Skeg repair?

[Take-a-Gander]

Anyone have a recommendation for welder in SE Mn to repair a skeg ASAP?
Thanks
Ta*G

[Fish Felon]

How bad is it? Pics?

[Fish Felon]

I'd put up a listing on Craigslist.....well, first check the "marine services" for your area.

Honestly?

If I was looking for my skeg to get welded on the fly....I'd be trying to find some tweaker who can do it out of their garage....cash deal....I've know a fair amount of dudes who could have that thing done tomorrow for a hundred bucks cash. There's one I would've actually referred you to but he died of cancer back in June at age 46.

Any shop is going to be backed up and charge you up the ass. Craigslist....dude who isn't licensed, insured, an actual business.....just a tweaker with a welder in a garage that'd stay up all night getting it done right to make a little cash to support their habit while helping a dude out.

Good Luck!

[Take-a-Gander]

How bad is it? Pics?

Pretty much totally gone.

[Fish Felon]

Bad deal......two questions.....

1. Can you give us an update? If fixed....who did it, how much did it set you back, turnaround time, and what'd they do (weld it versus new lower unit)

2. How did it happen?

My guess is running a sand bar.....prop would be damaged if it happened during transport.. .skeg looks to be ground down.

I promise.....no judgment zone....at least from myself since I've fukced up enough boats and motors in my day doing really dumb shit to never pass too much judgment on anyone for a boat mishap.

My prop guy in Brainerd pointed out to me when I had bought the wrong stainless prop and was dead set on going stainless,

"Maybe the manufacturer ships them out with aluminum for a reason....like having the prop break before a bunch of other more expensive shit does..."

He was right in my opinion, but it still didn't save me from bending my prop shaft after smoking a rock on the river, which set me back $1100 and a month off the water. I must have hit a rock that was like a cliff face by just clipping it perfectly where the prop nailed it straight out from the side because the skeg and rest of the lower unit didn't have a scratch on it. There's not much clearance on the side but that had to be what happened. My mechanic and myself were both perplexed at how an aluminum prop could take that bad of a blow without breaking a blade off and somehow still bend the prop shift....mechanic said it's the worst he's ever seen....never seen one as badly bent as mine.

Point of sharing that is I'm wondering if instead of stainless....you had aluminum on....if you'd simply be swapping out props versus welding back an entire skeg or possibly installing a new lower unit.

Regardless, I hope it got fixed fast, well, and cheap for your sake.

[Mallard_maniac]

"Maybe the manufacturer ships them out with aluminum for a reason....like having the prop break before a bunch of other more expensive shit does..."

.

Say what you want about them but as popular as they've gotten, I know a metric ton of people now that have gone the economy route and bought into the thai longtail MM kits from SPS (probably others also). Their whole thing is sending the MM w/ aluminum props as they want that to be the weakest most disposable part. Almost all have had to replace a prop from time to time but it's $20 vs a couple hundred and no messed up shafts, ujoints, etc..... When I heard that it made total and complete sense....

They seem to get to the tough to get to places as fast as our American MM's with less ego and less cost.

[Take-a-Gander]

Still waiting on my repair, hope to have it back by Thursday.
FF (backstory) I was on LOTW last October and hit a rock in the middle of 4 mile. Took a chunk off the bottom of the skeg but didn’t seem to have any other damage, hunted around home with no issues, last hunt of the season late November hit a sandbar on the Mississippi and took out some gears in the lower unit. Had the lower unit and skeg repaired. Fast forward to my latest incident hit presumably another rock on a lake I hunt frequently, it is lower than I have ever seen. There is a bar in a narrow area that separates the lower and upper lake. I trimmed up and idled down thru it with no issue. Got into what I thought would be clear and just got on plane when I smoked the rock. Took it back into the same shop that fixed it last year. They think it broke where it did because of previous weld? Have to take everything out of the housing to re-weld the repair. I think you may be on to something about the stainless prop, if I had aluminum way back when I hit the first time may not have damaged the gears? Next thought is find an empty used housing and rebuild.

Sorry for the long winded reply.

I swear I am cursed with boat motors. It would take me too much space to cover all my motor crap.

[Take-a-Gander]

Got it back looks good as new!
I am going to ditch the SS prop for a Solas Hub prop. Won’t help with future potential skeg damage but if I hit something it may prevent further lower unit damage.

[emptymag]

Heck yeah! Now get out there. 2-3 day’s next week look good with a NW wind. Calendar migrators will be coming.

[Take-a-Gander]

Heck yeah! Now get out there. 2-3 day’s next week look good with a NW wind. Calendar migrators will be coming.

Leave on Sunday for a trip north. North wind looks promising!