muffler, can it go higher? If you take it higher, say, up to the cockpit sole or like I did, take it even higher into the port locker, then you could drop it right straight back down to water level to a 90 degree bend and have the longer run to the stern not adding water to the muffler. Just because there is water in the hose doesn't mean it would be able to get up over the vented loop especially if it was all the way up into the cockpit locker. That way the only water volumn is that of the hose from the vented loop (all the way up in the cockpit locker)down to the muffler, the shorter hose length. That way you end up with a down slope hose from the manifold flange to the muffler and the up hose to the vented loop. The total of which would be less then the length back to the stern the way you have it.