Exhaust - how much is too much?

I have a 94 ski nautique. Almost 2 years ago I had to replace the exhaust hoses that connect from the engine risers to the muffler. (The engine had gotten too hot and caused them to collapse... that problem was no fun, but has been corrected - change those impellers yearly!)

When replacing the hoses, I noticed that the intake extension on the muffler was a bit shorter than expected (though I have little experience with this). I did think I was able to make a decent connection between the hose and muffler port and clamped it down snug.

Over the last year we've noted exhaust smell in the cabin of the boat. We first thought it was the wind blowing it back in on us. Then, I thought maybe I needed to run the blower more, so kept it on the entire time the engine was running and at least 5-10 minutes after the engine stopped. The exhaust smell would always return in the cabin.

Were these boats designed to allow a fair amount of exhaust in the cabin or am I killing us slowly with stupidity? I don't have a good comparison to know what is typical. If you think this is an issue, what would you suggest? Is there a good, objective test? Do I have to take all inbound and outbound hoses of the muffler off and reglass the muffler and wrestle to get everything to fit back together or is there a good sealant I can goop around the connections to seal it off well without making a mess of everything? Is there a way to check for gas leaks? Looking for some guidance before I spend too much more of my time wasted or break down and bring it to the 'shop' and have them charge me a fortune just to find out this is normal operation.

Any guidance appreciated...

Court,
If that connection at the muffler went bad, you would be getting more water in the bilge that exhaust fumes. It sounds like the exhaust is before it mixes with water. Check you exhaust manifolds for holes where they bolt to the block as well as the gaskets.

CCFcourt wrote: Is there a sealant I can put around the end of the hose? If not recommended, why and what would you think is better to do?

Let's not go "back yard" here!!

Remove the hose from the muffler and take a closer look.

Court,
Your occupation as well as your age hasn't been filled into your profile. By filling in those parameters, it really gives the members a basic understanding of your background. That helps us immensely to answer your questions.

I see you have been on site within the last 1/2 hour or so, I assume your have read responses to your questions. Open up the connection, take a look and please respond. What's up????? No "back yard hacking" with the caulking!!

Court,
Going back in this thread, it reminded me that you went through a hose change. With the fiberglass exhaust components, you need to be real careful due to how fragile they are. When installing the hose, did you have to forcefully get the hose on? Many times force is needed but there is a limit.

Exhaust smell in the cabin is not normal. Dry out the bilge then start the boat without going anywhere and find where that water is coming from.

No sealant is needed in the entire exhaust system. Draw a line at the ends of the suspected short hoses and then remove them. This will tell you how far the are up the flanges.

Don't use a screw driver on those clamps, get a nut driver or better yet a socket. If you get to it when the hoses are warm they squeeze up tighter.

I'm excited. I've got a great team behind me and I'm all in...
I took the hose off. Pretty obvious that the muffler has a problem.
You can see in the picture that the end of the muffler is cracked and broken.
This leads me to many questions and probably some I don't know I have yet:

1. How long should the port of the muffler be?
2. What are the steps to remove the muffler fully? Since this side is so broken, I could pull it apart enough to take a picture, but how do you pull the incoming ports off and the outgoing port off and have enough clearance to remove the entire muffler? Do I need to remove the outgoing hose all the way to the exhaust at the back of the boat or is there a better (I hope) way?
3. How do I fiberglass and how do I fiberglass to make it round in tolerance? Is there a ready known cylinder of some sort I put in there and glass around? I know nothing about this so all help is appreciated (where do I get what supplies, etc).
4. Shown in one of the pictures below, I see a screw that was put right into the side of the muffler before my time. Is that normal? Should I take it out and glass over it as I'm doing the rest of this? Do I need a new muffler?!

If I'm in over my head say so... otherwise I look forward to your instructions to get me back in the water!

Thanks for all the posts so far.
Pictures below:

There's also been discussion about the Y-Pipe Conversion, where you just get rid of the Muffler all together. I know in the past that Race City Marine and Boat Dr. at My Correct Craft Parts were mentioned as sources for the kit. You just have to make sure you get the right dimensions. Because, your boat most likely has the larger 3.5" exhaust manifold opening and most of the older ones have 3"

http://www.correctcraftfan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=21393&title=y-pipe-exhaust

Also check e-bay, sometimes there are used mufflers for sale. I would use this as an opportunity to go with a Y-Pipe. However, that is a easy FRP repair.

Donald