Here's the deal everyone - regardless of which end of the debate you find yourself on this issue, lower units that are cracked or repaired at the skeg any other stress point are not permitted for sale on Scream And Fly.
So, to be clear:
Modified Sportmaster (within reason)? OK
Repaired anti-cavitation plate? OK
Cracked or repaired skeg? NOT OK
Those units are dangerous and should either be used on slow fishing boats or scrapped.
Thanks,
Greg
Thanks Greg Keep This At The Top....i Gotta Friend The Bought 1 And The Guy Didnt Say Anything But I Noticed It Had A Skeg Welded On He Was About 2 Put It On His Alli And Run 100+mph... He Might Not B Here Otherwise .... Peaple Just B Honest And Dont Kill No 1.......thanks Todd
I have first hand knowledge of what happens when a welded skeg lets go.I bought a Lower unit that I knew had been repaired { by a good welder}it was sweet.The first time I ran the gear case was at the high speed shoot out in north FL..I was going up river after a 100 + pass and I got into it again....about 70 mph the boat hooked left hard and pitched my buddy[ mach 351 on the boards] who was in the back seat about 30 ft into the river.HE was wearing a vest thank God ......My point is there was no warning and if there was another boat on the left or the right the out come would have been very very nasty......never again I will use a welded on skeg..
What about twin engine applications with no torque tab?
I have a sportmaster that hit a chain, and took out a chunk of the skeg. not much though. The torque tab is still there, around the bottom of the shaft housing the skeg is still original. just at the bottom corner where it hit the chain does it have repair work. I'm running it on a 280 powered XB2002. have made countless high 90, and numerous 100+ passes. Am I just lucky nothing bad has happened yet, or do I have enough of the original skeg to be in the clear?
My gear case was repaired at the bottom of the houseing so when the skeg came off the boat lost directional control[A BLOWOUT]. I also have a sportmaster with a repair on the botton leading edge of the skeg...the repair was the size of half dollar and I have had no issues with it after many 100 mph passes. IT sounds like your case repair is ok .I think Greg meant lower units that the skegs were repaired or replaced or cracked up close to the houseing because when the repair fails it becomes deadly to the people in the boat and any thing within 50ft around the blowout.
Thanks!
I have repaired quite a few broken skegs. If two angles are used instead of prepping a straight angle I believe there is far less chance of the skeg coming off again. Maybe I have been lucky, maybe Im just good :) have'nt had one come off after I fixed it.
That's great :thumbsup: Just DON'T sell one here :DQuote:
Originally Posted by propdr
Im just sayin that they can be fixed if you know your stuff. I dont have one for sale. I fixed a sporty last year on a over 100 mph boat. and its still running. no propblems. :)
Rules is rules....
I have always wondered about those slip on skegs, skeg guards. How do they hold up? If I were to do one I would fill it with epoxy before installing it. Just a question.
Here's the thing............. I believe it's IMPOSSIBLE to weld a skeg back to STRONGER than new condition, and as cast ones fail. When a skeg comes off they CAN cause serious injury or death. I think it is an absolutely foolhearty gamble to run a welded skeg on a high perf/high transom height boat regardless of how good you or anybody elss THINKS they are. In any case, we don't allow them sold here OR offers to repair either.;)Quote:
Originally Posted by propdr
Jay I believe the slip ons are well suited for low perf boats that have had skeg damage from striking something. Skegs fail from high torque applications at the rear near the top and the crack works foward from there. A slip on or skeg guard does nothing to strengthen this area and I would guess could even add to the potential for failure if somebody runs it high.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay R.
I know of an STV doing a bat turn only running about 60 when it came off. Obviously it was already cracked. I can't imagine what would've happened at 100 plus.
Quote:
Originally Posted by propdr
If you knew as much as you think you do, you would know that an aluminum casting is weakened by the heat it takes to weld it. The weld itself is not the weak point. Have a wonderful day. :thumbsup:
Thanks raceman, I was wondering cause you always see skegs with a chunk out the bottom. The repair I described would only work on a boat with the top half of the skeg intact.
As for welded skegs. I second your comment on it being a gamble, with someone elses life no less. Also, I have a friend who is a pro welder. He has to have his skills tested periodically with hydraulic presses for breaking strength and x rayed. If there is anyone in the world I would trust my life to their welds its him. And he refuses to weld cast aluminum where someones life could be on the line. He races motorcycles, and I got my hands on a wrecked one for him and told him it just cracked along a weld and he could have it free and repair it. He took one look and said it wasn't worth risking his life over welding that, turned out to be a cast frame. Just food for thought.
I am an aluminum tig welder by trade. That being said I have repaired many siege, but would not recommend using a repaired housing on a high performance boat. It is just not worth the risks.