Re: Skeg Repair... Where to go, or what to buy...
for what it's worth, I have welded a skeg on before. It was not easy. First, it was a merc stern drive so heavy aluminum, needs lots of heat. was trying to avoid disassembly of the gearcase. So, used TIG. the skeg has to be welded from front to back or back to front. If you try to tack it front back and middle it will not work because uneven expansion will crack the tack welds. Next I welded about 1/2 inch at a time and allowed a couple of hours cooling inbetween. It needed welded from eachsidewith argon flooding the backside to keep the weld clean. It worked well. never any problems with the new skeg or the gearcase. I did change the oil in the gear case but the old stuff looked fine when it came out.
for what it's worth, I have welded a skeg on before. It was not easy. First, it was a merc stern drive so heavy aluminum, needs lots of heat. was trying to avoid disassembly of the gearcase. So, used TIG. the skeg has to be welded from front to back or back to front. If you try to tack it front back and middle it will not work because uneven expansion will crack the tack welds. Next I welded about 1/2 inch at a time and allowed a couple of hours cooling inbetween. It needed welded from eachsidewith argon flooding the backside to keep the weld clean. It worked well. never any problems with the new skeg or the gearcase. I did change the oil in the gear case but the old stuff looked fine when it came out.
