Busted my skeg and demolished my prop!!!!!!!

[racer-x]

Okay guys - first the disclaimer. I am new to boating.... it's my first boat, second time out.
I was travelling slowly, so my kids could watch these small silver fish (schools actually) play in the froth of my wake..... along the shore of Lake Ontario.
Well low and behold, the sand bar was a rock bar, and the hydraulics don't let the engine lift!!!!

The skeg is now a sharp triangle, and the prop (aluminum 13.75 x 15) on my Force 90 is now about 11 x multiple pitches.... shapes, sharp edges......

My question is CAN THE SKEG BE REPAIRED???? The damage is below the lower casing.
Do I buy a new skeg and have it TIG welded on?????

I plan on buying a new prop of course. And no making fun of my Force engine! It got me home just fine at idle .... and the darn 2.5 Mercury kicker wouldn't start!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Busted my skeg and demolished my prop!!!!!!!

Chances are you won't notice the difference with a chunk of the skeg missing. It was there to sort of protect the prop and that obviously doesn't always work as well as planned. So you've lost that little bit of protection and there is no real nead to have it repaired. The prop is another matter. Before you run the engine with a new prop, check the prop shaft to ensure it's not bent. You can do this by placing a bucket, block of wood, jack stand or any other object about as high as the center of the prop. Hold or fasten a pencil, piece of wire, or other sharp object to the block so it points exactly at the center of the prop shaft. You could even clamp a piece of wire to the antiventilation plate if you wish. Now spin the prop. The shaft should not wobble around the pointer. If it does the shaft is bent and will need repair or replacement. Failure to do so will eventually destroy the lower unit.

 

[racer-x]

Re: Busted my skeg and demolished my prop!!!!!!!

Yes I was extremely worried about the bottom end.
The aluminum prop bent up nicely, and it was a low rpm excursion in rototilling the lake bed.
Limping the boat in at low rpm didn't feel too bad, but a more detailed look at the shaft is a great idea.
I will look into getting the skeg repaired. It tried to do its job

 

[rndn]

Re: Busted my skeg and demolished my prop!!!!!!!

Where in Lake Ontario did you hit the rock?

 

[KnottyBuoyz]

Re: Busted my skeg and demolished my prop!!!!!!!

Welcome to the wonderful world of boating Racer-X. You've popped your cherry so to speak. I think it's a mandatory requirement to chew up at least one prop before you can actually call yourself a boater.

The advise given is sound. A good prop shop can repair your skeg but maybe not the prop if it's spun out the hub. They can probably check the runout on your shaft as well. Might be worth investigating having your old prop repaired as a spare so that the next time you decide to dig a trench in the bottom of Lake Ontario you can swap it out to get home!

Cheers and welcome aboard.

 

[waynerds74]

Re: Busted my skeg and demolished my prop!!!!!!!

I did the same thing last summer. My shaft was not bent, so, I replaced the prop and installed a Skeggaurd where my skegg used to be. Just like it never happened.

 

[External Combustion]

Re: Busted my skeg and demolished my prop!!!!!!!

Don't be too ashamed of the price of your education. As said the major concern is whether or not the shaft is bent at this point. You were given the tools to find out. Propellers are relatively cheap. Cracked and leaking hulls less so, and damaged or permanently broken passengers beyond price.

If the broken skeg really bothers you or affects your perfomance, then a trip to your local welder that does a lot of tig welding is the answer. Don't go to the jokers that say they can do it, but have no examples of their work. Have them show you examples that were done within the last month or give you at least three references. (Check them out or the references don't count). By keeping the gearbox cool while TIGing the skeg all can be set right. You might not need this done though. Run your engine with a replacement prop and see if you do.

I have been lucky. The only time I had fatal rototilling was with a 5 hp Sea King and the shear pin broke. I had a good set of oars on board and no one was the wiser.........except me! I have since learned to read the water and feel the helm crawl away from shallow water. The pitch of the engine will change ususally fast enough for an "Oh ....." moment to allow you to steer away or shut off the engine.

Welcome to life on the water!

Hope to see you around the waterfront.

 

[racer-x]

Re: Busted my skeg and demolished my prop!!!!!!!

Thanks for the sound advice everybody!

It appears the skeg and soft aluminum prop did their job and protected the bottom end from damage.

The skeg being gone is not a huge deal, but it offers a bit of protection.

I am going to go with a stainless skeg replacement. They look like they are an easy install, and affordable. If anybody has had a good experience with one, drop me a line.

As far as props go, I am going composite (Piranha). I will have at least one set of extra blades on board!

Hopefully no more lakebed farming for me.........

 

[tommays]

Re: Busted my skeg and demolished my prop!!!!!!!

I would buy a CHART