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RobTryon · 28-01-2018, 13:09

Sailing has become more than moving a boat with the wind. I've never been really good at the actual sailing part, but have worked hard at the seamanship skills that come with traveling, living and working around boats for so many years.

Learning how to navigate, read weather, anchor and moor a boat properly, marlinspike skills, and simple maintenance of shipboard systems has been this wonderful whirlwind of experience that has kept me excited and involved with sailing for many years.

One of the most daunting things about sailing bigger boats for me is the inboard engine. For a long time I just hoped they would keep running. I was afraid to touch anything even for maintenance. That painted hunk of metal under the cockpit was a mystery that I just did not have the ability to fathom.

In 2005 my good friend David helped me replace the old worn out engine in our Crealock 37, and that was a turning point. It just took a lot of the mystery out of the inboard for me. At one point in the two week process I was worried that things were not going to work. David said that man made this machine. We control it, not the other way around. That statement changed everything for me. It was no longer a mystery I couldn't comprehend, I just needed to learn about it.

Over the last decade or so, I've spent a lot of time and effort learning about the engines in my various boats. With the help of some master mechanics, I've really improved my understanding of sailboat engines and feel confident in tackling projects that would have terrified me 10 years ago.

Here's a simple rainy day project I just finished. Rebuilding the saltwater pump on Gazelle's Perkins Prima M-60. Something that just a few years ago would have been a daunting task, took just a few hours with hand tools and an online exploded diagram.

Pic1. All new internal parts for my Jabsco bronze body pump
Pic2. Old parts out ready to clean.
Pic3. New parts in, note wheel puller, needed to get the old shaft and bearings out.
Pic4. Leaking pump, next to the "new" one.
Pic5. New pump working, leaking one getting new soft parts.

Stu Jackson · 28-01-2018, 13:43

Fascinating, ain't it?

I put off buying an inboard and bigger boat for years for the same reasons. Once I got the inboard, I learned, and learned and learned. On my second pump rebuild this month, last one 1,000 engine hours ago. Nice report, thanks for sharing. If you & I can do it, anybody can!

Greg Brannon · 28-01-2018, 15:03

Thanks for sharing your experience and the pics. I have to rebuild my first pump, one that looks exactly like yours, as part of my spring commissioning. You've given me a confidence boost and reduced the mystery.

shakey doug · 28-01-2018, 19:01

Google has varies sites describing Jabsco water pump">raw water pump rebuilds, Utube also shows a host how to Info.

**Jim Cate** · 28-01-2018, 19:23

And of course our own Mainesale (sail?) has a complete how-to on his site... along with a whole lot of other good stuff.

Jim

stormalong · 29-01-2018, 09:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Fascinating, ain't it?

I put off buying an inboard and bigger boat for years for the same reasons. Once I got the inboard, I learned, and learned and learned. On my second pump rebuild this month, last one 1,000 engine hours ago. Nice report, thanks for sharing. If you & I can do it, anybody can!

If your raw water pump rebuild only lasted 1000 hours something went wrong. You should get two or three times that much life from your pump. If it is the typical Jabsco examine the shaft for wear. Replace it if there is any visible groove where the seals contact the shaft. Some teflon grease on the seals when assembling may also help.

**Jim Cate** · 29-01-2018, 12:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by stormalong

If your raw water pump rebuild only lasted 1000 hours something went wrong. You should get two or three times that much life from your pump. If it is the typical Jabsco examine the shaft for wear. Replace it if there is any visible groove where the seals contact the shaft. Some teflon grease on the seals when assembling may also help.

Replacing the shaft adds a LOT to the cost of a rebuild,and most folks are not drawn to that extreme. I've had good luck with the use of Speed Seal sleeves to refurbish grooved shafts at a cost of around 10 percent of a new shaft.

Jim

tpkas · 29-01-2018, 12:32

Rather than replace the shaft if there is a small groove worn from the seal you can use a very thin sleeve. Here's what I have used in the past (Speedi Sleeve from SKF)

http://www.skf.com/au/products/seals/industrial-seals/power-transmission-seals/wear-sleeves/skf-speedi-sleeve/index.html

Regards,

Brian

stormalong · 29-01-2018, 18:23

I have had poor results with speedy sleeve. You must level the groove with epoxy or the sleeve will quickly conform to the shape of the groove. Even the slightest imperfection will cause early failure of the seal.

I know the shaft is the priciest part of a raw water pump rebuild. What it the cost of time and trouble to fix the pump prematurely and to have sea water spraying around in your engine space?

Squanderbucks · 30-01-2018, 12:18

In my experience trying to predict the hours you will get out of a water pump are pretty tough. Depends on the type of water you are cruising in as well as a lot of other factors such as smoothness of the engine belts and pulley or harmonic balancers, etc. If lot of "slap" or vibration in the belts the seals get hammered and start leaking soon. If in a lot of silty water such as shallow florida canals which build up extremely fine sediment that eats up the ceramic and lip seals pretty badly. Of course grounding in sandy spots and having to use engines to get off a bar is sure way to eat up impellers and seals.

Clear open water cruising generally gets a lot more hours . Unfortunately I live on a ICW canal with 3 ft depth at most times and full of "blue mud". Almost like grease. Tough on seals.

**Jim Cate** · 30-01-2018, 15:18

Quote:

I have had poor results with speedy sleeve. You must level the groove with epoxy or the sleeve will quickly conform to the shape of the groove. Even the slightest imperfection will cause early failure of the seal.

Not my experience at all. Lip pressure from a seal is not sufficient to distort the sleeve into the tiny groove in the shaft. Lots of hours on a sleeve in my raw water pump, still holding well. Sleeves are a very well researched product and in common use in many applications.

Jim