DIY Surf Pipe/FAE - 05 XLV

[MichaelH]

Figured I'd post the results of my DIY fresh air exhaust project for my 2005 XLV that I based off of others posted here. I haven't gotten it on the water to test it yet but I'm happy with how it turned out so far. Open to modification suggestions if anyone has any.

I needed to make it easy to disconnect from the swim platform bracket because I have to remove the swim platform to fit it in my house garage when I do work on the boat. So I ended up using a bimini bracket off Amazon for the quick release pins and eye bolts coming off of the pipe hangers which worked out nicely.









Here's links to what I used for this since some of the things were hard to track down:

Quick release bimini brackets

Eye bolts

Pipe hangers

Street 90 3" ABS

2 Way Cleanout T 3" ABS

1" Aluminum Angle

All stainless steel hardware, and did a crappy job spraying the ABS silver. For the downpipe I used a 5" long section of regular 3" ABS and put it in a bench vise with a heat gun to give it the more aerodynamic shape. I hope it reduced the cross section enough to not make a noticeable difference in the wake.

I wish I would have given myself a little extra room off of the wake plate because I can see its going to rub so I'm definitely going to pay close attention to that the first few times out on the water this year. Ultimately, I'm excited to see what all the hype is about getting out there on the surf wave without any fumes.

[HFarr]

Looks good! The only thing I might notice is that the end of mine, factory, seems to be squeezed/elongated a bit more. But you will know if that needs tweaking when you get it in the water. Let us know how it works. I like the hanger system!

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[sandm]

at first glance I would be concerned about the bottom angle of the pipe. it looks like it's flat to the bottom of the boat. most of them I see have a taper on the bottom that angles it from the front of the pipe to the back. while under movement, I believe it helps direct water around the pipe and not up it as hfarr's shows.

the old platform brackets on that year skiers choice have a lot of slop in them. as you mention close proximity to the wakeplate, make sure that as your platform bounces, you really have the right amount of clearance and knowing how the potmetal wears at the points each bracket slides into the transom mount, watch for added wear. those brackets were the only real gripe I had about my '06.

good luck with your water test.

[MichaelH]

Yeah I noticed the outlet was angled more straight down than the factory options. When building it I thought the factory ones were more subtle but I'll take a reciprocating saw to mine this weekend and make it more angled to avoid any issues with water being forced up the outlet. Thanks for the suggestion!

Is mine extended down further than most? Looking at HFarr's factory pipe it looks like theirs just barely extends past the wake plate. I was basing mine off pictures like this:

[HFarr]

I will see if I have some more pictures at different angles. It could just be the angle I took it at, but yours did look a bit deep.

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[MichaelH]

Cut some off the downpipe at an angle which also better shows how much it's squeezed into an oval shape at the tip. Think it needs to be squeezed narrower yet?

[HFarr]

I would say give that a go on the water and see what happens!

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