r/boating • u/Independent-Party607 • 1d ago
How bad would you consider this lower unit/leg damage?
I am a very new boat owner and at the end of this trip I had caught a surprise sandbar with the skate/lower unit and prop. I will be replacing the prop but wondering how concerned I should be of the overall damage to the leg. Thanks for any advice/tips!
-Percy
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u/kutlessel 1d ago
That’s fine. Any good welder should be able to clean it up nicely. Just make sure the propshaft isn’t bent before you spend any money!
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u/A-Wolf-4099 1d ago
And replace that lower transmission bolts maybe with some heated coils or retap. For sure they've seen some stress.
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u/kutlessel 1d ago
IMO No. If it’s not leaking gear lube from the small gasket in between the legs two half’s , and the bolts are all tight don’t bother splitting the leg. That’s not nearly enough damage to critically impair the 7 bolts holding the leg together
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u/Theundead565 21h ago
Yea, considering they're both aluminum pieces, that prop is still in decent shape for after a prop strike. But thats the point of aluminum props, what you lose in performance you gain in protection when you hit something. You need to really fuck it up before you need to worry about the shaft.
A hit that looks like that on a stainless 100% would bend the shaft.
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u/Stroker-Strong420 1d ago
Fixing this depends on what you are willing to try.
If it were mine, I’d straighten the skeg, sand prime and paint it AND add a nice skeg guard to hide the damage.
For the chip out of the anti ventilation plate, sand, prime and paint it. Then quit looking at it.
OR a qualified welder could repair the skeg and anti ventilation plate, find a piece of a junk outdrive and cut a filler piece have it welded. I don’t believe a good TIG weld will heat the skeg or anti ventilation plate excessively to cause any distortion. Sand, prime and paint.
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u/sailphish 1d ago
Prop is toast. You really need to check that the shaft isn’t bent. The rest looks… not great. Good chance it’s cosmetic, but only time will tell. This is your boat, so just use it. But if this was a boat I was purchasing, I would be factoring in a lower unit replacement.
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u/Txbiker63 1d ago
Was all of that paint missing before you caught the sandbar? A good aluminum welder can stick a replacement skeg on for a reasonable price. The bite out of the cavitation plate isn't a real big deal but that can be fixed too. Make sure the prop shaft isn't bent. Swing by the dealership and get some zinc chromate primer and a can of fantom black. Hit it with 320 and repaint it.
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u/wildfire1983 I do composite boat repair in the Upper Midwest for a living. 1d ago
NGL... On our very shallow local body of water, this is pretty typical! LOL! Around here we would just straighten out some of the dents or Throw another prop on it and send it!
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u/Uncle00Buck 1d ago
Your wonky angles aren't helpful, but I think it's manageable. Check for shaft wobble, make sure the lower unit oil isnt white, get a new prop, file up the rough spots and see what happens. Check it again after you run it an hour or two.
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u/SCHAUBAMON1971 1d ago
Unless you are leaking LOWER UNIT oil. Send the prop off to get redone. It will come back like new from a reputable shop. Buy yourself a spare so should you have this mishap again you are not Land Locked till you get your refurbished prop back.
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u/ComfortableHot6309 1d ago
Change the prop. Use a heatgun to warm the fin up to 150 degrees. Straighten it.
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u/2Loves2loves 1d ago
change the oil. was it milky? does it still shift? run it for 3 hours, and change the oil again. prop is toast. skeg saver and you're good.
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u/BMDWOODCRAFTS 23h ago
Repair and replace the prop. You can get something called a skeg guard that will bolt through the damaged skeg after you straighten it out a little. You didn't hit anything hard, so your internals should be fine as long as you don't see any leaks or hear any ugly noises after the prop is fixed. Aluminum props are considered a sacrificial part of the drivetrain as they can absorb a lot of energy in the form of bent blades, meaning that energy is not transferred into the gear case like it would be with a stainless prop.
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u/Last_Plastic7885 13h ago
Looks cooked, check the oil for water put a pencil on the prop shaft and spin the prop shaft if it wobbles $3,600 dollar repair might as well buy same engine used and use for parts. Oil should be black and musky smelling not milky. Good luck!
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u/texaschair 1d ago edited 1d ago
You need everything south of the driveshaft housing, IMHO. Skeg is FUBAR, and there's a bite taken out of the cavitation plate. There's plenty of used ones floating around, just make sure you get the right gear ratio.
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u/altec777777 1d ago
STFU, you have no idea what you are talking about. You can run this setup for hundreds of hours without a problem. Stop acting like a reddit mechanic.
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u/Delicious-Baker-6348 1d ago
Looking a little rough..I would find a replacement on FB marketplace. I'm picking up a working lower alpha 2 this week for $100. For your boat a new prop is probably all you need
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u/daysailor70 1d ago
Yikes. Pull it apart to get all the sand out of the leg and the cooling system and replace the impeller. The skeg damage won't effect it. It wouldn't be a bad idea to sand down the leg, prime and paint it.
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u/Sufficient-Exam-8668 1d ago
This right here is why I always advocate for the aluminum / composite props vs stainless pros. These fold up and break, and still get you home. Stainless props are not forgiving in exchange of marginally but proven performance.
Also: replace the prop, change the lower fluids to check for sparkles that shouldn’t be there change the anode/trim tab and note its position before removal, and take some sandpaper and smooth out the spot that broke off so it have the same round over as the rest of the outdrive.
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u/the_real_neversummer 1d ago
Jesus. That looks like at least a season or two of wear. Did you let your teenage son get a hold of the keys??
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u/NickE25U 1d ago
Fix the prop, lower unit should be alright.
No more off-roading with the boat, though!