Speedseal Life on a Lehman

[tbtapper]

Has anyone used one of the Speedseal covers on their raw water pump? Been looking at them and I like the idea and relative convenience. Looking for experience and if they seal well.
Thanks

tbtapper
87 CT 35 S

 

[timb]

I don't have one but there is a thread going around on mtoa and the feedback is all good.
I'm thinking about it myself as a cover gasket leak is one of the two engine leaks I had on the way home with my new to be MT.

 

[psneeld]

nice...but only a slight convenience in my mind.

I have been running a lot of boats for the last 17 years as a pro and liveaboard cruiser...just havent had emergency impeller change outs like speedseal and some would have you believe is necessary.

TF is getting famous for making you worry about boat failures and their dangers

 

[BruceK]

Having the updated RW pump is more important imo, the new pump would come with a new cover and new screws.

 

[timb]

from what I read it's worth it if you have twins with accessibility issues . where cleaning the old gasket off is a pita . most only put it on the outboard pump and leave the easy to get to one stock.

 

[Larry M]

I just installed one but other than local travel, we haven’t really tested it. We’ll put a few hundred hours on it within the next 4 months so I’ll should have a good idea on how it works.

One of the reasons we made the change was I like the o-ring vs the thin paper gasket. We changed the impeller annually and I always seem to have a little leakage/weepage around the cover. So far I have non with the Speedseal.

 

[Old deckhand]

It works as advertised.

 

[Irish Rambler]

I fitted a Speedseal many years ago and it has, and still is, working perfectly on a Perkins 4236 mounted in my Birchwood 33'. My original reason for fitting was that the 6 slot head screws on the Jabsco impeller cover plate were fiddly to unscrew and invariably one would drop into the bilge. The large knurled heads of the Speedseal are easy to work with but make sure they are hand tight, then a quarter turn to lock them in place. I never had to change impellers despite covering many miles up the Western Islands of Scotland and around Irelands lakes and rivers. I always check the raw water filter before starting the engine as part of daily checks.

The Speedseal is still on the Birchwood 33'

Later I bought a 42' Broom fly bridge cruiser and fitted the updated Speedseal 'Run Dry' as part of a boat update.
When cruising through Germany I was passing a barge when my intake filter became blocked and the impeller was running dry, I couldn't back off due to other traffic and I was able to complete the manoeuvre, find a safe place to pull over from other traffic and clean the intake filter. I checked the Speed Seal Run Dry and the impeller was still in perfect condition despite being run dry for 15 minutes, the same impeller is still in service.
This incident was recorded on TF in my post 'Windmills and Wine'.

I have no connection with Speedseal other than highly recommending them from my own personal usage. They are worth every penny.

 

[Comodave]

I put them on last year on my Lehman SP225s. So far love them. My starboard engine is horrible for access. I can barely see the pump much less work on it. The mechanic that worked on the boat for 15 years for the PO said he would have to pull the pump to change the impeller. I like the Speedseal due to no paper gasket. It is very difficult to ensure that all the paper is cleaned off. With the O ring that isn’t an issue. Also like the thumb screws. I also bought an insertion tool from impellertool.com. With the tool and the Speedseal I can change the starboard impeller in about 20 minutes. Both are well worth what I paid. No affiliation with either company.

 

[Doug]

We like ours, it’s been installed for about 4 years. Best features are the o ring and knurled nuts. Also the disc minimizes impeller wear.
Replaced the disc and o ring last season while changing the impeller. They didn’t look worn but Speedseal recommends changing. I thought the parts were a bit pricey.

 

[Comodave]

I suspect the prices are a bit high due to the limited production.

 

[Irish Rambler]

Comodave, they're worth every penny, the parts are hand made by precision engineers which explains the cost.

 

[Wxx3]

nice...but only a slight convenience in my mind.

I have been running a lot of boats for the last 17 years as a pro and liveaboard cruiser...just havent had emergency impeller change outs like speedseal and some would have you believe is necessary.

TF is getting famous for making you worry about boat failures and their dangers

yes. what he said.

Also in 5,000 hours, I've never had to change the impeller under duress. But having said that, I do have speedseal which started leaking sometime last year in Europe. I couldn't stop it, because now two of the pins had come off from the thumb screws. THe speedseal was probably 10 years old.

Finally by the time I got to Martinique, the leak rusted over and stopped.

 

[psneeld]

Yeah..... I forgot about twins and access...for that reason alone it may be worth it.

But for an engine with good access,......

Just change out the slotted screws with knurled cap screws, hang a hex key nearby, and I always oil soak my paper gaskets that are xerox copies of an original and my impelker changes are near as fast as just the time to get the impeller out .

 

[mike66]

This is a great idea for my Westerbeke raw water pump. Thread drift, but impossible to remove pump cover and impeller. Can't see it at all up against the fuel tank. (Thanks W for putting it on the opposite side of the other service items). I have to blindly remove the 4 pump bolts that only make 1/4 turns with a box wrench and get the pump up in the open to change out the impeller. These bolts might be a better way if there's room.

 

[koliver]

Yeah..... I forgot about twins and access...for that reason alone it may be worth it.

But for an engine with good access,......

Just change out the slotted screws with knurled cap screws, hang a hex key nearby, and I always oil soak my paper gaskets that are xerox copies of an original and my impelker changes are near as fast as just the time to get the impeller out .

I changed out the slotted screws for hex head bolts (Cap screws and Allan wrenches work the same), but since I have never (touching wood and whistling as I say this) had an impeller failure since I started with Diesel engines, I really don't see what all the fuss is about.
When you change the screws out, they are metric, 4 or 6 mm (?) on my Volvos.

 

[kchace]

Has anyone used one of the Speedseal covers on their raw water pump? Been looking at them and I like the idea and relative convenience. Looking for experience and if they seal well.
Thanks

tbtapper
87 CT 35 S

I have the speedseal covers on my engines and they work as advertised. They are at least 10 years old and still work and seal perfectly.

 

[BeeJay]

I use longer stainless steel socket head cap screws and weld stainless wing nuts at the appropriate length along the bolt. Easy to use an Allen key to snug them up or break them loose and use the wing nut by hand for the rest of the journey. Easy to do by brail if needed but I did it because I’m lazy. I’ve never had a problem with the gasket but there is plenty enough room to safely machine an o-ring groove in the pump body. (Hopefully my attachment worked)

 

[Ex Sailor]

Has anyone used one of the Speedseal covers on their raw water pump? Been looking at them and I like the idea and relative convenience. Looking for experience and if they seal well.
Thanks


Had one on my sailboat Beta 50 HP for years, loved it !! NO fumbling with cover screws, screwdrivers or sockets ....
IF you get one, get an extra " O " ring or two, and 1 -2 extra cover bolts ( they are a large knurled head thumb type bolts ) you never know if you drop one ?...

FB

 

[BaltimoreLurker]

Had the Speedseal on my FL120 for 5+ years, never a problem and always worked as advertised. Was worth the price for me.

 

[catalinajack]

Yeah..... I forgot about twins and access...for that reason alone it may be worth it.

But for an engine with good access,......

Just change out the slotted screws with knurled cap screws, hang a hex key nearby, and I always oil soak my paper gaskets that are xerox copies of an original and my impelker changes are near as fast as just the time to get the impeller out .

The knurled cap screws - do you know the size of the screws?

 

[catalinajack]

The knurled cap screws - do you know the size of the screws?

8-32 with 1/2 inch reach.

 

[Woodland Hills]

Comodave, they're worth every penny, the parts are hand made by precision engineers which explains the cost.

Why? Once set up, CNC is much cheaper for actual production.

 

[kchace]

Why? Once set up, CNC is much cheaper for actual production.

I'm sure that's what he meant. The cost is probably driven by single source low volume.

 

[Comodave]

I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that they were not made in a CNC machine shop. I spoke to the owner when I bought mine and he said they would make them for me. It did take about a month to get them. I think they made them as they got orders in. Maybe not the most cost effective but that may have been due to the fact that there are many different pumps out there and maybe they didn’t have the capital required to set up a large production and stock lots of Speedseals. Don’t know for sure but I am extremely disappointed that they have gone out of business because it is an excellent product.

 

[kchace]

I hear you. I have 2 sources (one in house at my work and one other guy who makes prototypes for us) where I could get these made. I'm going to see what the cost might be.

Ken

 

[Comodave]

Someone could make parts for them and step into a good business. Let us know if you find a source. The teflon wear plates and O rings have been a topic on another thread.