Offshoreonly.com - Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....

Quote:

Originally Posted by powerguy

Had enough of the rattle and vibration of the silent thunder box so with a little help from jp2snowman pulled the boat at the CG station and removed the silent thunder box from my Formula 336. Removed all the bolts and the box would barely budge. Started prying the front edge with a large screwdriver and it slowly started to move. Thanks to Bill272 for the advice on attaching string from the box to the stern cleats to keep it from falling too far. Added 4" flapper tips to the existing thru hull fittings, cleaned up a lot of soot under the swim platform, and back in the water.

What I found.... all four donut gaskets were melted. The entire back top edge was de-laminated as well as the entire top port edge. The entire back port side corner was cracked top to bottom. Soot everywhere.

Now what..... The boat is definitely louder but sounds good to me. I plan to run as is for now and might add corsa muffler tips or Teague/ EMI switchable tips next year if I feel the need for a quieter boat when idling only.

Thanks to the board (and specifically this Formula section) for the great advice and guidance.

I like the Formula 382 Fastech and would seriously consider buying one if they went back to the "Cigarette" back end. Take the silent thunder platform off and use it for buoys for marking off manatee zones or something, SS exhaust tips and an option for adding an aluminum swim platform. Silent thunder is a sucky idea. It's a great boat but that platform makes it look too much like a cruiser and it looses that Cig/offshore look. It has perfect lines and makes Mr. beak pale in comparison but loose the thunder or make it an option. Please? Also, Formula has the best detail and Imron Paint I have ever seen especially considering it is a production offering. You have to go custom to match it or try to do better. I like the windshield, it could use a little more of an "offshore gage layout" and steering wheel. Keep it a comfy but put a little more Aronow into it. Also, more power options and # 6's on the option list would polish it off. It's time Porters. Ok, bash me for asking.

What do I want? How about this?

Formula F402-SR1 40