Has anyone made their own skeg guard?

[oldrudedude]

This is what the skeg looks like on my 1972 Johnson 100hp. Pretty chewed up. Looks like someone dragged it down the road for awhile. I have seen skeg guards online for $100-150. They look like folded SS plate. I have some light gauge SS plate that would work. I think I'm up for it. Has anyone else done this. Post pics

 

[nwcove]

Re: Has anyone made their own skeg guard?

i have never tried to fix one, but i did see a neat and tidy looking repair done. it used aircraft grade aluminum , that was picked up from a fab shop, from the scrap barrel. the guy that did the repair made it look "almost" like it was meant to be there, shaped it to look just like oe .

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: Has anyone made their own skeg guard?

Have a relacement skeg welded on. By a certified welder that knows his ***** and outboards.
That lowerend has been worked on before. Looking at the PIC.
See all the dimples on the Cone?

 

[nwcove]

Re: Has anyone made their own skeg guard?

the pitting on the lower unit looks more like galvanic corrosion than previous work. have a look at the anti cavitation plate, it looks to me like the zinc plate was never replaced, or painted over and made useless. a weld job would be better than a bolt on......but whats the budget? that involves a teardown and new gaskets/seals. if i were oldrudedude, and had the stuff to try the backyard fix, id go for it on the cheap!

 

[oldrudedude]

Re: Has anyone made their own skeg guard?

I have some nice aluminum billet that I would weld on myself if my welder had the power to weld aluminum, but it doesn't so a skeg guard will have to do for now. I have had this boat in the water for only a week and am still desiding if I should keep it. The motor is a doner from a boat that was headed for the dump. The pitting is from corrosion. The paintjob is mine. I have two OMC motors of this vintage. Neither have sacrificial anodes that I have seen. The other motor has no pitting although the paint on the LU is mostly worn off. I am looking for ideas on building a skeg guard. I realize it ain't rocket science....... just cutting and shaping.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Has anyone made their own skeg guard?

You could go through all the hassle, but it's really easier to shell out the $99 @ Overtons and replace your skeg with a factory built stainless steel piece. You just need 2" of skeg left to attach it to. I think it's a bolt on unit--not weld on.

 

[oldrudedude]

Re: Has anyone made their own skeg guard?

You could go through all the hassle, but it's really easier to shell out the $99 @ Overtons and replace your skeg with a factory built stainless steel piece. You just need 2" of skeg left to attach it to. I think it's a bolt on unit--not weld on.

I rarely consider building or repairing something a hassle. Usually a challenging and rewarding experience. Sourcing and shelling out $99 for something that might take an hour to build and install would be a hassle. Still open to ideas

 

[nwcove]

Re: Has anyone made their own skeg guard?

from the look of what you have, just be creative and go for the homefix! you dont have much to lose.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Has anyone made their own skeg guard?

http://www.iboats.com/Boat-Parts-Ac...089144--submit.Search--submit.x.0--submit.y.0

 

[5150abf]

Re: Has anyone made their own skeg guard?

I would just leave it alone, it doesn't affect performance at all and to fix it you will have to drill holes in what is left which will make it weaker, it doesn't look great now but whatever you put on it will get ripped off the first time you hit anything maybe taking the reat of the skeg with it.
I ran an engine with less skeg than that and really didn't notice a difference, my 2 pennies.

 

[G-Money]

Re: Has anyone made their own skeg guard?

I watched a guy repair the skeg on a brand new Bravo III drive because it was damaged in transport...big chunk taken out of it. The hauler backed the boat & trailer into the shop and an hour later it looked as good as new. You've just got to know what you are doing.