How to Repair a Bent Skeg

Do you have a skeg that needs to be fixed?
Having a bent skeg isn't necessarily a death sentence for your lower unit... it is possible to repair your skeg with a little patience and a little finesse. Remember physics class in school? Force = Mass X acceleration. Well, in this case, we want to decrease the force by decreasing the Mass, so we'll use a smaller hammer and more repetition to ensure that we don't compromise the integrity of the spine of the skeg.
If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email or leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

[@Bigtime_mcalpine]

Thanks for posting. I have this a go on the self of my 50hp…damn, it worked! I got great results! Thanks for taking the time to make this video!

[@joshgautreaux1606]

Just did this. I had an identical bend. The technique works beautifully. Took about 30 minutes. Thanks !!!

[@paulthomas1513]

Mate, thanks for the video. I did what you advised, nice and slow, and the result was near to perfect. Slipped on a Skegguard and happy days! Suzuki DF70 A.

[@katbulooo]

There are few things in the world of mechanics that can't be solved with a ball pen hammer, in the Navy, we called it an adjustable wrench! I just tried this and it works, thanks for posting.

[@rodfather_bass_fishing]

Glad it worked out for you!

[@MrSpringfield01]

I heated mine up with a torch first then clamped a piece of scrap wood to each side and let the skeg cool for an hour. It didn't get it perfectly straight but got it to the point where I could tap it with a rubber mallet to get there.

[@brnowak_fishing]

WOAH - that's actually really really cool. I've never been super handy or mechanical but this was really interesting to see how you straightened that out

[@rodfather_bass_fishing]

I think it's actually straighter than it was before I hit the stump in October. The strange thing was, it still ran out just fine when it was bent over, (Got up on plane, no vibration, no steering issues) which was one of the reasons I took so long to fix it! I have a lot of experience in a lot of different mechanical areas, and if you ever need any advice or a second opinion on anything Ben, you know how to get in touch with me.

[@brnowak_fishing]

Thanks Joe - you'll be contact number 1 if I mess something up hahaha

[@tyreswheels2u]

Benjamin Nowak how hard do you have hit the skeg before it will break

[@rodfather_bass_fishing]

jeffjj7260 I don't know... It would depend on the condition of the skeg to begin with. If it had a major bend in it, it would have a greater chance of having a hairline crack in it somewhere that would make it about impossible to straighten without breaking. If it is only minor, it should withstand a good workout with a 3 lb. hammer. I wouldn't go any bigger than that on most outboard skegs though.

[@steves1473]

@@rodfather_bass_fishing hello. Can you clarify what size and types of hammers you're using?

[@doughorde8799]

Thanks for the tip! Going to try it out on my old Merc.

[@fireantfishing]

Nice video, it looks much better!

[@rodfather_bass_fishing]

Thanks Ryan... I was hesitant to do anything with it because it still ran out really nice. I could get up on plane, no vibration, no problems steering... it just looked nasty. It looks so much better, but now I have to spend some time on all three of my props. (Yep, two 3 blade props and one 4 blade prop, all dinged up at least a little bit)

[@vapinbachelor289]

04:10 Nice pear of Wranglers bro!! Bahaha

[@WaynJul]

Pretty good job.

[@pinkKrusher]

Thanks for showing us that

[@akavaldjian1]

??? I just noticed my Skeg has a slight bend on it, my 2002 Maxum shakes a lot between the 10 and 30 revs, I wonder if this will help.

[@markjaquith8359]

so cool. is your keg in this video aluminum? is it advised to apply any heat to the skep with a torch prior to all the pounding??

[@rickbrannock5783]

Good job...

[@reioXyhi]

Why hammering on port side....tks for reply

[@bh5317]

Would heating it up be of value so you don't compromise the integrity of the metal?

[@bradhancock5780]

How much force are you hitting it with? I realize that is likely hard to describe, so I’ll settle for light (finishing nail), medium (small framing nail), or heavy (large framing nail).

[@rodfather_bass_fishing]

I would say a framing nail would be the best description... just remember to keep the pressure on the bottom and hammer size is important too!

[@charleswilliams2453]

Was this bent skeg making your boat full to the left ? Thanks

[@rodfather_bass_fishing]

Yes, it was, but not significantly unless I was over 45-50 mph

[@jakesgopro6524]

nice video. awhile ago me and my grandpa were fishing and we hit bedrock with the prop and banged it up.. lol

[@rodfather_bass_fishing]

I hit the same log twice, and it actually put two different bends in the skeg. I haven't done any major damage on any rocks yet, (knock on wood) but it is always a danger on the two big rivers that I fish quite often.

[@danegotti]

The boat I just bought has the same issue and it definitely causes the boat to pull left, especially at full throttle. Is there a reason the prop was removed or can this technique be used with it still intact? Thanks

[@rodfather_bass_fishing]

I just pulled it off so it wouldn't be in the way for both working the skeg as well as the camera.

[@allenlongstreet5544]

@@rodfather_bass_fishing is this safe on an inboard outboard ?

[@stephenrothman6058]

what about when the keg has notches from hitting things. Would you use a file to straighten it? And should the skeg be painted and / or waxed?

[@FREEDOM-bk4rv]

So no heat at all to soften the aluminum?

[@rodfather_bass_fishing]

No heat… you then run the risk of damaging seals because the aluminum transfers heat so quickly.

[@mrtaktiks]

Would you recommend adding heat to the equation?

[@rodfather_bass_fishing]

You could add heat, but I would recommend using as little as possible, and also avoid hearing up the gear oil and/or seals.

[@jeffkeating8747]

Old body men rule!

[@lammersmj]

Nice video thank you, what the risk of not bending it back? Will it effect the steering and mounts? Thanks in advance.

[@rodfather_bass_fishing]

lammersmj it depends on how it's bent, the trim of the motor, etc. Mine wasn't too bad before I started but I've heard cases where it made the boat handle poorly, loss of power, or steer one way harder than the other.

[@lammersmj]

Thanks Bassin, managed to get it straight. Wasn't to big of a deal actually. Thank you for the video and quick reply.

[@vapinbachelor289]

OUCH!! that prop looks like it's in pain!🤣🤣

[@mitchelldranow5069]

What other tools would you have used?

[@rodfather_bass_fishing]

Different hammers, and probably a heavy dolly.

[@reioXyhi]

Sorry to say but it didn't work on 115 Mercury year 2000. Your skeg (Evinrude?) is thin compared to old Mercury. I began with your tools and moved on the bigger hammer and antishockweight...e.g. tried three different weight tools but it didn't correct the skeg at all...not one thousand of a inch.:-( For sure I hammered more than thousand hits. I will try tomorrow to heat it up with hot air blower plus yr system. Let's see.

[@pinkKrusher]

Show us your prop fixing for your next video

[@rodfather_bass_fishing]

I started working on right after I made this video, and it's going to be a tough one to straighten out without a prop arbor/anvil. But when I do tackle it, I'll get it on video. For now I think I'm going to put one of my other props one.

[@BadAssBassFishermen]

I have broken 2 props at silver

[@rodfather_bass_fishing]

That's where this happened... I hit the same log twice in the same week.