new skeg? mig or tig

slow426

Cadet
Joined
Jun 15, 2011
Messages
16
can i have my skeg tig welded on while the lower unit is still on motor n boat? also has anyone mig welded one on? thanx..
 

fucawi

Banned
Joined
May 18, 2011
Messages
1,039
Re: new skeg? mig or tig

I use to weld these using Mig but no problem with tig ..if it was a small motor it was better with the lower unit off but if you tilt it up and turn it to full lock its not a problem....whilst welding back up the new piece with stainless steel plate clamped on the the back ..wont stick to the ali and aligns it ..make it extra large ..trim afterwards .
 

pnwboat

Rear Admiral
Joined
Oct 8, 2007
Messages
4,251
Re: new skeg? mig or tig

Depending on what size motor. Whether or not the lower unit is attached or not is not that big of a deal, depends on the welder's preference. It's much easier to weld if the lower unit is removed. The problem is welding heat. On the larger motors 85HP and above, the casting is pretty substantial and as a result you may end up putting a lot of heat into the weld. The lower unit gets pretty hot and you may end up damaging the seals in the larger motors. The spool seals are pretty close to the skeg. Safest way is to pull the spool assy out with the seals (replace seals if necessary) and TIG weld it. That's the way I do it and have not had any problems. I'm sure there are other ways to do it, but this has worked well for me.

Never tried to MIG weld aluminum since I have a TIG welder. I've heard of some folks using the Alumaweld product with a blow torch but I've never tried it. All of those products like the Alumaweld are basically a zinc alloy with a melting point of about 750? F.
 

fucawi

Banned
Joined
May 18, 2011
Messages
1,039
Re: new skeg? mig or tig

The tig is quite slow ..with the Mig you will be across the width in 5-10 seconds ..remove stainless turn over and do other side ...
 
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