Cool!
It’s fun to experiment with different components. You never always know what will corrode and some things did that shouldn’t have. I’ve had many happy accidents, but always had a fallback plan and for the what if’s. I always carried a response kit for leaks and flooding. It had a selection of hose clamps, mechanics wire, self tapping screws & driver, medium soft rubber square assortments, underwater sealants(works submerged) underwater epoxy putty, wood and foam tapered plugs. It was used many times but not on my own boat. A water alarm is mandatory! One primary that reports to the helm. Also it’s important know about it as early as possible so it’s easier to find the source. Just buy a 5 pack of water leak alarms from Amazon and place them throughout low in the hull where bilge water should never be. To reduce bilge water, use GTU Gore packing in the stuffing box. Learn the proper way to cut and stagger the seals. You may actually find it difficult adjust the nut to get the desired 1 to 2 drips per minute while underway. As long as the box or shaft doesn’t get warm, don’t worry about it being reduced to just weeping. Do “burp” the box after a haul out to get the air out of the shaft log, it does need water to lubricate. I don’t recommend “dripless” shaft seals, however if you already have one, have it inspected and make sure it’s in perfect condition. If it fails, it is catastrophic. You will need response kit containing a pipe wrench to stop the prop shaft from windmilling, a passenger car inner tube cut for a long wide strip of rubber and a roll of mechanics wire to staunch the flow by wrapping around the shaft/gland. For any boat, have at least two manual/automatic controled bilge pumps, each one appropriate for the size boat. Those things are the most unreliable devices I’ve ever seen so have two. Don’t mean to scare you, however if you’re ready for it, it’ll probably