New sailor, trying to narrow down what to get for my next boat.

[GrowleyMonster]

What he said.

Is the old engine/transmission still in place? You got fixed, or folding prop? First of all you need to be sure that the shaft can't just slide out of the boat. Lot of different ways to do that, but if the old engine and/or tranny is still coupled to the shaft you are good. Second, consider locking down the shaft to prevent rotation. This saves wear on the packing if the shaft is bent.

When you tighten the stuffing box, only tighten just enough so that water barely seeps through, when the shaft turns. A drip every minute is perfect. When the shaft is not turning no water should come through at all. Water is the lubricant in the stuffing box. If it is too tight you, will burn out the packing and score the shaft.

Check your zincs too. They are egg shaped lumps on the shaft between the prop and the cutlass bearing. Easily replaced even if you only have snorkel gear. Only takes an Allen wrench and of course a couple new zincs. Measure your shaft, get the right size. Probably 1". These will keep your shaft and prop from rotting away from electrolysys. A diver can do this in just a few minutes if you don't want to. If you will be doing a haulout soon, it can wait. This is like a yearly check.

[GrowleyMonster]

Oh yeah when you haul out, get rid of the prop if you are not going to install a new engine or electric motor. It is just a lot of excess drag, even if it is a folding prop. I would pull the shaft and save it, and just, stick a short section in there, with something to keep it from slipping in or out, and if you ever want to install an inboard whether electric or diesel, you still have the old shaft. And prop. The stub you stick in there of course just functions as a plug. You could simply glass it over and fill the shaft log with resin, but that limits future options and makes it harder to sell. Not by much, though. Most buyers of old $2000 boats have no big plans about buying an $8k diesel for the boat. Typically you sell such a boat with a used but running outboard, and the buyer is happy to have any mechanical propulsion at all for that price range. But having the option of installing inboard power is still a plus.

[VinnyVincent]

Alright I tried tightening it, but it's still leaking. Current plan is to zip tie the shaft in place. Motor to the nearest haul out and have the hole sealed before it has a chance to get any worse.
About to head over there now. Hopefully it doesn't get much worse while underway I'm a little nervous about the whole thing.

The old engine had been pulled so it is just the shaft.