How important is the trolling motor skeg

[Illinois Hunter]

I was recently down on the White river in Arkansas and broke the skeg off of my new Motorguide w75 wireless trolling motor. How important is the skeg, and do I need to tear it down and replace the center section to replace the skeg

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: How important is the trolling motor skeg

the skeg did what it was suppose to do, protect the prop. it also acts as a rudder when moving slow.

 

[wcsparky05]

Re: How important is the trolling motor skeg

how bad is it? you might be able to get off cheap and quick with those skeg covers. i'm not sure what they are called. something you may want to look into.

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: How important is the trolling motor skeg

If you have some aluminum rivets, a drill, access to 1/16" aluminum and an angle grinder/tin snips, you can VERY easily make your own. The skeg on my Johnson broke off because the motor lock let go and it hit the ground while trailering it. I used an old aluminum sign (1/8" thick, too thick) that my dads company had lying around, bent it in half, approximated the angle the top needed to be cut and trimmed it, fitted and trimmed until it followed the right line of the motor. From there I just clamped it on and drilled holes across the line of the break for the rivets. Riveted it on and then riveted along the backside about 1/4" in from the line I had drawn to close up the gap and then used a cut off blade and grinding pad to finish it off. Wasn't SUPER pretty but it did what it had to do until I broke it off again being dumb. Now I don't have one and am just careful.

Just a little information if you don't feel like spending a bunch of cash on a skeg cover and are handy with tools.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: How important is the trolling motor skeg

You guys be nice and don't whack me on this....

Off topic....Were you anywhere near Clarendon or Holly Grove?

I spent a week as a kid there as a guest of a family friend who had a "lake house" on the river bluff under the trees. Walkway went down to the floating dock where the John boat was tied. Had a big screened in porch with cots so that after you had a big lunch of fresh-caught fried fish/puppies/fries, salad, and iced tea, you could lie down for a nice nap. AHHHHHH life is good!!!!

In those days Martin 6 hp was the hottest thing on the river. Next was the green Johnson 5 1/2. Friends had a 360 degree John 3 hp.

Fished with crickets and a cane pole and caught the biggest perch I ever saw in my life....will never forget the experience.
----------------------------------
Now, back to the topic,

I personally wouldn't be bothered with a skeg on a TM. I think the opportunity to mess up the motor's seals would outweigh trying to fabricate/fix one.

So you hit something with your composite/plastic prop? Big deal. Will probably survive, if not, new (spares) aren't all that expensive....I carried a spare for a Minn-Kota (the big 2 blade, large diameter, high torque one that I knew I'd break a blade off) for 7 years and never used it.

My 2c

Mark