Finish Washdown Install

I had completed the bulk of the washdown pump physical install way back in November 2023 (here), but I never connected the deck fitting to the hose and since the deck fitting was part of the 'get the topsides waterproof' initiative, I decided to get it done and out of the way.  I had a new deck fitting for the 

washdown pump but as with everything boat related, nothing is easy (but this wasn't all that bad considering).  The main problem was that the old fitting had a flange diameter larger than the new one and 4 screws instead of 3 to secure it, so I turned to the 3d printer to make a pad that matched the original diameter, but with 3 screw holes instead. 

First I filled in the old screw holes with thickened epoxy and let that cure overnight.  As it turns out someone had removed the core around the fitting, so it probably wasn't entirely necessary but can't hurt.  While I was waiting for that to cure I took careful measurements of the old fitting and the new and modeled a new pad to 3d print.  

I did a test by only printing the bottom 1/8" of the new model so I was sure it would fit the new fitting and cover the diameter of the old fitting.  Once satisfied, I ran the full print through and waited for the application of epoxy to the screw holes to cure.  

The next day I went back to the boat and cleaned up any high spots in the epoxy with some sandpaper and then tested the new pad.  I predrilled the screw holes and then slathered a generous helping of 3M 4200 sealant to the underside of the pad and set it in place.  Next, I added more 3M 4200 to the underside of the new fitting and lined up the holes and set that in place.  Finally, I screwed it all down and cleaned up any excess squeeze-out.

The last thing to do was to connect up the washdown hose to the underside of the fitting with a hose clamp and I was done.  Pretty satisfying to fully check something off my list even if it's a small project.