Lets talk FAE.......

[dogbert]

Fiberglass deck isn't a big deal. Larry's got that solved.

[FacePlant]

Fiberglass deck isn't a big deal. Larry's got that solved.

Yep. Just talked to him and he has measurements for my combo.......

[malarson]

I had an FAE on my '98 and I really miss it. I intend to get one on my new '06 22v. If you get a group buy going I'm in.

[tsnowflake72]

I love mine. I dont surf behind a boat with out one, anymore.

[R&T Babich]

We put a system on our boat and it is great. Like dogbert I can't imagine not having it. The short 1" pieces of fuel hose used as shock absorbers on the support rods are all mashed up after one season. I've replaced them with polyurethane tube from McMaster (9697k225). They must need some sort of shock absorbing the way the originals are mashed.

[talltigeguy]

I have the fiberglass swimstep on my 05 24V. I think mine should be the same as yours pretty much below the swimstep. I agree with XPJIm, I am sure the exhaust ports have some amount of play in them as far as where the factory puts them, so I think custom measurements are going to be better than just relying on what they already have. The tolerance of the FAE is not a whole lot, so the measurements need to be precise. It will be one of the first things to get on any new boat I get.

Lovin Powell's FAE looks retarded to me on his 21i. BUt the problem on his boat is that the exhaust ports sit right above the TAPS plate and are not wider than the plate like on a 24V. So his FAE has to angle up at quite an angle so as to not have the TAPS plate hit it. I talked to him after he went out and he is very pleased with it. It does the job perfectly.

[TigeDuner]

Can't imagine life without it.

[jwanck11]

Extreme reduction in exhaust exit volume and super inefficient air flow dynamics... What does this do to output power?

[da.bell]

Your top end speed will be reduced by 1-4 MPH.

[Big Wave]

Big, do you have the fiberglass deck?

Yes I have the fiberglass swim step. The install only required 2 holes being drilled in the swim step brackets and and removing one of the brackets from the step to install two bolts that hold the cross bar. Took less than 2 hours to install.
Shoot me a PM if you would like more detail on the install.

[talltigeguy]

Can't imagine life without it.

Duner, your exhaust ports are not wider than your TAPS plate also. I think that LP's plate would hit the FAE if it were mounted like yours. But I also think his plate goes up far higher than is needed. I bet it is 2 inches out of the water at cruising speeds when all the way up.

Extreme reduction in exhaust exit volume and super inefficient air flow dynamics... What does this do to output power?

I think they post a 1-2 MPH reduction. That is what I have seen as well. A tradeoff that is well worth it. I do not notice it at any wakeboarding or surfing speeds.

Man, I wish I had that polished look!!!!!!!!!!

[talltigeguy]

Yes I have the fiberglass swim step. The install only required 2 holes being drilled in the swim step brackets and and removing one of the brackets from the step to install two bolts that hold the cross bar. Took less than 2 hours to install.
Shoot me a PM if you would like more detail on the install.

How did you only remove one of the brackets from the swimstep? I had to remove both brackets from the swimstep to be able to get a bolt on the other side of the square mounting tube.

[dogbert]

Extreme reduction in exhaust exit volume and super inefficient air flow dynamics... What does this do to output power?

It's actually not as bad as you think. Remember, you already have baffles in your mufflers which aren't much bigger than the pipes coming out of your boat now. So, the restriction isn't really the issue. The reduction in top end is primarily from the extra drag of the down pipe itself. It's actually tapered quite a bit and sits right behind the rudder. It does also affect your ability to do power slides, which is not a recommended activity anyway (it's kinda funny that Malibu touts this ability because if you had your wedge down while doing this, you'd probably rip it right off the transom, but I digress).

So, no real loss in power, just some top end and a whole lotta peace of mind and cleaner air.

[TigeDuner]

How often do you run wide open across the lake for any extended period of time? Never for us.

[LovinPowell]

Duner, your exhaust ports are not wider than your TAPS plate also. I think that LP's plate would hit the FAE if it were mounted like yours. But I also think his plate goes up far higher than is needed. I bet it is 2 inches out of the water at cruising speeds when all the way up.



I think they post a 1-2 MPH reduction. That is what I have seen as well. A tradeoff that is well worth it. I do not notice it at any wakeboarding or surfing speeds.

Man, I wish I had that polished look!!!!!!!!!!

I don't think that his plate is in the "full upright position". I would be interested in seeing a picture from the side to see the angle of his pipes.