Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

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.

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

Welcome to the loud side!!! :D :D You gonna put rubber flappers on the tips to help avoid reversion?????

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

Rubbers are on for my protection.

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

Pic1

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

Pic2

Every exhaust chamber was either de-laminated, cracked or BOTH.....

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

Okay, now you did it, just what I needed to inspire me to finally pull mine off. I'm replacing my manifolds/risers with the Eddie Marine - Thunder EMI units, thanks very very much to our own Trick Marine, for customer service that has set a new bar for "customer satisfaction". Fred, THANK YOU. The new exhaust just got here a couple of hours ago. No matter what you might need, CALL FRED FIRST.

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

Outlaw, did you get stainless risers or aluminum? If you got the stainless ones, block off the slots on top of the manifolds NOW with RTV or something similiar. Those manifolds while a nice buy can leak back into the exhaust chamber very easily and cause damage. Mine kept leaking quite a bit until I finally RTV'd the crap out of them. This offseason I had them welded shut, no more leaks.

Eddie Marine should make 2 verisons of the manifold, one for aluminum risers with water passages at the top, and one sealed shut and milled flat for stainless risers. I know of at least 3 people that have had leaks with these.

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

Went with the aluminum ones after a lot of discussion. Also saved me 130 lbs.

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

That's basically what mine looked like, but only on a couple of the chambers. Feels good having that rattleing thing off doesn't it?

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

It does feel great knowing that the rattling has stopped and that the exhaust is exiting the boat the way it should. There is definitely more noise ... I like it ... :drink: :drink: :drink:

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

Sounds good man, get pics of the new tips and all.

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

What length tips is everyone running? I'm thinking six maybe eight inches long.

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

For now I kept the stock tips .... they are probably 1 1/2" , long enough to mount a set of flappers.

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

For now I kept the stock tips .... they are probably 1 1/2" , long enough to mount a set of flappers.

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

My stock tips are too badly discolored and I don't care for their short length. I also don't care for the Salsbury flappers but I will probably run them too. A couple of guys down here have bought new tips with the internal flappers, but they seem to burn out quickly. We don't have noise issues down here so 99% of offshore boats don't run any type of mufflers. Gotta love the noise. yeah baby.......Anyway would appreciate feedback on what length people prefer. Russ

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

You dog .....I never heard no clattering ...NOW its all I hear !!!!!!

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

LMAO

slient thunder 2002 353
 

can i take the slient thunder off a 2002 353 and put it back on if i want

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

Yes you can take it off a 02 353, I just took one off a 01 312, Jeff

Re: slient thunder 2002 353
 

Yes, but get a set of salisbury flaps for the tips.

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

what do you do about the holes that attach it to the boat..... I want mine off bad but gotta talk the my girl into it....anyone ever cut out the bottum close to were it comes through the transom....I need a way to make it loud and retain the platform.... I already did the dog house thing and it does sound better but i need more...thanks guys love this site.......and were can i find a formula bird..the dam thing fell off.....

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

You lost one too?
I was directed to OSO member MagicFloat. He's a Formula dealer and can get the parts we need.
I haven't replace mine yet, but I understand they run about $25.00 each.

I haven't seen anyone do what your thinking. Your swim platform and Silent Thunder system is the bolt on type? My '88 F206 has the same.
The newer Formulas have the platform molded as part of the hull and the sound box bolts up from underneath. Easy to remove.
Formula did make a different style platform that had the exhaust exit above the platform. No Silent Thunder, open pipes. If I can find a pic on the net I'll post it.

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

http://www.lakeportlanding.com/ They are in Laconia NH and have birds in stock. I am waiting for my missing letters to get in stock but am pretty sure the birds are there.

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

thanks for the info..... mine is a bolt on type, my is a 223 with a 454mag.... I want badly to keep the platform and be loud just gotta figure out how, Two weeks ago one bird fell off which pissed me off then this weekend the other one did.... oh well its a 17 year old boat that still gets compliments from people all the time I cant complain.....(Dad bought it new, Ive owned it for bout 9 months) still getting the little things worked out

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

Things that have went wrong since Ive owned it....

-trim button on the quicksilver throttle----- merc wants $25 anywhere cheaper??

- my dad let people walk all over the sundeck so it is messed up I need the hinges for it badly both sides anyone know were to get those????? and it is ripped at some of the seams and the wood needs replaced anyone ever done this????

- speedo is broke I think i can handle that one

-trim tabs wont work I have no clue on this one?????? is there a place to lube them or add flluid????

-step broke going into cabin...taking it out think there will be more room without it...anyone ever done that???

-anyones drain plug ever turn a weird green color I dont know what it is

THANKS FOR THE HELP ANY SUGGESTONS WOULD BE AWESOME

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

You sure the trim button is bad? I thought mine was bad too when I had intermittent operation. Turned out it was the power relays on the trim pump.
If it is the switch you may have a hard time finding one outside of a Merc dealer. I know 25 bucks seems steep for such a small part but an aftermarket one might only be 5 or so dollars less.

My sun pad needs help too. Wood is rotting now. Fiberglass where the hinges attach to the engine hatch is cracked.

What trim tabs do you have. Mine has the Bennett tabs. Pump and reservoir is on the port side above the trim pump. Not sure what fluid it takes.

Drain plug turning green? Well, it is brass or bronze. It will turn green from corrosion.

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

THANKS FOR THE REPLY..... I put an aftermarket switch in to test the trim and it works it just doesnt fit in the hole....my trim tab pump is on the opposite side as the trim pump...dont know the make of it...yeah my sundeck is a mess anyone with info on those hinges would really help....Im replacing the pilot tube pick up for the speedo the hose needs replaced into the boat can I hook the new hose into the old one or am i going to have to run need tube all the way to the speedo thanks for any suggestions




THANKS PJ

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

The hose on my speedo pickup cracked a couple years ago.
Found that automotive vacum hose with the same wall thickness works perfectly as a replacement. I didn't replace the entire length of hose. I bought 3 feet worth and a barbed plastic connector to splice the two pieces together, with the splice in the engine compartment. Used small cable ties as hose clamps. No leaks so far, speedo works a good as always.

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

thanks..... anyone have any ideas on the sundeck hinges?????


thanks PJ

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

anyone know the cost of a aluminum swim platform for my 223



thanks PJ

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

anyone know the cost of a aluminum swim platform for my 223



thanks PJ

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

From what I understand they are no longer avail....I would get them staightend and welded....

BH

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

ALOT!!!!!!

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

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

Re: Pulled off silent thunder box yesterday.....
 

saw a couple sweet Formulas and a badass fountain on Brookville lake in indiana on Sunday anyone here??