I'm a 61 year old drag racer and have run headers (through mufflers of course) on my cars for many years. Other than noise issues, is there a good reason to water cool the headers on my Nordic? Please don't act as though I'm an idiot, I just don't know anything about jet boats. I am anxious to get it running soon and have a little fun before I tackle paint/upholstery issues. The hull looks just like TJ's except that where his is yellow-mine is black. Underneath the paint, I can see where it once said "Spinning Wheels Racing" and has a number. Ring any bells for anyone? I will post pictures soon-and any ideas are appreciated. Thanks.

You're correct that my blanket statement should not have said "East Coast". It should have read that Maryland has a huge boating population, and the only response I get from anyone is "I ain't seen one of them in years", including several pros who build the big Scarabs, Fountains, etc. I'm sure there are plenty of people in the East with plenty of experience. By the way, I'm running open, over the transom headers. The piece I'm describing looks similar to the small impeller in the lower unit of an outboard motor I used to have, and I'm guessing the spring holds it down. I appreciate the help.