Straightening skeg?

[DumbBass]

I had an encounter with an sand/oyster bar today . The bottom, trailing edge of my motor's skeg is bent about 1/2" to 3/"4 out of alignment. Steering is pulling to starboard. What is the best way to straighten the skeg back to original alignment. Also, picked up a couple of dings in the aluminum prop. I assume I can use a file to smooth out these dings. Motor is an '89 Johnson 60 HP.

 

[merc16]

Re: Straightening skeg?

dumbass<br />when i bent mine i used some "gentil force with a hammer" and with my prop dont hammer too hard at all

 

[DumbBass]

Re: Straightening skeg?

Thanks gent! I figured I could do it that way but wanted to make sure!

 

[Solittle]

Re: Straightening skeg?

DumbBass - Going to disagree with merc on this one maybe. Thise skegs are quite brittle. You might get lucky and not break it but there is a risk. You could compensate for the pull by adjusting the trim tab. On my 23' both (twins)are bent about 1/2" and runs fine.