Skeg is Bent, try to straighten?

[pwilke]

the skeg on my 90 120hp force is bent, you know it looks a little like Orka the killer whale's fin. I would say the tip is bent about 3/4" out from being perfectly straight. Should I try to straighten it? is this that much of an issue? thanks for any advise.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Skeg is Bent, try to straighten?

Skegs are cast as one piece with the lower unit. castings are brittle. You get the first bend and usually that's it. If it really bothers you, yes, you can try to straighten it BUT you must do it in small increments and work slowly with two hammers. Even then, you may get to a point and it will just snap. So if it doesn't bother you, best to leave it alone.

 

[RRitt]

Re: Skeg is Bent, try to straighten?

other than plow sand ... what does the skeg do?

 

[walleyedan2]

Re: Skeg is Bent, try to straighten?

most prop shops can rebuild or straighten the skeg for you

 

[john from md]

Re: Skeg is Bent, try to straighten?

Rebending the skeg will cause it to harden the aluminum and it will crack. Just cut it off at the straightest part and buy a replacement from either Westmarine or Overton's.

John