I had to see how it went in the water and took it to a local lake to try her out and see if I had any major leaks. After 7 years and numerous mistakes she swam:
I made a number of mistakes starting out in the water by trying to "swim" in 1st gear...that was getting me no where fast!!! I then tried 2nd and she performed great!!! The only thing is that I kept coming out of the water in 2nd and dogging the vehicle on the steep ramp. After 4 in and outs I finally figured out that it had to come out in 4WD low and no problems.
The one thing that surprised me is that the bow went slightly underwater bringing a little water on the deck before she rose and that was not going in very fast. Not enough water in the forward compartment to require the bilge pump but a little unsettling as the driver.
I did not stay in too long as I had no back up electric bilge pump if the engine failed and did not want to sink her on the first outing. I never had to use the bilge pump (never enough water) and everything performed flawlessly. Now to complete the finishing touches and I will do a long swim in the future.
Donovan.