So we have three trips under our belt with the FAE I installed this season on our 2007 RZ2. As everyone else has found, we love the noise reduction and elimination of any exhaust fumes (although there was never too much problem with this) and there is no apparent loss of power. The stereo sounds many times better and we can hold conversations within the boat, and with the wakesurfer. The first thing you notice is how loud the water is on the side of the boat! I do feel that gas mileage has suffered a little, but that is hard to quantify on a boat. I think I will tilt the exhaust up a little more to reduce the drag.
One possible issue that just cropped up this last trip at Havasu as I was putting the boat cover back on, is that there is a sudden corrosion issue on the swim step brackets and quick pins. I think it just happened this last trip! Suddenly, both quick pin keepers are heavily rusted, the pins themselves have a lot of oxidation, but most troubling is that the powdercoated step brackets have random "blooms" of white corrosion all over them!
Has anyone else seen a corrosion problem like this? We are always in Havasu, and never the ocean. I can't imagine that the FAE grounds the engine out to the water any more than it was before? Maybe due to dissimilar metals from SS to aluminum? No apparent issue with our batteries discharging either. I will try to post pictures later in August.
Anyway, here are some notes and photos from the install:
1. Overall view as I started. I wouldn't even consider trying to leave the swim step on to do this work.
2. For my application the horizontal bar was about 60-5/8" long (although I ended up grinding another 1/16" off after the photo was taken). Not sure how repeatable this is boat to boat.
3. The "concealed" post hardware is really clean and strong, and I think it would be the only way to go if the swim step brackets have a nice metal web like these do. Notice I bought an extra SS washer to go between the post and the swim step bracket. This way the horizontal bar butts up to the SS washer, and it will leave the bar corners open for any water to drain. Horizontal bar length needs to allow for this.
4. Here is the horizontal bar installed. One nuisance for my application was that a single starboard-side swim deck screw was obscured by the bar, so I had to place it in advance. It was a little tough to screw into the deck later; probably just should have left it off.
5. A properly sized straw trimmed to length makes a great layout tool to spot the proper positions! See photo 1 also. I started to use the supplied quick disconnect hardware.
6. However, on my swim step when you remove the quick-pin the whole deck actually rotates almost straight backwards. There might be enough slop in the quick-disconnect hardware, or maybe some people rotate the horizontal bar a little, but I didn't think it looked like it would work for me.
7. Therefore, I bought a few dollars of 3/4" x 1/8" flat 304SS stock and bent my own brackets. I got too tricky and bent both ends, and also drilled the first hole vertically. In hindsight, I should have only bent the bottom end and seated it on the FAE. Then the top end would have been flat on the front side of the horizontal bar, and cut off even with the horizontal bar. As it is, I had to make some spacers at the FAE with SS washers and some teflon material I had.
Anyway, this configuration can use a bolt or a quick-pin (with some nylon washers to keep it from rattling). Also, the swim step is free to rotate straight backwards for removal. The flat stock is really cheap, and allows shorter bolts to be used down on the FAE.
8. Close up of the starboard bracket with a bolt. I'm not much of a blacksmith.
9/10. Port view with a close up of the port bracket with a quick-pin and nylon washers. I think I will mostly go with bolts to ensure everything is quiet, since I only usually remove the step for winter. Seems to me that the horizontal bar doesn't carry any real load from the FAE, it is just there for a little extra support and to keep everything located.
11/12. Final views of complete installation.
Hope this info helps someone on their install.
One possible issue that just cropped up this last trip at Havasu as I was putting the boat cover back on, is that there is a sudden corrosion issue on the swim step brackets and quick pins. I think it just happened this last trip! Suddenly, both quick pin keepers are heavily rusted, the pins themselves have a lot of oxidation, but most troubling is that the powdercoated step brackets have random "blooms" of white corrosion all over them!
Has anyone else seen a corrosion problem like this? We are always in Havasu, and never the ocean. I can't imagine that the FAE grounds the engine out to the water any more than it was before? Maybe due to dissimilar metals from SS to aluminum? No apparent issue with our batteries discharging either. I will try to post pictures later in August.
Anyway, here are some notes and photos from the install:
1. Overall view as I started. I wouldn't even consider trying to leave the swim step on to do this work.
2. For my application the horizontal bar was about 60-5/8" long (although I ended up grinding another 1/16" off after the photo was taken). Not sure how repeatable this is boat to boat.
3. The "concealed" post hardware is really clean and strong, and I think it would be the only way to go if the swim step brackets have a nice metal web like these do. Notice I bought an extra SS washer to go between the post and the swim step bracket. This way the horizontal bar butts up to the SS washer, and it will leave the bar corners open for any water to drain. Horizontal bar length needs to allow for this.
4. Here is the horizontal bar installed. One nuisance for my application was that a single starboard-side swim deck screw was obscured by the bar, so I had to place it in advance. It was a little tough to screw into the deck later; probably just should have left it off.
5. A properly sized straw trimmed to length makes a great layout tool to spot the proper positions! See photo 1 also. I started to use the supplied quick disconnect hardware.
6. However, on my swim step when you remove the quick-pin the whole deck actually rotates almost straight backwards. There might be enough slop in the quick-disconnect hardware, or maybe some people rotate the horizontal bar a little, but I didn't think it looked like it would work for me.
7. Therefore, I bought a few dollars of 3/4" x 1/8" flat 304SS stock and bent my own brackets. I got too tricky and bent both ends, and also drilled the first hole vertically. In hindsight, I should have only bent the bottom end and seated it on the FAE. Then the top end would have been flat on the front side of the horizontal bar, and cut off even with the horizontal bar. As it is, I had to make some spacers at the FAE with SS washers and some teflon material I had.
Anyway, this configuration can use a bolt or a quick-pin (with some nylon washers to keep it from rattling). Also, the swim step is free to rotate straight backwards for removal. The flat stock is really cheap, and allows shorter bolts to be used down on the FAE.
8. Close up of the starboard bracket with a bolt. I'm not much of a blacksmith.
9/10. Port view with a close up of the port bracket with a quick-pin and nylon washers. I think I will mostly go with bolts to ensure everything is quiet, since I only usually remove the step for winter. Seems to me that the horizontal bar doesn't carry any real load from the FAE, it is just there for a little extra support and to keep everything located.
11/12. Final views of complete installation.
Hope this info helps someone on their install.
Ahh, no that I actually read along, I see that. 
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