I just hate to see a nicked skeg too!
To me, putting a skeg guard on looks like you are trying to hide something, which in your case you would be. But more importantly the next time you hit something (and there will be a next time) far more damage will occur as the stainless will not give like aluminum and the holes you have to drill will weaken the skeg, giving a leverage point to the bolts. The skeg may very well snap off at the bolt lines at next strike.
Reserve welding for serious situations, like when the skeg snaps off at a bolt line that results from mounting a skeg guard.
I have damaged the skeg on my VP DPS-A twice and repaired it both times with Metalset A4 Aluminum Filled 2-Part Epoxy by Smooth-On. It is very easy to work with but does take several days to do it right due to the cure time and the nature of the entire process. In and of itself the expoxy is not that expensive to purchase but combined with purchasing aluminum cleaner, Alodine, primer, paint and miscellaneous supplies your first experience will probably run over $100 but you will be set for the next occurrence. A quality repair will be undetectable and hold up to the stress of normal operation. (I have no affiliations with any of the products mentioned. Just a very satisfied user.) If you decide to go this route I will be pleased to post up a more detailed process flow.
