[Wild Bill]

My F225 is now five years old. The skeg has hit some shallow water stuff and also dragged on the macadam for a short distance at Kipto last trip. It has no chunks out of it but is now too short to protect the prop.

One choice would be to have a new skeg welded on. I have a bud willing to TIG weld it but am concerned about what the high frequency current may do to the electronic ignition. Also concerned about the heat. Some recommend filling the lower unit with water. I do not want to do that either.

Second option would be a SS skeg extensions. I do not like the fact that it would be a dissimilar metal and galvanic reaction would eat out the screw holes in time and perhaps corrode the lower unit faster.

That brings me to a product like the Blackfin skeg. It is a very tough composite material that slips over the remaining part of the skeg and extends it. It is held by a powerful marine adhesive.

Does anyone have any experience with the Blackfin skeg or similar composite products?

The Blackfin Skeg - The Ultimate Replacement and Enhancement Skeg

I talked to Harvey at Tri-State and he does not like the first two options either.

Any info appreciated.

 

[EricMagsamen]

Why not just drop the lower unit and have your buddy weld on the new one?

 

[Wild Bill]

Why not just drop the lower unit and have your buddy weld on the new one?

That would take care of the high frequency concerns but what about the heat?

 

[cmason164]

I put this one on mine after breaking off my skeg, it has worked great

The Original Skeggard

 

[wino]

Bill most of the boats fishing the redfish and shallow water tournaments use the blackfin. Everyone down here swears by them, remember we have plenty of shallow water and coral so the skegs take a beating. BTW I ordered a new HDS Lowrance 10 for my pathfinder.

 

[ChrisBowers]

Bill,

I had a new skeg welded on a motor of mine a few years ago. Didn't have any issues once I found someone who did it right. Apparently they had a new welder at the prop and skeg shop I took it to and the weld came apart. I took it back and the owner did it and it was good as new. They dropped the lower unit when they did the work.

 

[Seahunter]

I repaired several by just welding on enough new material to reshape the skeg. No need to get into the case area unless need be. I’d remove the lower to do the work. It just makes positioning the part for the repair easier if anything else.

Don’t worry about the high freq. that’s not a problem. The problem is stray currents following secondary ground paths. Just unhook the batteries and postion the welder's ground clamp as close to the repair area as possible.

I’ve TIG welded on everything from lasers based width gauges to x-rays generators and have never had an issue. Welding on the end of a skeg is child’s play. ;-)

 

[Wild Bill]

Thanks guys for the info.

It is pretty nice out today. I am going to drain and remove the lower unit and take to a shop that replaces skegs all the time. The cost will be $90 to $150 depending on how much work is required.

 

[bring_em_on]

I put this one on mine after breaking off my skeg, it has worked great

The Original Skeggard

I second the skeggard. Put one on last year in about 10 minutes time although it takes 24 hrs for the lock tite to cure. I like it because it's designed to breakaway in the event you hit something hard again. To be fair, I know nothing about the blackfin.

 

[Seahunter]

I'm not sure I'd even bother draining the unit until after your done. The oil would act like as heat sink if nothing else.