Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

[mnypitboat]

OK so Mercruiser 5.0 EFI with an Alpha in an 08 Monterey. Wife, at idle, says to me that it felt like she hit something and she said the boat slowed down. Nothing visable above the surface of the water, in 8 ft of water. I had just closed the rear hatch and told her she was imagining things and told her she just didnt put it all the way in gear so it popped out. Well, when we pulled the boat out the entire bottom of the skeg is broken clean off. No scuffs, nothing. Otherwise perfect. Prop is perfect. I have no idea how this could have happened.

And NO I didnt drag it on the boat ramp, and with this boat, I have not ever drug it.

So on to my question. An old salt, former marina owner, told me to just have someone weld a new one on. I was thinking as far up as its broken, I would have to replace the bottom housing.

What are my options? It is broken almost at the bullet looking part that the prop, so a simple repair seems unlikely.

 

[mercs4mark]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

Take it to your local prop shop they fix them all the time

 

[alldodge]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

The last time my wife broke the boat she wasn't even in the boat, but I back to the question.

Someone who is good at welding aluminum can weld a new skeg on. If the welder doesn't mention it don't grind down the weld smooth to make it look good, it will only break again.

 

[tazrig]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

What are my options?

First shoot the wife... Then, as mentioned above take it to a reputable prop shop only they will be able to assess if there is enough metal left to weld a new skeg onto. Either way was the prop hit? You might want to also look at the Dimple in the middle of the prop shaft and spin the prop by hand. You want to make sure the dimple stays centered while spinning. If it is wobbling then you bent your propellor shaft as well and that will need to be looked at. If the prop wasn't hit and the shaft spins true, you dodged a bullet. If they can't weld on a skeg then you will need to take your propeller shaft along with all the bearings, seals and other assorted goodies out of the old casing and put it into a new casing. That being said, you don't absolutely need to have a skeg to run the boat. It protects the prop, helps with steering and it's MUCH better to have one than not but if it comes down to being able to use the boat or not use the boat because of the cost of the repair then the boat can still be used so long as the skeg didn't beak off so high up that you are now leaking drive oil.

Good luck. Hope they can just weld on a new one for you and that your propellor and propellor shaft are fine.

 

[achris]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

New skeg ready to weld on... Mercury part# -90185A1, $55

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

Depending on how far up it is broken off, will need to dissemble the lower unit. It will get very hot while welding and ruin the rubber seals.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

Depending on how far up it is broken off, will need to dissemble the lower unit. It will get very hot while welding and ruin the rubber seals.

My buddy told me this too. I think I need a puller to get some of the items out dont I?

tazrig, we were in a no wake zone in plenty of water. So yeah the wife was driving, but I dont think it much mattered who was driving. Since we didnt realize we really hit something we put about 2 hours of drive time on it afterward. It was pretty rough, but I didnt notice any adverse effects. No shaking, or weird handling issues. So I think I dodged a bullet on that.

Unless I feel something weird on the next outing(nowthat I know its broken off), I think I am going to wait til after summer to fix it.

achris, I found another brand for $30. Do you guys think it should be a Mercruiser part or can I just get any brand and save a couple bucks. I dont mind spending the extra if it actually matters, but if not I dont see the point of paying a premium for Mercruiser.

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[alldodge]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

My buddy told me this too. I think I need a puller to get some of the items out dont I?

tazrig, we were in a no wake zone in plenty of water. So yeah the wife was driving, but I dont think it much mattered who was driving. Since we didnt realize we really hit something we put about 2 hours of drive time on it afterward. It was pretty rough, but I didnt notice any adverse effects. No shaking, or weird handling issues. So I think I dodged a bullet on that.

Unless I feel something weird on the next outing(nowthat I know its broken off), I think I am going to wait til after summer to fix it.

achris, I found another brand for $30. Do you guys think it should be a Mercruiser part or can I just get any brand and save a couple bucks. I dont mind spending the extra if it actually matters, but if not I dont see the point of paying a premium for Mercruiser.

Thanks for all the help guys.

You will need some special tools to get the lower unit apart if it is needed. A good welder would be able to advise if they can get it done without over heating but it will need to be a good welder. So far as aftermarket skag it doesn't matter, save the bucks.

 

[tazrig]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

mnypitboat, I was just kidding about the wife comment!:laugh: As far as the replacement skeg goes (and ask your welder this to confirm) the Merc drive is made from a special alloy unique to merc. If you use their skeg you are getting the exact same alloy and I believe it is easier and better and a stronger resulting weld to weld 2 of the same metals together. If you go with a generic it won't be the same alloy metal and may not be as strong or come out looking as good. Other than that it is just a fin on the bottom of your drive.

 

[grewvin1]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

How bad does the boat handle? I've busted off many a skeg growing up on the water and most times never bothered until unit had to be removed for service. (now waiting for the ire of many a purist)

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

How bad does the boat handle? I've busted off many a skeg growing up on the water and most times never bothered until unit had to be removed for service. (now waiting for the ire of many a purist)

It didnt handle any differant that I noticed, at least not in 3-4 foot chop. It was a rough day so I will try it in smooth water this week. I guess the big thing is that when I am not in the water people will see it and not know what happened and think I am some hack checkbook boater. LOL.

I am still having a hard time believing that it broke right off with such a little bump. I have hit floating logs just under the surface in murky water and bent props and cracked bottom ends but have never seen a broken skeg from such a light tap. I didnt even realize we hit anything. It jsut felt like the shifter wasnt fully in gear and popped out. No loud bang, no throwing the occupants flying, nothing. Just a slight bump.

Here is a picture. Do you suppose one of those stainless skeg protector/repair units would work temporarily, til after the summer?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

I am still having a hard time believing that it broke right off with such a little bump.

That's because you actually hit something last week while you were driving and your wife's hit just finished the job.

You should feel bad for blaming your wife!

 

[Don S]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

All it takes is a log (even a small one) to get between a stainless steel prop and the aluminum skeg and the skeg looses.
The skeg is there to protect the prop, not for keeping the steering straight or making the boat handle better.
Can it be fixed, yes, you can buy replacement skegs and any good welding shop can weld one on for you.
Marine prop shops are typically well equipped for that job, and may even have the replacements.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

That's because you actually hit something last week while you were driving and your wife's hit just finished the job.

You should feel bad for blaming your wife!

Trust me, I have thought about that. The last time I remember hitting anything was over a year ago. I suppose it could have caused a stress crack and that light bump maybe did finish it off.

Don, I am wondering why they would do something that would break something that costs way more than a prop repair, that is supposed to protect the prop. But I know that is the case. I am thinking I would rather have to repair the prop than the skeg, or worse yet, the bottom of the out drive if it had cracked the housing.

I am trying to find a local shop to do the work, but not having much luck. They all seem to want to replace the whole housing.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

Can anyone tell me if one of these will work?

Panther 35-SS625 Safe-Skeg : Amazon.com : Automotive

 

[Don S]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

Don, I am wondering why they would do something that would break something that costs way more than a prop repair, that is supposed to protect the prop. But I know that is the case. I am thinking I would rather have to repair the prop than the skeg, or worse yet, the bottom of the out drive if it had cracked the housing.

It protects the prop from dragging on ramps, shallow water when hit straight on etc. Had you had an aluminum prop, you may still have a skeg.
You can also trim your drive down with the skeg there and the prop will not hit the driveway first when running on muffs. Without the skeg, the prop hits first and easily bends one blade.
Not all skegs just break off at first contact.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

It protects the prop from dragging on ramps, shallow water when hit straight on etc. Had you had an aluminum prop, you may still have a skeg.
You can also trim your drive down with the skeg there and the prop will not hit the driveway first when running on muffs. Without the skeg, the prop hits first and easily bends one blade.
Not all skegs just break off at first contact.

Yeah, I thought about that after I posted. Do you think one of those things I posted will work temporarily? Is there enough material to grab?

 

[mercs4mark]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

That one is not even broke that bad a good prop shop will fix it and you won't even know it was fixed they do it all the time day after day. Find a prop shop

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

Take it to a local marine mechanic or prop shop. They should be able to weld on a new skeg for $100-150 bucks tops. I seriously doubt they'll remove any components on the drive to do it (for better or worse).

 

[mercs4mark]

Re: Wife broke the skeg clean off. What to do??

Oh and don't worry about buying a replacement they will either make one or have them on hand.