Damaged skeg

[Ski213]

Guys I wanted some opinions on this. Pics below I've done some searching around and have heard/read a wide variety of advice that range from do nothing to replace the lu housing. 

 

I dont know for sure how it happened. There was no impressive impact. Yesterday I hit a submerged stump at low speed (trolling motor on high) and I also may have bumped the ramp when loading on the trailer. The prop appears untouched. There is  a touch of end play but that was there before. I don't think there has been any increase. 

 

Outboard is a 225. Boat is typically run mid 60s. I've heard what you can/can't do to fix it depends a lot on operating speeds. Thanks. 

[A-Jay]

Perhaps a Skeggard could work.

https://skeggard.com/

A-Jay

[Jeff H]

Your only hope is a steel block and wooden mallet to beat it back into shape.  If it's cracked at all it'll break and then you need to weld in a new piece. You won't get it perfect but it will be better if you take your time.

[Al Wolbach]

4 hours ago, Jeff H said:

Your only hope is a steel block and wooden mallet to beat it back into shape.  If it's cracked at all it'll break and then you need to weld in a new piece. You won't get it perfect but it will be better if you take your time.

 I would do this

 

4 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Perhaps a Skeggard could work.

https://skeggard.com/

A-Jay

 And if it breaks do this

[Ski213]

Thanks guys I'll give it a shot. 

[Team9nine]

Looks like you're only bent and not broken, though you might end up at the latter trying to straighten it. I had a much worse scenario, but can happily report that the Skeggard works fine, just as advertised.

 

[IndianaFinesse]

Did that, a couple of times... A safer way to bend it back is to place a flat piece of wood on each side of the skeg, and clamp the skeg between the pieces of wood with a heavy duty clamp or two, and tighten it enough to put a lot of pressure on it.  Leave it on overnight, and if it hasn't straightened out add more pressure.  You can't add to much pressure (within reason). The wood and clamps spreads force evenly over the entire skeg, which has less chance of breaking it than pounding on it with a mallet.  Worked for me a couple of times, and I have yet to break a skeg.

[Ski213]

I really appreciate the advice. 

 

I ended up tapping around on it with mallet and a piece of hardwood backing it up. It's what I had immediately available. It came back pretty easy. Maybe too easy. It almost looks like the tip of the skeg is a different composition than the rest. Maybe fixed before. If so they did a dang good job of blending it though.

 

Boat originally came out of east TN and there's a rock or two in some of the lakes where it probably spent a lot of time. It's definitely possible that it has had some skeg damage and repair in the past. 

 

I think I'll add a skeg guard, as suggested, now that I have it mostly straight and feel like structurally the skeg is okay. Probably would have not been an issue if I had it in place to begin with.

 

I appreciate everybody's everybody's help. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NHBull]

I have had a couple look like that....

 

The skegguard is a great fix and doesn't require much sled to bolt through.

 

if worse comes to worst, most welding shops will build a new one for 250.00.

 

My buddy got his done for 100.00 plus a case of beer

[RippinLips57]

Same thing happened to our lil 16ft Lowe, hit a log while on the trolling motor so we heated it up with a propane bottle and straitened it with a pair of pliers. My dads 25 hydrasport came with a bent skeg too and we did the same thing.