In regards to the pictures these units were presented to me at the recent Key West poker run by the nice folks at Pier 57. They had just removed the lids from the brand new yellow MTI boat sitting in front of the Conch House. Since they could not find a replacment they had to pull a sea strainer from another new boat to get it running. Although if I had removed it, it would have probably looked worse

No I'm sorry we do not distribute thier product I know Trick marine as their sole supplier. Our background with salt water applications leads us to stick to the units manufactured in stainless steel. We do sell Hardin Marine, Marine Machine, GIL Marine,and Stainless Marine all of these units are manufactured with a stainless steel can.

In regards to thickness I just measured all three units in question. First the Gil Marine unit uses a spun stainless can manufactured from .060 stainless steel. The Hardin Marine unit uses .083 thick seamless stainless tubing. Just for kicks and grins I weigh 230 pounds and I just jumped up and down on this unit both on its side and standing straight up with out as much as a flinch of deflection. And the thickest of them all is the Marine Machine this unit uses an actual stainless casting that is .120 thick. Pretty much indestructible but only available in a shallow depth.

With the lid on it?

If I put any weight at all on it were its mounted it bends the bracket.The Gill has a stronger bracket. I would not step on either in the pick with the lids off.

But we know there not steps.but shet happens

In the event you would like to continue to use it as a step (your not the first guy believe me) we do offer a second mounting strap which I believe would offer even more support I would be glad to assist you.

Also trivia for those of interest I have some spec's on the Hardin Sea Strainer can. The stainless has a 75,000 pound tensile strength, a 800psi bulge strength, and a 2000psi burst strength. While these are mechanical specifications I have not witnessed these numbers. What I have witnessed is at speeds in the 170mph range spikes of pressure exceeding 150psi. So keep in mind a pressure relief valve should always be used.

Our Stainless Marine Superstrainer is the best-built on the market. We have a number of features that make it so... First, we have a pressure relief (pop-off) valve on top. Step bottom boats, cats, etc. generate a ton of bubbles in the water. Oup pop-off valve opens at 10 psi or so, and vents ALL of the trapped air overboard. If you don't do it our way, every bubble must pass through the entire cooling system. Two things happen: A bubble can't cool anything, so some of the cooling power of the water is lost. Engines tend to trap air in small pockets in the top of the engine, causing hot spots. In addition, the pop-off minimizes pressure spikes.

In addition, our basket design holds the basket flange tight to the flange in the housing, precluding the little bits of whatever from slipping past. We have a split pin, which clocks the basket into the correct position. The entire structure is electropolished, removing all the surface iron. It should never bleed rust.

It carries over a gallon of spare water, which keeps your impeller wet during a long jump, or a handful of grass, etc.

It has knob to remove the polycarbonate, O-ringed lid, no bolts.

It is built like a brick you-know-what...........

Does anyone have an opinion on the Latham Marine sea strainers?

Fred,

I'm not familair with KPM strainers. They look good, but who are they?

if you are a recreational boater and hi- speeds arent a concern, and by hi i mean 100 +, then use the hardin units. i have installed more than 50 of these units. usually for the consumer the cost is easier than some of the others mentioned. as well the other reasons shown and worded are of great concern. anything that filters sand will infact cause an inherent problem down stream. starvation, airation, hot spots excess maintanance just to name a few. great screen with more surface area, easy to use, and even comes with a bung in it to pl;umb for a flush,,,,, . just my experience over the years.

Rob I installed the KPMs from Fred,had to remove the scottbrite pad it restricted to much flow.Might work ok at low speeds but i overheated and lost flow to the intercooler.I installed them to protect the engine and stuck ring glands on 4 pistons.I'm still using them with the scottbrite pads removed.