Assess Damage to Outboard Engine Skeg

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
bmat5
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2020 8:07 am

Assess Damage to Outboard Engine Skeg

Postby bmat5 » Tue Mar 30, 2021 10:19 pm

The skeg on my Mercury 90 appears to have been previously damaged and filed down by the prior owner. It's been re-contoured and is now lacking that sharp angle near the propeller and likely shortened up a bit.

skeg.jpg
Fig. 1. A view of damaged skeg.
skeg.jpg (10.56 KiB) Viewed 1683 times


How do I determine if the skeg is in need of a repair?

Does the damage necessitate a repair by welding more material onto the skeg?

A local shop not far from me the welds and repairs outboard engine skegs.

I haven't had this boat in the water yet. I am unable to determine how the skeg may effect performance.

jimh
Posts: 11670
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:25 pm
Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: Assess Damage to Outboard Engine Skeg

Postby jimh » Tue Mar 30, 2021 10:45 pm

Assess the integrity of the gear case and all seals. Verify no water ingress into the gear case. If the gear case has no internal damage, the slightly altered shape of the skeg is unlikely to be a big influence on performance. Get an estimate for repair using welding of new material onto the skeg.

Most everyone's outboard skeg has had a file applied to the very bottom of the skeg at one time or another.

MarkCz
Posts: 131
Joined: Sat Jan 27, 2018 3:44 pm

Re: Assess Damage to Outboard Engine Skeg

Postby MarkCz » Thu Apr 01, 2021 12:03 pm

My1987 90-HP two-stroke-power-cycle engine that has a skeg that looks just like the one in Figure 1. I think the motor operates just fine with the skeg a little shorter. If you are a perfectionist you can get it repaired. If not a perfectionist, just enjoy it as it is.