Screwed!

[Donald Tyson]

Well well well, guess what I found.

It had a junky Jabsco pump as a wash down pump. Someone decided it would be best to screw it to the inside of the transom and use silicone...SILICONE... to waterproof the screws. A terrible install. I'm glad I discovered this atrocity.

This particular pump is the junky one that features connections that are secured by a plastic quick connect tang. The nipples are sealed (or attempted to be sealed) with single O-rings. Then the installer used the heaviest hose he could find and bent it abusively in order to attach the washdown pump to the thru-hull in a most irresponsible manner. The hose bend was so severe that in time it ruined the seal and tang on the pump. Its positioning also kept the bilge pump from seating in the little slopwell provided for it. The bilgepump was elevated 1" off the floor.

Once I removed the Washpump I discovered 10-15 (I didn't count them) other screw holes, that were sealed with silicone, hiding behind that area. The whole area was peppered with holes. So I'm glad in some ways that the gas is bad and I have to remove the tanks as now I'll be able to reach into that area and properly seal it. Hopefully it's not too late. The surveyor did not detect any moisture in the transom and now I can get in there to assure that these screw holes are properly sealed or glassed over.
I hope to find a better location and use for the wash-down pump. My current thinking leans toward adding a pump to the potable water tank and to use that water for showers and wash-down combined.

Shall I seal off the unused thru-hull?

[alainP]

What the Water Rat said to the Mole: “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing–absolutely nothing–half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

[Donald Tyson]

lol, and I thought that was Don Casey or Phil Bolger.