.

Plus, I am always a little thrilled to make the stereo seem louder.

Edited by TallRedRider
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I swear last year it felt like we had some power loss. But this season with the 2315... not so much.... of course I have a grand total of 4 hours on it. Off all this week tho, so should get 25 hours on it by the end I hope.

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TrickNicky

We have installed FAE on the Manual Wedge with the wrap around style we do on the Power Wedge. We can do this for you if you feel you need to try it.

TallRedRider

If you are talking about trading in your old FAE for a new one; trade-in plus $75 plus shipping for a new FAE (of equal price). Your wife is correct; the Carbon Monoxide issue is very real:

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=1031613

Everyone

Some of the "issues" I read on discussion boards are sometimes the first I've heard of them. If you are having ANY issues, contact me. I want to know and fix them if possible. I will ask for pictures and for you to take a few measurements.

The Power Wedge FAE is bolt on with no modification needed. The Manual and Floating Wedge are relatively new to us this season. Initially I made the mistake of assuming some of the measurements were consistent between Malibu models and of course learned otherwise the hard way; unfortunately that means some of our customers had more work than they should have. I think we have the major design issues down for the Manual and Floating Wedges, and now Axis boats as well. That said, I spent my morning tweaking a redesign of the mounting hardware for an Axis. Not only does it annoy us when we don't get it "perfect" out of the box but it costs as well since we cover all material and shipping costs for the modifications.

The perception of engine performance is drastically affected by the noise of the exhaust. If you want to know for sure, find two fixed buoys or such and do a timed run between them, like a 1/4 mile drag run; with and without FAE. On my boat I made 3 runs each with and without and they were virtually the same. I've monitored boat speed with GPS and lost about 1-1/2 mph top end speed. I also installed an electronic fuel consumption meter and found no difference with and without.

Larry Mann

Fresh Air Exhaust

  • Like 2
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TrickNicky

We have installed FAE on the Manual Wedge with the wrap around style we do on the Power Wedge. We can do this for you if you feel you need to try it.

TallRedRider

If you are talking about trading in your old FAE for a new one; trade-in plus $75 plus shipping for a new FAE (of equal price). Your wife is correct; the Carbon Monoxide issue is very real:

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=1031613

Everyone

Some of the "issues" I read on discussion boards are sometimes the first I've heard of them. If you are having ANY issues, contact me. I want to know and fix them if possible. I will ask for pictures and for you to take a few measurements.

The Power Wedge FAE is bolt on with no modification needed. The Manual and Floating Wedge are relatively new to us this season. Initially I made the mistake of assuming some of the measurements were consistent between Malibu models and of course learned otherwise the hard way; unfortunately that means some of our customers had more work than they should have. I think we have the major design issues down for the Manual and Floating Wedges, and now Axis boats as well. That said, I spent my morning tweaking a redesign of the mounting hardware for an Axis. Not only does it annoy us when we don't get it "perfect" out of the box but it costs as well since we cover all material and shipping costs for the modifications.

The perception of engine performance is drastically affected by the noise of the exhaust. If you want to know for sure, find two fixed buoys or such and do a timed run between them, like a 1/4 mile drag run; with and without FAE. On my boat I made 3 runs each with and without and they were virtually the same. I've monitored boat speed with GPS and lost about 1-1/2 mph top end speed. I also installed an electronic fuel consumption meter and found no difference with and without.

Larry Mann

Fresh Air Exhaust

Sending you an email Larry.

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Sending you an email Larry.

Let us know the out come if you like the new system or not. Good luck!!

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Larry Mann

Fresh Air Exhaust

I don't have FAE yet, but I love seeing this kind of personal service from a business owner. FAE is on my ultimate wishlist for the boat.

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