Broke off the whole skeg, replace whole lower unit?

Alright so I ran-a-ground and my skeg broke clean off on my 1987 SeaRay Alpha 1, Gen 1 with the Magnum 350 motor. There's about a 1 inch sliver left, on the whole length of the drive. The SS prop suffered very minor damage and the drive is not leaking and is quiet. We've put about 2-3 hours on the boat with the skeg missing with zero issues.

I've sourced a used lower unit from a 1989 350 magnum Alpha 1,Gen. 1 that the owner claims is fine and that the upper unit is toast. He'll sell me the lower unit which he claims is fine for $100. The skeg on his is in good shape. He says the gimbal bearing went which ate up the upper gears. The boat had 290 hours on it when the bearing and gears blew out. He's since replaced it and has the whole outdrive for sale "for parts".

Now, should I not bother with this used one in fear that it's blown and go diving for the skeg that fell off my drive and see if it can be welded back on?

Or should I go with this used one and hope it doesn't blow apart?

Or should I take the guts from mine and install them in the casing of this used one knowing that my internals are good and have been properly maintained other than the skeg breaking off...?

Does one need special tools to remove and reassemble the internals of the lower unit?

Re: Broke off the whole skeg, replace whole lower unit?

Call your local prop shop, they can weld on a new skeg

Re: Broke off the whole skeg, replace whole lower unit?

Yep mine was completely broken and they fixed it for $150.00. You don't want any part of a drive that has had metal parts running through it.

Re: Broke off the whole skeg, replace whole lower unit?

Just get one of these http://www.iboats.com/T-H-Marine-Re...72611441--session_id.322261643--view_id.40152 and have your local prop shop weld it on.

Re: Broke off the whole skeg, replace whole lower unit?

The skeg provides some steering/stability, but is mostly there to protect the prop. You can run without the skeg ... I know I did for about 4 years before the engine went south and needed replaced (not because of the lack of skeg). A good welder that knows what he is doing can weld a piece back on since you have about an inch left, but be careful not to generate too much heat when doing it or you can damage your seals and gaskets.

I have heard of some that have been able to repair the skeg by welding for as little as $40 or $50. Guess the choice is yours, run it as is and risk damaging the prop easier, get a weld job, or replace the lower unit. You know what I did ...

Re: Broke off the whole skeg, replace whole lower unit?

My friend broke his off at the ramp. He had a new one welded on and it looked liked new again.

Re: Broke off the whole skeg, replace whole lower unit?

Howdy,

Being a closet GTAW (TIG) welder myself, I am interested in welding on just about anything aluminum.

I found this video on Youtube. It will give you an idea of how it's done!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVS6qfveLG4

Cheers,

Rick