Mercruiser alpha1 exhaust bellows or exhaust tube

[chinook35]

I got tired of fighting with alpha 1 exhaust bellows. I have the tool and have changed many bellows , but , last year I replaced my bellows with the tube , and have never looked back. Yes , it is louder with the tube and you get some exhaust soot in the transom , but I can live with both. It takes about 15 minutes to install the tube 

anybody else had any experience??

Mercrusier came out with the tube to relieve pressure build up in the bellows on big block engines.  The bellows would balloon and put pressure on the drive shaft bellows causing wear and failure  

the only time the exhaust goes through the prop is in full down/ in trim 

im a happy camper with the tube 

 

Edited March 31 by chinook35