Thru Hull Exhaust on '88 Starfire Need Help!!!

[chevyspy]

Hey guys, new to the board here. I just bought a very clean fresh water driven 1988 Starfire. It's 18.5 ft. long and features the 260 h.p. small block 350 with the Alpha One drive. The boat runs perfect and uses no oil. I get about 62 mph out of it with the stainless prop (very suprising).

It's only missing one thing --- EXHAUST!!! I am pretty handy (mechanic) and would like to attempt to do this myself. Does anyone sell a kit or have informaiton on how to put the exhaust through the hull. Currently it is through the prop. I am assuming I will want to run it out under the fiberglass swim deck?

Any help for the newbie would be very appreciated.

[jrumon]

:welcome: First off, nice find and a great model Checkmate to play with!
Adding thru-hull exhast is EASY and the parts are inexpensive (under $300 should do it). You will notice a 2-3mph improvement over the thru-hub. You can also equip it with silent choice or an exhaust tee to mellow it out a bit. It is water cooled exhaust, so it will not be harsh with any combo you choose.

You can get a nice set of 4" tips from many marine suppliers or I see deals all the time on ebay. For the conversion (simplified)...

Look on this web sight for photos showing factory thru-hull locations.
Get the thru-hull tips (4" prefered)
Get 4" xhaust hose and 4 clamps (marine supplier)
Drill hull with approprate size hole saw (check the inside where it will come through so you don't accidently drill a power steering line or wiring).
Coat the drilled holes with epoxy or fiberglass resin or 3M 5200 Marine sealer to seal the hull back up (you do NOT want water to get into the transom wood)!
Install the tips and seal them to the hull with that 3M 5200 (again a water-tight seal)!
Disconnect your existing exhaust "Y" pipe from the manifolds... (It directs exhaust from the manifold risers down to the stern drive)
You can either CAP the Y-pipe or remove it and buy the factory mercruiser block-off caps if you want a cleaner factory look.
Measure and cut the 4" exhaust hose to connect your exhaust risers to the new tips and clamp everything...
WAA-LAA you now have a faster boat with that cool performance sound!

P.S. If you have LOW-TIPS (under the swim step), you may nee to get a set of "S" pipe to lower where your exhaust will exit by about 12". Most thru-hull exit at or above the waterline.

Sources for SS exhaust tips, S-pipes, and 4" hose...
REX MARINE
CP PERFORMANCE
GILL MARINE
STAINLESS MARINE
WEST MARINE

ANYTHING ELSE OR QUESTIONS JUST ASK! Good luck...:thumb: Jim

[chevyspy]

Thanks so much for the info. I took a peek at the boat and just need to figure out if I am going to go above the swim platform or below.

Jim