bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

[Rod St. John]

Hello all... Just returned home after picking up my "new" Four Winns with the 4.3 volvo Penta. Ended up having to drive a couple of hours to pick it up, with the guy meeting my half way... Anyway, I noticed that the fin on the bottom of the drive must have taken a pretty good hit at some point as it is bent in the middle (kind of a wave looking at it straight on). Everything else looks fine.. I'm not sure how this will impact on steering, etc as I haven't put it in the water yet... Anyway, my questions are thus...: Can this be straightened somehow, or will the bottom foot need replacement. I will try to get a couple of pictures to add to this post.

Thanks for the advice... (perhaps I should have followed someone's advice and had the boat surveyed prior to buying....)

Regards,

Rod.

 

[danond]

Re: bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

You should always have a boat looked at by a pro, and you didn't water-test it before purchase. These are huge no-nos.

Regardless, a bent skag is common, but should be straightened. Should be a relatively cheap fix. Under $200.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

What you have is a broken skeg. You will want to go ahead and buy a new one because it will impact more than just steering if it is bent at a sharp enough angle.

Post some pics of the new boat...and congratulations on the purchase

 

[actaeon9]

Re: bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

What you have is a broken skeg. You will want to go ahead and buy a new one because it will impact more than just steering if it is bent at a sharp enough angle.

Could you elaborate a bit on that Huron? What (other than steering) would a severely bent skeg cause? I'm sure it changes the hydrodynamics of the out drive, maybe lost propulsion?

 

[danond]

Re: bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

Wandering, cavitation, stress, etc. It's supposed to be straight.

 

[Rod St. John]

Re: bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

Yes....I'm now feeling rather stupid for not doing the water test, or having the boat checked out.. hopefully all will be good on the water.. I jumped the gun on this purchase because I had 2 other boats get away from me due to waiting... this one seemed great as the guy said all the right things... maintenance, winterizing, changing gear oil, water pump impellers, etc. etc. The pics of the boat looked great.. Also, the boat was 4.5 hours away, so there was the issue of time to go look at it, etc... (still no excuse...). Anyway, I'm hoping that this skeg issue is the only main one. This aside, the rest of the boat is pretty much perfect..
The boat is an 2001 18 foor four winns with the 4.3 penta sx

How would the skeg be replaced ? it looks to be a solid part of the lower gear housing ? I checked out the Blackfin site...looks good, however, I still see an issue with my skeg being bent.. any ideas ?

Thanks again for all your advice

Regards,

Rod.

 

[ziggy]

Re: bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

i wouldn't worry about it. mines bent off like that some too. + i got a chunk out of mine on the back side of the fin. i don't have any ramifications from it. i don't have power steering either. also, from what i get, you touch that with a hammer and try to straighten it out, then it'll be broke off...

i'd think at least try it out and see how it goes for your belated sea trial...


edit. is that streak on the ground in the pics from drive. like in drive lub? if so. that i'd worry about...

 

[Rod St. John]

Re: bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

Thanks for the info... No, the streak on the ground is from water... there is no visible lube leakage.. I checked the oil in the bottom end and it looks proper (not milky).
Now that I know what the fin is actually called.. I've done some checking on it.. seems like many options.. try to bend it, if it works fine.. if if breaks, then get a bolt on stainless fin, or a "blackfin". I've heard several methods to bend it.. 1 uses a bit of heat and 2 hammers, while another uses just 2 hammers. (a third uses pliers or vise grips.. I'm not wanting to try that..) Alternatively, take it in to the shop and have them cut and weld a new piece.

Bottom line is that at least it doesnt' appear that I need to spend $4000.00 to replace the bottom end and housing !!!

That said...we'll see how it all works out when I get a chance to get it wet !!!
(Hopefully tomorrow !!)

Regards,

Rod.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

It's there to protect the prop, I wouldn't worry one bit about that little bend.

 

[Dave1251]

Re: bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

As a Four Winns dealer, I would recommend that you do not waste your money on any repairs. You can carefully bend it back if you want using a little heat. I would paint the bottom of drive where you can see any metal.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

Looking at the pictures, you've got a lot less bend than I thought you did when there were no pics

I agree with previous post. Shouldn't be a problem. Skeg get bent, I thought you had a devastating bend, wheras you only have a barely noticable bend. Keep an eye on your trim/tilt when shallow and you'll be fine with that skeg.

Really nice looking 4Winns, congrats

 

[Rod St. John]

Re: bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

Well... finally had a chance to get the new toy in the water... ran like a top! That was last thursday.. on Friday, trailered her to my wife's family's place on Manitoulin Island for the long weekend. Saturday was great.. we all tried waterskiing, etc. Sunday was a different matter.. As I was skiing and about to wipe out, I noticed that my wedding ring was grabbing on to the ski rope handle as I was letting go... Yup.. I watched the ring fly through the air and then sink like a stone. I had no chance to grab it with one ski on and bobbing in the water with my PFD...Fortunately, my wife was driving and her parents saw it happen (at least I won't get blamed for forgetting it somewhere... we both know where it is !!). As she came by to pick me up, she basically coasted over top of me (motor was off and she swears it was by accident !!) Chalk up 1 to lake Mindemoya.. Later on, as the day was ending, I saw that another boat was getting pulled out from the ramp and decided to go for one last spin.. as we were cruising along, my wife hollered at me that she could see some weeds... I pulled a quick 180 to get out of there and thought that I had made it... then the dreaded thump thump thump... Turns out that there was a sandbar sticking a long ways out that I hadn't seen before.. I shut the motor down while lifting the tilt, however it was too late...(in hindsight.. I should have shut down as soon as teh weeds were seen!). Chalk up #2 to lake Mindemoya...
I crawled over the swim platform and had a close look at my chewed up prop.. Ugg..... We were able to slowly limp back to the ramp. I was basically idling as there was quite a bit of vibration... Once the boat was pulled out of the water, I could clearly see the trashed prop and the newly mangled skeg... I now feel silly for being concerned about the small bend in the skeg when I bought the boat...
Anyway... not a very happy day on Sunday...

Ok, now come the questions to all the experienced boater gurus..
1) I had a 14.25 X 23 prop. Should I replace it with the same, or go with a change since I now have to replace the prop? We generally will only have 2 adults and 2 children in the boat at any given time. (18ft four winns with 4.3 volvo)

2) What would be the best skeg repair? I'm leaning towards the blackfin as it will completely cover up my misjudgement, however there seems to be others on the market.

3) What should I be watching for regarding the bottom end ? It doesn't seem to be leaking any oil, and the inside oil still is clean.. mind you I only limped back to the ramp so it wasn't in the water long after the smacking...

Ok, thanks for your help and sorry for the long winded story...

I suppose all education comes at a cost...

Regards,

Rod.

 

[danond]

Re: bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

Ok, now come the questions to all the experienced boater gurus..
1) I had a 14.25 X 23 prop. Should I replace it with the same, or go with a change since I now have to replace the prop? We generally will only have 2 adults and 2 children in the boat at any given time. (18ft four winns with 4.3 volvo)

23 pitch is quite a bit. I'd suggest 19. Better hole shot.

2) What would be the best skeg repair? I'm leaning towards the blackfin as it will completely cover up my misjudgement, however there seems to be others on the market.

Get it replaced and stop hitting sandbars. Slow down in water you're not familiar with. A new one can be welded on.

3) What should I be watching for regarding the bottom end ? It doesn't seem to be leaking any oil, and the inside oil still is clean.. mind you I only limped back to the ramp so it wasn't in the water long after the smacking...

If your prop was aluminum, there's likely no additional damage. You may have bent the prop shaft, but it doesn't sound like you hit it too hard. Put a new prop on and spin it by hand. If it wobbles, your prop shaft is bent.

 

[45Auto]

Re: bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

1) I had a 14.25 X 23 prop. Should I replace it with the same, or go with a change since I now have to replace the prop? We generally will only have 2 adults and 2 children in the boat at any given time. (18ft four winns with 4.3 volvo)

Did you happen to do a top speed run (known as WOT - Wide Open Throttle) and notice the RPM's of the engine? If it was turning between 4400 - 4800 RPM the existing prop was probably right. If the max RPM was low (I doubt if it was high with a 23" on a 4.3), then you want to drop the prop pitch to get it into the recommended RPM range. Figure about 200 RPM increase for every inch of pitch you drop the prop. If you want more acceleration for pulling up skiers, you can also drop the pitch but then you'll have to be careful that an inexperienced driver doesn't over-rev the motor.

2) What would be the best skeg repair? I'm leaning towards the blackfin as it will completely cover up my misjudgement, however there seems to be others on the market

Best skeg repair would be getting it welded and professionally repainted. It'll be identical to new. Probably run $500 - $600 to have someone do it. See this thread: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=282896&highlight=lucky+skeg+break

Most practical for most people is one of the bolt-on or glue-on covers. Go with whichever one you think looks best.

3) What should I be watching for regarding the bottom end ? It doesn't seem to be leaking any oil, and the inside oil still is clean.. mind you I only limped back to the ramp so it wasn't in the water long after the smacking...

Spin the new prop once you get it bolted on and see if it wobbles. If it does, you bent the shaft. That's pretty rare though. Check the oil level and check it for water after the next time you take it out, then don't worry about it anymore and enjoy the boat!

 

[wired1236]

Re: bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

Sorry to hear about the "incenden" but feel better in that it won't be your last.

I have pretty much the same set up, (18.5' w/ same engine & drive). I run a 19" SS four blade which puts me right at top WOT RPM when loaded with four adults and a great hole shot. Also gets me up on plane at lower speeds and faster than my other aluminum 21" 3 blade which is what came with the boat. (I use the aluminum for when I am in a spot I don't know very well... hint, hint...it's a lot cheaper to replace) Same top speed at WOT too as the 21".

If you can get your hands on a 21" aluminum and see how it does at WOT, (does it top out at 4600 RPM which is what you want), then go from there and get another prop that fits what you want as far as hole shot, top speed, etc for what your doing with your boat.

 

[Rod St. John]

Re: bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

Thanks to everyone for the quick replies !! I forgot to mention that the only thing that I seemed to do right was on the 4 hour ride home... my wife looked over at me and asked if I was more upset about the ring, or the prop and skeg.... I passed the test !!

Anyway, regarding props... I do have the spare prop that came with the boat.. it is a 14.5 x 23. It has a couple of minor nicks on 2 of the blades. I'll run that at WOT and see where the revs top out. If it is lower than 4800, I'll likely pick up a new 21" prop as recommended.

Regarding the skeg... I'm particular about things "being right", so I'll likely pick up a black fin for now, then take the bottom end off in the winter and have it repaired properly (and change seals etc. while I'm at it.)

Here's another question... why doesn't the drive have a "break away" feature like an outboard, where the motor will pop up if it hit's something ? I realize that you could only go really slow in reverse, but it might save a few bucks if you hit something.
However... I suppose that the proper answer is to just NOT HIT ANYTHING !!

Thanks again

Regards,

Rod.

 

[45Auto]

Re: bent "fin" on the bottom of 4.3 Volvo Penta

why doesn't the drive have a "break away" feature like an outboard, where the motor will pop up if it hit's something ?

It does have a break-away feature, there's a pressure relief valve in the trim system. Just think of the damage you could have done if it wasn't there!