85hp 89 force skeg welding help!!

[lotusing]

Just as I went to order a skeggaurd I broke my skeg. There is very little left so I don't think that I can bolt a new one on so I was looking the weld the old one on. I took the prop off, drained the oil and wanted to know if the seals and gears can handle 750F? Is is difficult the change the rear seal?
Thanks

 

[milehighboater]

Re: 85hp 89 force skeg welding help!!

no they can not they are only soft rubber. You will have to remove the gears and seals before you weld. You also run the danger of catching any remaining oil on fire.

 

[lotusing]

Re: 85hp 89 force skeg welding help!!

Is it difficult to remove the lower gears on a 89' 85hp? I have done the impeller before and don't know if I need any special tools to do this job.

 

[pnwboat]

Re: 85hp 89 force skeg welding help!!

I just recently finished welding a skeg on a 1988 85 lower end. Hardest part is removing the spool assy. There is a special puller for this, but you don't absolutely have to have one. Just have to pull the spool assy. out perfectly straight with even pressure on both sides. Other than that, getting the shift rod pivot assy. back together took a couple of attempts.

 

[lotusing]

Re: 85hp 89 force skeg welding help!!

I just got off the phone with a force tech that works for Mercury and he said that there is a great possibility that I could warp the housing. Can that be true?

 

[pnwboat]

Re: 85hp 89 force skeg welding help!!

I guess it's possible, but I've never seen or heard of this happening before. I know that welding a replacement skeg on is not an uncommon repair. I use a TIG welder and while it does generate a lot of heat, I've not seen any evidence of warping.

 

[lotusing]

Re: 85hp 89 force skeg welding help!!

I am going to try one thing before I weld it. I am going to drop the lower drive, flip it upside down to get better adhesion, marine tex the old one on and when it dries,I will use alot of epoxy to go over it with a new plastic skeg protector that they sell at overton's. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Mark42]

Re: 85hp 89 force skeg welding help!!

I am going to try one thing before I weld it. I am going to drop the lower drive, flip it upside down to get better adhesion, marine tex the old one on and when it dries,I will use alot of epoxy to go over it with a new plastic skeg protector that they sell at overton's. Any thoughts on that?

Depends on how important a strong skeg is to you. If you just want the skeg to keep the prop from touching the pavement when the boat is on a trailer, epoxy will be fine. But it probably won't hold up to hitting a log or rock in the water.

If you want to save a few bucks, just epoxy it back on. Marine Tex is good. If you have some epoxy from laminating fiberglass, use it instead because it has no filler, and will be stronger than Marine Tex.

If you run expensive props, you should have it welded back on, as that will give your props real protection.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: 85hp 89 force skeg welding help!!

Yeah! Sooner or later you will "donate" your skeg to the river! Welding is the only option. I have had a couple welded and there is no apparent case warping. I use 3/8 hard aluminum plate and fabricate a new skeg. This will take a moderate hit on a rock without breaking--but you need to power sand out the ding. -----Don't ask! LOL

However, as said above, you must remove the spool and "O" rings. The gears will not get any appreciable heat as the aluminum case will wick most of it away but the forward bearing cup may be damaged.

The reverse gear and drive dog pull out with the drive shaft, but you MUST remove the pinion to remove the forward gear.

 

[lotusing]

Re: 85hp 89 force skeg welding help!!

Thanks guys for your help. I will bring it to a boat place and see if they can weld it. The other reason I thought about gluing it is that I put my boat in the back bays of the ocean so there is never any rock. Maybe some sand in low tide but that is rare. I thought that with the epoxy and the skeg protector and more epoxy that it would hold. Actually it would be cheaper to have someone weld it being that I have to buy the marine tex and the skeg protector at just over $100. This is a great forum by the way. Everyone is very helpful!

 

[MAXXIE]

Re: 85hp 89 force skeg welding help!!

This my seem radical & stupid to most here, but when I got my used bowrider w/85 hp Force, the skeg had a huge gouge out of the lead edge. It looked like crap for one & I'm quite sure did not help with performance. I was going to buy,(& still going to), a slip-on skeg guard. I saw it in Overton's catalog for $85.00. In the mean time, I was killing time the other day in the garage came across an unbelievable product that I had 1/2 of a tube left. "Billy Mays" "Mighty Putty". Go ahead & laugh, it works great. I cracked a pipe at a customers restaurant while installing a product my Co. sells at the main sink, It was the only thing I had so I gave it a shot, just for a quick fix. This stuff hardens like steel. Anyway, I figured what the hell, I'll give it a shot on the skeg. I mushed the mighty putty together & reformed the missing gouge on my skeg. Waited a day or two, sanded it down, rattle canned the skeg, & it looks brand new. I'm not sure if this would work in you situation, but thought I'd throw it out there. If you were to look at my skeg, you could not tell where the "filler" is. I ordered an extra large box of this stuff for emergency repairs on the water. If you got a smaller hole in the bottom of you boat, you could mix this stuff in a few min.'s, hop into the water, plug the hole, & go.

 

[Mark42]

Re: 85hp 89 force skeg welding help!!

I've fixed nicks and missing pieces the size of half a quarter on aluminum props with Marine Tex and other epoxy. Works well, because epoxy gets a good bite on aluminum, and the props are thicker than stainless, so there is more blade to adhere to. Done it a few times on the Evinrude 40 hp, and it makes the prop run smooth, eliminating vibration, and helps restore balance.

 

[lotusing]

Re: 85hp 89 force skeg welding help!!

Mighty putty? I never thought of that. I never knew someone who has tried it. I will do 2 things. I am going to Marine Tex then surround mighty putty around the crack then slid the skeg guard over everything. If it breaks off then I will have to get an aluminum skeg and have it welded properly. I will be a test rat for this experiment and will let everyone know if it works.