[Public-List] stern tube question

[David Fay]

I'm replacing the cutless bearing on my 1967 #284.  When I trued to remove the cutless bearing housing by unscrewing it from the stern tube, the stern tube rotated. So I held the forward end of the stern tube (inside the boat) with a pipe wrench and was able to unscrew the cutless bearing housing.

Now I'm worried that the rotation of the stern tube has broken the seal between it and the sealant around it, which I believe to be the original thiokol (https://tinyurl.com/y76e7kzp), making it more likely that water will travel along the outside of the stern tube through the hull. I do plan to seal the joint between the bearing housing and the hull with butyl and to pack butyl around the end of the stern tube before screwing the housing back on but don't know whether that will work?

Is this a good plan? Am I worried about nothing? Or should I rip out the stern tube, ream out the thiokol and put in a new stern tube sealed in place with epoxy?

David
Blue Teal, #284