 An
alternative from the old rubber balls or metal cups that I've seen used
to protect the elements (and other things) from falling into your "Zoomies"
(exhaust) pipes is this neat wing-nut expandable rubber stopper. These
stoppers nicely fit on the ends of all of your pipes and produces a tight,
waterproof seal. It features a wing nut that is easily spinned down to
compress the rubber stopper. Note the O-ring under the screw head to seal
even that. Once tightened, the stopper ain't going anywhere. Just make
sure your pipes have cooled down to touch before putting them in. Plugs
are made of polyisoprene, styrene butadiene rubber; hardware is stainless
steel. Temperature range is -80° to +180° F. Shore A durometer
hardness is 43. Color is black. They are available in different diameter
pipe sizes to fit most applications. I got mine from McMaster-Carr
Industrial Supply.
Warning:I
received an email from somebody telling us of an accident were a spectator
was injured because somebody fired up their motor with these rubber stoppers
still in the pipes.
Also, I could envision
potential motor damage for forgetting to pull the plugs before starting
the motor. If your boat motor can accidentally be started (push button
start), or you are a person prone to forgetting things, these rubber stoppers
could be a poor choice. Safety First! |
