Speed Seal

Early last year we had a bit of an issue with the raw water cooling system on Naughty-Cal resulting in a not very convenient raw water leak in the engine bay, which of course coincided with us being as far away from our home berth as we would be that week.

The problem was simple enough to fix with a new seal kit for the raw water pump when we were back home but at the same time we treated the raw water pump to a new cover plate. The original one had become pretty scored over the years.

 Our choices for a new cover plate were a genuine Volvo Penta item at £60 or a Speed Seal equivalent for £65. The original Volvo plate is held on by six nuts whereas the Speed Seal has just four quick release thumb screws, ideal for quickly changing the impellor if necessary. The speed seal also claims to improve the lifespan of the rubber impellors and increase the amount of run dry time should an obstruction restrict or stop the flow of raw water.

We chose the Speed Seal purely for its quick release mechanism. Mooring on a shallow canal means that we usually go through three or four impellors a year due to raw water obstructions so ease and speed of access is important. To our surprise since changing the cover plate to the Speed Seal we have not needed to change the impellor once. Maybe the manufacturers claims are true!

We will continue to monitor the situation with the speed seal and see if we just had a lucky year last year but if it really does do what it says on the tin then it is a worthwhile modification to any raw water cooled propulsion system.