I broke my skeg and chewed up the prop

[Cracklin Rosie]

I was out on the missippi near Quincy Il. this week end and hit a sand bar at about 30 mph. I couldn't even tell it was there because of the brown water and other wakes. there was a loud thump and I could feel a vibration in the boat that was not there before. Other than that she seemed to run fine accept the steering was a little off (temp. and oil pressure were normal). I had to steer quite a bit more than normal when in a no wake area. When I got her out of the water I bout s***it my self when I saw the broken skeg and the prop that looked like it was in a zone. How worried should I be?? I know I need to replace the prop and have the skeg fixed but is there anything else i should do??

 

[Triton II]

Re: I broke my skeg and chewed up the prop

I know I need to replace the prop and have the skeg fixed but is there anything else i should do...

Welcome to iboats CR. That sand bar must be made of tough sand! I suggest you spin the prop by hand and looking closely at the prop shaft while spinning, check it's straight. If OK, then drain the lower leg oil and see if the drain bolt has any metal particles on it (the bolt is magnetised to collect metal). A small amount of fine black particles is normal, any silver coloured bits larger than fine sand indicates a potential problem. Also, if the drained oil is murky or even worse, milky, then you have a shaft seal problem. If it's all looking good, then replace the lower leg oil (use new gaskets on the drain and level bolts) and after fixing the skeg and prop, spin it by hand to check the prop is seated correctly on its shaft. If all is OK then go for a test run and hopefully, she'll be right mate!

TII

 

[jimmbo]

Re: I broke my skeg and chewed up the prop

What Triton said. The drive took a pretty good wallop, the grains of the sand must have like texas pea gravel(small boulders). I would have the shop take a look at the gimbal bracket/housing for any damage from the impact. There is a chance that the gearcase is sprung, meaning that the area above the skeg is no long round, but slightly squawished. Next time the bearing carrier has to come out will determine that. Do you have insurance? Skeg/gearcase impact damage is usually covered

 

[Cracklin Rosie]

Re: I broke my skeg and chewed up the prop

Thanks for responding to my question. What type of prop and what pitch do you recomend for my boat. (1992 190 Maxum- 4.3 mercruiser)?

 

[Triton II]

Re: I broke my skeg and chewed up the prop

Thanks for responding to my question. What type of prop and what pitch do you recomend for my boat. (1992 190 Maxum- 4.3 mercruiser)?

Hey CR, how did your Maxum go before you damaged the prop and skeg? If you were happy with the performance and her WOT rpm was in the correct range then take your damaged prop to a prop shop and ask for a direct replacement. If the river bed is mainly sand in your area, then it could be worthwhile considering a stainless steel replacement. Rule of thumb - if replacing an alloy prop with a stainless go down one pitch size, ie 19" alloy - 18" SS, something like this, available here on iboats:

Solas HR Titan #1551-148-18 Stainless Steel Boat Propeller
Mercruiser Alpha One 4.3L Sterndrive 155 - 210 HP

If you weren't happy with the performance before your little issue occurred, I suggest you post in a new thread in this forum. Quote type of boat, engine, drive type, current prop size, WOT rpm achieved, boat weight and maximum speed (GPS). This will enable the prop experts to find your question and hopefully give you a better answer than this one! Good luck.

TII