Posted: November 06 2007 at 18:34 | IP Logged

I just received this e-mail from my boating buddy, Bob White. I'm passing it along to see if any of you are having similiar problems:

"If my typing is shaky it's because I was just informed by my mechanic that he must replace the aluminum exhaust manifolds on my 34-foot 2003 Searay Sundancer. I ONLY HAVE 150 HOURS ON THE BOAT!!!!  The manifolds are so corroded that they are almost paper thin. The  SENSOR THAT WARNS OF OVERHEATING ACTUALLY FELL INTO MY HAND WHEN I TOUCHED IT.  I apologize for speaking in capital letters but how can you pay almost $200,000 for a boat and then be told that  the aluminum manifolds will start to fail after the equivalent of one year's use? Searay referred me to Mercruiser which made the 496 CI 8.1 Horizon engines. But my money went to Searay -- not Mercruiser. And Mercruiser is sympathetic, but sharing my tears don't do dick for my bank account.  Common sense dictates that if one manifold is bad, the other three are just hours away from abandoning me just when I need them most, (Heavy seas 40 miles offshore) so all four need to be replaced with cast iron manifolds. I'm told each manifold will cost more than $500 and that doesn't include the mechanic's charges. "

Woe is my friend! Anybody else had similiar problems. I hope not. But if you have aluminum manifolds screwed into opposing metal, cross your fingers. Talk to me, please.