FAE Thru Hull Installation Advice

[BrewKaiser]

To anyone considering installing the through hull FAE system here's some advice based on recent experience and conversations with Larry at FAE.

Background: Had the 2018 OEM mandrel drawn, thru hull FAE installed on my 2017 RZX2. After first outing the FAE was loose. 1 screw had head popped off 2 others were stretched.

After consulting with Larry at FAE he recommends the following installation procedure. This is how they do it at Tige.

Adhesive: use entire 8 to 10 oz tube of 3M 5200. Completely fill in around exhaust manifold, screw holes, and back of flange. Let set for 2 hours then remove excess from hull exterior. Less than 2 hours it will smear, more than 2 hours you risk it setting and becoming permanent. MUST CURE MIN 72 HOURS BEFORE USE.

Screws: Use 4 EA #10 Machine screws and drill thru transom. Washer and lock nut on engine side.

My initial install used #6 wood screws, and non 3M Marine adhesive. The wood screws were not long enough and can be over-torqued when installed resulting in potential stripping or shearing head off.

If your installer has any doubts call Larry at FAE. He's AWESOME!
FAE Support: 512-789-6266

Despite our little mishap, I will say the initial outing with the new FAE was awesome. It really does cut the noise and surfing behind the boat we could not detect any exhaust.

One other bit of advice is to also remove the baffle from the exhaust when you install the thru hull FAE.

[BlackoutATX]

Mine kept coming off on my RZ4. So I decided to through bolt it. I managed to get three bolts secured. It was a major PITA. But after completing I knew the FAE wasn’t going to fall off. Even then, I could not get it to stop leaking. I tried sealing it using a ton of 3M 4200. It would be fine for awhile and then slowly start to leak. Finally ended up just taking it off. I love the FAE. But I couldn’t deal with It anymore. It is currently sitting in my garage. Given this is not the through hull design.

An entire bottle of 3M? I’m far from an expert in this area. But there has got to be a better way to do that. Wouldn’t it make sense to better integrate the FAE into the actual boats exhaust system?

Larry is the man by the way. He and his team have always been nothing short of amazing in the customer service department.


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[chpthril]

Theres only two ways the FAE comes "off". Either the self taping screws pull out or the heads pop off. I know of quite a few heads popping off, which is not an installer issue, Screws pulling out can be installer induced.

Sealing wise, 5200 and 4200 as well as most other below water line sealers all seal about the same. The difference with 5200 is that it has more of a glueing or bonding property, beyond just sealing. This is why FAE no suggest using it specifically.

If pulling out is the issue, then thru-bolting is the answer.

If popping heads is the issue, then moving up to a grade 8 screw or bolt is the way to go.

[trevor]

Theres only two ways the FAE comes "off". Either the self taping screws pull out or the heads pop off. I know of quite a few heads popping off, which is not an installer issue, Screws pulling out can be installer induced.

Sealing wise, 5200 and 4200 as well as most other below water line sealers all seal about the same. The difference with 5200 is that it has more of a glueing or bonding property, beyond just sealing. This is why FAE no suggest using it specifically.

If pulling out is the issue, then thru-bolting is the answer.

If popping heads is the issue, then moving up to a grade 8 screw or bolt is the way to go.

Wow mine is not 100% level and i was going to take off to grind the slots a little to get level(it is very close, and well within the prop wash) but you have me thinking leave the damn thing alone...

Popping heads should not happen on stainless... I know that I personally used very little marine sealer, only on the screw threads on my 09 rz4 and have yet to have a problem... are you putting the sealer directly on the screw threads? I dont see how removing would help you if you have the same setup as me... as it is the same 6 holes that actually could leak.

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[chpthril]

Popping heads should not happen on stainless..

In reality, stainless is softer in terms of tinsel strength then a regular zinc coated screw.

FAE's suggestion is to coat the entire mating flange with 5200 so to actually glue/bond the FAE to the hull, in addition to the screws holding it. So the 5200 not only seals but glues.

Ive seen some with slotted holes and no washers. I think this increases the PSI on the screw heads, leading to the heads pooping off. Where as a round hole contacts the entire screw head.

[Agent22007]

I recently put the through hull FAE on my 2017 Z3. It was definitely a PITA. I needed smaller hands to be able to get the nuts on the bolts from inside the boat. The actual bolts were too short for my boat so I actually had to get a longer set. We ended up jerry-rigging something to hold the brackets and washers together from the inside while we screwed the bolts in from the outside.

I used a ton of 5200 when I installed it. There was white glue everywhere when I was finished. It cleaned up nicely within that 2 hour window.

After trying it out 2 weeks later I ended up having a slow leak. I suspect it was near the screw holes. I ended up taking the leftover 5200 and putting it everywhere. I almost covered the screw holes completely and put another bead around the entire edge. It’s a little messy looking, but now it doesn’t leak!

Overall I love the FAE. It is quiet and there is a noticeable difference in the elimination of exhaust fumes.

I highly recommend it but I agree, the installation is tough and lots of 5200 is your friend. I hear the non-through hull version is a lot easier to install and that’s what i would do if i had to do it again.


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[trevor]

Yes didnt notice the thru hull in the description... my standard install took about 40 minutes including calling my neighbor to run the screw gun while i held a wrench in the engine compartment (as taps plate has 2 through bolts on all tiges apparently) and fix the holes i drilled wrong on the support piece... (i am too stubborn to measure twice and cut once) no leaks though...

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[TigeFamily]

Just a note...for thru-bolting a regular FAE that bolts to the flange on outside of the boat, Larry has created a kit that has "curved" washers since the bolts come thru very close to the exhaust flange on inside of boat. Mike installed my FAE last year using the above method he described and it has worked great and not budged using the 5200 and the grade 8 screws instead of the stainless.....I plan to install the thru-bolts has security measure and have the kit with the curved washers, just have not had time yet to complete it.

I can vouch for the fact that above method described by Mike works tho since several other boats (same model as mine) were having the issues of the stainless heads popping off as well as FAE flange since water does put a lot of force on the unit....this has worked flawlessly

[BrewKaiser]

In my case, my dealer had to order the thru-hull OEM FAE direct from Tige. As such I'm not sure what Tige delivered to my dealer originally, though it did take some time to get so I assume it was a recent kit from FAE - no telling.

My dealer's original install used a non-3M adhesive and #6 or #8 screws. One head popped off and two were stretched and about to come out.

The intent of my posting was for the benefit of anyone having the FAE installed. Make sure your installer knows what they are doing and don't be afraid to confirm with them their approach as I don't think the kits come with any instructions.

My dealer had to custom notch washers for the thru-hull reinstall. Larry at FAE made it clear that the Tige factory OEM install is the thru-hull bolt approach.

Stainless has excellent shear strength but not so much tensile strength. The issue with using a #6 or #8 SST wood screw is that rotational load necessary to both drive the screw forward and turn it places a lot of stress on the head; versus a machine screw where the rotational load on the head required to turn it is much less. Generally we rotate the nuts and not the heads with machine screws - of course there is very little access to do so with this install. With the thru hull approach there is also no risk of it stripping out.

Hindsight is 20-20 as they say....