Trolling motor for duck hole.

[brokenwing]

I've got an old 50# thrust motorguide tolling motor and shaft that I'm building a stand to stick in a duck hunting hole to create water movement. I've seen such setups work effectively but didn't pay any attention to how it was pulled off.

Basically, I've got a stand built of 4x4 posts to hold the shaft and motor underwater. I've got 30 feet of 8 guage wire with an in-line 50A fuse and an inline trolling motor foot switch to control it from my pit.

2 sealing questions, since the entire set-up (shaft and motor) will be under water.

1. Where the shaft screws into the motor, do I need to seal these threads with anything special? Will plumbers tape work? Do I need any sealing at all on these threads?

2. At the top of the shaft (where the wires exit) I planned on putting a big plug of silicone to seal it off. Will this work? Any other ideas?