Stupid Skeg Question...

Kolia · **Posted:** Mon Aug 26, 2013 9:33 am

It's supposed to be straight, right ?

Mine has a bend in it.

Toddely · **Posted:** Mon Aug 26, 2013 9:42 am

yes, How bad of a bend is in it. can you add a pic.

Kolia · **Posted:** Mon Aug 26, 2013 10:00 am

I'll get a picture tonight.

From my aircraft design classes, this thing will defenitely produce some lift ! Nice long curvature...

Low speed maneuvering is difficult, worse in reverse. The boat definitely turns more one side. It will also turn when moving in neutral.

I would expect some of that, given that the prop is not symmetrical.

230 Mike · **Posted:** Mon Aug 26, 2013 10:24 am

Can you elaborate on the prop not being symmetrical?

Skegs can have a small amount of curve to them without hurting anything. Their purpose is to protect the prop(s), not steer the boat. Of course if it's way out that's not normal.

In any case, boats wander and do all kinds of strange things at low speed & idle. Kind of like when an airplane stalls.

Toddely · **Posted:** Mon Aug 26, 2013 10:27 am

look at the bright side.. you can cruise around alum creek and the boat will do all the turning for you. lol.. No seriously , I am sure LouC and Ray will jump in on some assistance with your issue, they are the vets on here and they have great advice as well as most of the guys on here. I am not sure but you may be able to bend it back slowly. I would wait till you hear from one of the guys first though.

Kolia · **Posted:** Mon Aug 26, 2013 10:58 am

Once I post a picture we'll be able to discuss it further.

Prop is not symmetrical when dragging in the water. I'm assuming it would spin slowly or stay fixed when in neutral. Either way, it should apply "some" force on the drive.

Note that my boat is only 16ft long and the drive is steered by cables. It's not exactly stable and I feel all sorts of loads in the steering.

To put in perspective, at idle speed, if I drop it to neutral, the boat will turn starboard 15+ degrees in the time it takes to get lines out from under the seat at the bow.

I might be over thinking the whole thing. I don't have any points of reference since this is my first boat. Never driven one before a month ago...

rpengr · **Posted:** Mon Aug 26, 2013 12:39 pm

Kolia wrote:

Prop is not symmetrical when dragging in the water. I'm assuming it would spin slowly or stay fixed when in neutral. Either way, it should apply "some" force on the drive.

Note that my boat is only 16ft long and the drive is steered by cables. It's not exactly stable and I feel all sorts of loads in the steering.

When in neutral, the prop will spin freely... so from a hydrodynamics view, I would expect that it is approximately the same as a hub with no blades. Only way to stop the prop is to shut off the engine and leave in gear.

You have cable and pulley steering? That brings back nightmares from my past. If you ever get the chance to convert it to Teleflex steering, then go for it.

Kolia wrote:

To put in perspective, at idle speed, if I drop it to neutral, the boat will turn starboard 15+ degrees in the time it takes to get lines out from under the seat at the bow.

That doesn't sound too bad.

Skegs can be weld repaired. We can talk about that after you post the picture.

Ray

Graham R · **Posted:** Mon Aug 26, 2013 4:24 pm

I wouldn't have thought that a bent skeg would affect steering that much, unless it's a fairly complex bend, if the drive is a single prop one, then it will always tend to steer to one side ( due to the rotation of the prop)

ric · **Posted:** Mon Aug 26, 2013 4:35 pm

That's why we sit on the right side!!

ha ha

Winter Sux · **Posted:** Mon Aug 26, 2013 5:04 pm

Helms on pleasure craft are on the starboard side for this reason. Since we typically pass approaching vessels to the right, when in narrow waterways, this helm position gives the skipper a better view of bottom depth.

fiznuka · **Posted:** Mon Aug 26, 2013 7:42 pm

If you do straighten the skeg use a rubber mallet with very little force it doesn't take much too get back to straight.

NiagaraChillin · **Posted:** Mon Aug 26, 2013 8:03 pm

fiznuka wrote:

If you do straighten the skeg use a rubber mallet with very little force it doesn't take much too get back to straight.

And use a 2x4 on the other side as you smack it with the rubber mallet. I dinked a rock last year and bent my skeg. Rubber mallet with 2x4 on other side had it straight in about a dozen wacks.

230 Mike · **Posted:** Mon Aug 26, 2013 8:22 pm

Personally I wouldn't beat on it until you've got a welder lined up who is qualified to weld on stern drives. I'm not saying it can't be beat back, but in case it breaks in the process, you don't want Zippy at the nearest rental place to touch your drive with a torch.

rpengr · **Posted:** Tue Aug 27, 2013 8:09 am

230 Mike wrote:

Personally I wouldn't beat on it until you've got a welder lined up who is qualified to weld on stern drives. I'm not saying it can't be beat back, but in case it breaks in the process, you don't want Zippy at the nearest rental place to touch your drive with a torch.

+1

Do not use a welder who has not done stern drives before. They are cast aluminum alloy in a corrosive environment with thin walls, and filled with oil and precision gearing. 99% of the welders out there should not touch them.

Kolia · **Posted:** Tue Aug 27, 2013 8:31 pm

I'll take a picture next time I go out. The drive is down right now and I'm too lazy to plug the battery...

From reading this topic tho, it looks like I should be ok. The curvature on my drive is about half that.
http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-for ... -f200.html

I did realize that my zinc plate is painted tho... Need to remove that !

www.iFourWinns.com

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