I was wanting to remove swim platform on my 357. Somewhere along the years someone calked all around the platform where it comes in contact with the transum. It appears that they where trying to seal up the exhaust from coming through between the platform and the transum. I currently have black exhaust soot that escapes from around the platform and transum now. I would like to remove and reinstall the platform the proper way with the proper seal. I see there are bolts that extend through the transum from the platform. Does removeing these nuts allow the platform to be removed quite easily, or are there other troubles awaiting me once I start this task.

srl,
If you do a search of this forum you will find tons of info on board removal and rebuilding and reinstallation. It's not real difficult, two person job usually. There are the two upper u-bolts, two lower outside brackets and two small brackets above the drives.

Formula sells new replacement seal kits. You may have to rebuild some or all of the wood superstructure of the board.

The board is fairly heavy but not anything two guys can't handle easily. When you get it off, if it needs rebuilding, I've done it on two different boats so I can help.

Good luck, now start wrenching

Hello Slr , Removing The Platform Is Not A Major Job, But You Will Need Yourself And Two Other People In Order To Accomplish This. There Are Ten Bolts Around The Circumference Of The Platform, All Are Easily Accessed From Inside The Engine Compartment. Formula Still Does Make Both Of The Different Types Of Gaskets Needed To Do This Job. You Will Need Four Exhaust O-ring Gaskets And About Twenty To Twenty-five Feet Of The Outer Perimeter Gasket. The Gaskets Are Both Directly Adhered To The Platform. The Outer Gasket Has A Peal And Stick Tape Already On It, And The Inner Gaskets For The Exhaust Need To Be Adhered In Place With 3m Super Weather Strip Adhesive, Perferably Black. This Is To Hold Them In Place While The Platform Is Being Put Back On The Boat. Any Excess Is Easily Cleaned Up With Gasoline. You Might Also Need Lower Gaskets Where The U-bolts Are On The Back Of The Transom. These Four Gaskets Are No Longer Available From Formula, But You Can Go To Any Hardware Store And Buy A Piece Of 1/4 Inch Neoprene Rubber And Cut Them Out With An Exacto Knife. The Two In The Center Of The Platform Might Also Need To Be Replaced Underneath Exhaust Tips. These Are Also Done By Doing The Same Process. While You Have The Platform Off, I Would Highly Reccomend Doing The Exhaust Modifications To The Platform Talked About On This Website To It. It Gives The Boat A Much Deeper And Flow master Like Sound. I Used A Sawzall And A Small Die Grinder In Order To Accomplish This. I Found This Worked The Best, And It Is Easily Done With The Platform Off The Boat. I Just Finished Doing This On My Own Boat, And It Is A Full Weekend Job In Order To Be Done Properly. One Problem You Might Incur Are The Bolts Spinning And The Nuts Not Being Able To Be Taken Off. You Can Bypass This Problem By Clamping A Small Pair Of Vise Grips On The End Of The Bolt And Wrenching The Nut Off. Then Just Moving The Vise Grips Underneath The Nut And Wrenching The Nut Off Until Completely Taken Off. As I Said, Make Sure You Have Yourself Inside Taking The Bolts Off, And Two Of Your Buddies Outside, Holding Up The Platform, It Weighs Approximately One Hundred To One Hundred And Twenty Five Pounds, And Can Not Be Supported Properly With Only One Person In The Rear. Make Sure Your The One That Buys The Beer For This Project !!!!!!!!

This Is The One !

srl520
You also have another option!
You could remove the swim platform completly, glass in all the holes. mask up the strips, break the stripe at the corner of the transome, paint and install Impco Exhaust tips.
They do offer tips with a baffled interior that kicks the exhaust down about five dicibals. Basically much louder than the swim platform exhaust.
Depending on where you run the boat will probably be your deciding factor. If your on a lake they won't like the Impco tips unless you all install some type of muffler in the system. If your on the ocean you can get by with he louder exhaust depending again on how strict the locals are.
I had a love hate relationship with the swim platform, the best thing in the world to swim off of, but you cannot see your exhaust, so you never really know if there is any kind of blockage in your system.
They do have some weight to them, and often start rotting internally, remember it is constricted from fiberglass and plywood, they do not last forever.
I don't have any photographs at the moment.
Let us know what you decide to do.
Brian

this i sRambunctious here loggged on Waterfoul's account
I posted (under rambunctious) a post on how to modify th eexaust whith the platform installed. quite easy if you have a sawzall with a long blade. do a search.

Ironically, I jsut took my platform off tonight!!!!. after the run we had last week for our "photo shoot" ( see my black yellow white 272 WAY out of the water in the "show your formula pics" thread). The platform just finally gave in. the starboard top mount ( behind the stainless 4x6 plate) gave way and cracked through. so i wil be looking for that post with the step by step process to rebuild the wood. my platform is quite rotten on the inside so i will totally redo it this fall/winter. I just buffed the transom tonight and want to run it to see how loud through hulls with no mufflers and no platform to block the sound actually is

I have a few pics from tonights removal. i will try to post tomorrow. I used a cherry picker and cinch straps on the stainless outboard rails of the platform. Preloaded the platform untill it no longer sagged, unscrewed the bolts, and walked the chery picker back to remove the platform , jiggled the u-bolts with very little persuation. so One guy can do it. but any excuse to drink beer with the buds is cool too

Ramb

I had an idea and would like feedback.

can you buy stainless corrogated exhast lengths ( a guess like you see curving from under a semi to the stack?) what if you connected to the trough hulls, and then made an adapter to connect to the square plate on the inside of the platform. install that end first, then as you reinstall the platform, clamp the other end tothe through hulls and compelte the installation. this would make through hull exaust without silent thrunder, and eliminate the exahsue pulses and water weight present in the platform. woudl sound better, possibly better performance, and more life for the platform??


edit: or better yet. the proper parts, flexible marine exaust hose like this below, jsut need to fabricated a fitting to convert the round hose profile to the square tip.

Ramb

whatayathink?