Mercruiser lower unit minor problem (I think)

"Eddie E" wrote in message

 > Last season I ran aground but didn't appear to cause any damage. While
 > preparing my boat for this season I noticed that the fin thing (sorry I
 > don't now the proper name) on the bottom of the lower unit was slightly
 > bent. I'm assuming from the running aground incident last year. Well
anyway
 > in an attempt to straighten the fin I broke a small chunk off. In the
 > process I fell onto the drive and busted my lip. I guess that's what I get
 > for being stupid. Anyway here is a link to a picture of the damage>>
 > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ehicks/fin.jpg" target="_blank">http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ehicks/fin.jpg</a> I'm assuming the broken piece
 > is too small to cause any steering problems but I'm not sure. My questions
 > are, Can it be fixed without replacing the lower unit? Or can I file down
 > the uneven edge to make it straight again but a little smaller? Or should
I
 > just leave well enough alone? Thanks
 >
 > Eddie E
 >
--------------------------------
A perfect application for JB Weld! Just mold it and grind it into the
correct shape.

David S.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Mercruiser lower unit minor problem (I think) 

Eddie:

Looks like pretty minor damage to me, but...

Number one choice would be to take it to a pro and have them weld a new
piece in.

Number two would be to file a fresh edge on the break and re-paint it.

Number three would be to just leave it alone.

Before putting your boat in the water, I would suggest that you check out
the rest of the outdrive for hidden damage from the impact. You may have
cracked something further up if you hit with any force.

Good luck,

Jim Pook
Jim's Fishing Charters
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.jimsfishing.com" target="_blank">www.jimsfishing.com</a>
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.tahsisbc.com" target="_blank">www.tahsisbc.com</a>



"Eddie E" wrote in message

 > Last season I ran aground but didn't appear to cause any damage. While
 > preparing my boat for this season I noticed that the fin thing (sorry I
 > don't now the proper name) on the bottom of the lower unit was slightly
 > bent. I'm assuming from the running aground incident last year. Well
anyway
 > in an attempt to straighten the fin I broke a small chunk off. In the
 > process I fell onto the drive and busted my lip. I guess that's what I get
 > for being stupid. Anyway here is a link to a picture of the damage>>
 > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ehicks/fin.jpg" target="_blank">http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ehicks/fin.jpg</a> I'm assuming the broken piece
 > is too small to cause any steering problems but I'm not sure. My questions
 > are, Can it be fixed without replacing the lower unit? Or can I file down
 > the uneven edge to make it straight again but a little smaller? Or should
I
 > just leave well enough alone? Thanks
 >
 > Eddie E
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Mercruiser lower unit minor problem (I think) 

Eddie,
From the look of that lower unit, you are a serious shallow water
fisherman! Be interesting to see what the prop looks like! The missing
bit of skeg will never be missed.....probably shouldn't have tried to
straighten it, but we learn by doing. I would grind a smooth surface
on the skeg (so I wouldn't be stabbing myself whenever I raised the
motor) and let it go at that. While you are grinding, you might want
to sand that gear housing and paint the lower unit. You can get
Mercury spray paint at your local Mercury dealer. Good luck.

Regards,
Emmett

===========================================================
"Eddie E" wrote in message ...
 > Last season I ran aground but didn't appear to cause any damage. While
 > preparing my boat for this season I noticed that the fin thing (sorry I
 > don't now the proper name) on the bottom of the lower unit was slightly
 > bent. I'm assuming from the running aground incident last year. Well anyway
 > in an attempt to straighten the fin I broke a small chunk off. In the
 > process I fell onto the drive and busted my lip. I guess that's what I get
 > for being stupid. Anyway here is a link to a picture of the damage>>
 > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ehicks/fin.jpg" target="_blank">http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ehicks/fin.jpg</a> I'm assuming the broken piece
 > is too small to cause any steering problems but I'm not sure. My questions
 > are, Can it be fixed without replacing the lower unit? Or can I file down
 > the uneven edge to make it straight again but a little smaller? Or should I
 > just leave well enough alone? Thanks
 >
 > Eddie E<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Mercruiser lower unit minor problem (I think) 

Thank you very much for the replies.

Eddie


"Eddie E" wrote in message

 > Last season I ran aground but didn't appear to cause any damage. While
 > preparing my boat for this season I noticed that the fin thing (sorry I
 > don't now the proper name) on the bottom of the lower unit was slightly
 > bent. I'm assuming from the running aground incident last year. Well
anyway
 > in an attempt to straighten the fin I broke a small chunk off. In the
 > process I fell onto the drive and busted my lip. I guess that's what I get
 > for being stupid. Anyway here is a link to a picture of the damage>>
 > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ehicks/fin.jpg" target="_blank">http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ehicks/fin.jpg</a> I'm assuming the broken piece
 > is too small to cause any steering problems but I'm not sure. My questions
 > are, Can it be fixed without replacing the lower unit? Or can I file down
 > the uneven edge to make it straight again but a little smaller? Or should
I
 > just leave well enough alone? Thanks
 >
 > Eddie E
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Mercruiser lower unit minor problem (I think) 

"Eddie E" wrote
 > Thank you very much for the replies.
  >> the fin thing (sorry I don't now the proper name)

skeg

And like most everyone else said, if there's no more to it than that little
bite missing, it's probably not going to have any noticeable effect. If it
was mine, I'd grind/file it down to a more pleasing shape: sharp edges are
attractive to the galvanic currents that cause corrosion. Speaking of which,
if you plan to have your boat in the water for any continuous length of
time, you might want to get a good coat of paint on there.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Mercruiser lower unit minor problem (I think) 

"Eddie E" wrote in message

 > Last season I ran aground but didn't appear to cause any damage. While
 > preparing my boat for this season I noticed that the fin thing (sorry I
 > don't now the proper name) on the bottom of the lower unit was slightly
 > bent. I'm assuming from the running aground incident last year. Well
anyway
 > in an attempt to straighten the fin I broke a small chunk off. In the
 > process I fell onto the drive and busted my lip. I guess that's what I get
 > for being stupid. Anyway here is a link to a picture of the damage>>
 > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ehicks/fin.jpg" target="_blank">http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ehicks/fin.jpg</a> I'm assuming the broken piece
 > is too small to cause any steering problems but I'm not sure. My questions
 > are, Can it be fixed without replacing the lower unit? Or can I file down
 > the uneven edge to make it straight again but a little smaller? Or should
I
 > just leave well enough alone? Thanks
 >
 > Eddie E
 >
 >
I have a lost about 50% of my skeg and it runs fine. With this much damage I
would file it down to make it look a little nicer, repaint and let it ride.
If it looks bad you can get a skeg cover from places like BassPro, Cabelas,
West Marine or some other boating store.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Mercruiser lower unit minor problem (I think) 

Bill wrote:



 >
  >>Last season I ran aground but didn't appear to cause any damage. While
  >>preparing my boat for this season I noticed that the fin thing (sorry I
  >>don't now the proper name) on the bottom of the lower unit was slightly
  >>bent. I'm assuming from the running aground incident last year. Well
 >
 > anyway
 >
  >>in an attempt to straighten the fin I broke a small chunk off. In the
  >>process I fell onto the drive and busted my lip. I guess that's what I get
  >>for being stupid. Anyway here is a link to a picture of the damage>>
  >>http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ehicks/fin.jpg I'm assuming the broken piece
  >>is too small to cause any steering problems but I'm not sure. My questions
  >>are, Can it be fixed without replacing the lower unit? Or can I file down
  >>the uneven edge to make it straight again but a little smaller? Or should
 >
 > I
 >
  >>just leave well enough alone? Thanks
  >>
  >>Eddie E
  >>
  >>
 >
 > I have a lost about 50% of my skeg ....


We believe you.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Mercruiser lower unit minor problem (I think)