78 merc 900 cracked rudder

[Bigreddon]

I hit something with the lower unit and it destroyed the prop and it bent and cracked the "rudder" fin on the bottom of the lower unit. It's bent to one side, and cracked about 3/4 of the way from back to front. Can this be bent back and welded to fill the crack? I managed to limp her home at 2000 rpm before the vibrations took over. Anyone ever done this?

 

[tpenfield]

Skeg, is the word. Rudder word be a separate steering device.

Probably fixable by a welding shop.

 

[MTboatguy]

Are you talking about the Skeg? If so, then it can be repaired but you are going to have to find a welding shop that knows how to work an older aluminum. That said, it might be cheaper to find a good used lower unit, welding shops can be expensive for this type of work. If the prop is all bent up, you are going to need to check gears and drive shaft to see if they have any damage.

 

[Mi duckdown]

Post pics

 

[emckelvy]

Be sure to drain out the gear oil before having the skeg repaired, otherwise heat from the welding process might cause the fluid to expand and blow out the rubber seals. Leave the "vent" screw slightly loose so air pressure doesn't build up inside.

G'luck with the repair.........ed

 

[Bigreddon]

I thought skeg might be the word. From my old surfing days! I drove for another 30 minutes after the fact...I am pretty sure there's no gear damage, but I'm going to pull it part and check. Thanks guys!

 

[Chris1956]

A good welder can fix it without draining the gearoil. Remember, excessive heat will destroy the rubber seals, so you want to keep it full of gearoil.

 

[gm280]

Yes a good welder can make it look like it never happened. However, I'll bet they demand it be removed and gutted to do the proper type weld. And that is what I did for mine. Then you will have to prime and repaint the area to make it look good again. But your answer is yes!

 

[Chris1956]

I cracked the skeg clean off. Merc sells replacements, BTW. The welder I used kept the heat down, so I did not have to strip the gearcase, which is a big job. I recommend you find a welder who can keep the heat down, so you do not need to strip the gearcase.

 

[Bigreddon]

Found a guy locally on craigslist mentioning skeg repairs. $125. He was an ex fabricator working at home. 18 hour turnaround, and although he saved the original material, it wasn't perfectly staright. The welds were amazing. He only charged me $75. Sold my boat this weekend with the repair and new prop. After the new floor and outgrowing the 15' tri hull...made $800 and bought an 18' seaswirl inboard!!! Woo hoo!!! Please don't ask about my first day in the water...please.