Need Prop and Skeg Repair Advice

[djstewy]

Hi All,

Well it was never a question of if, but when and my when was today. Thanks to a GPS that was off by about twenty yards and a negative tide I ran aground on some rocks in the Puget Sound this morning. Thankfully I didn't mess up my hull but I did mangle my prop and skeg on my sterndrive pretty good. I've never had to replace a prop myself and I was hoping some of the experts on the forum can give me advice for figuring out what size prop and pitch would be good for my boat or if I should even attempt it.

My boat is a 94' 250 Sea Ray Express Cruiser with a 300 Mercruiser 5.7L w/Bravo II sterndrive. I've found some "How To" videos on the net but most of them are for Bravo III's so I wanted to make sure there wasn't anything that was going to throw me off with my sterndrive when I took the prop off. I'm not the most mechanically inclined person in the world (although boating is helping with that) so I want to make sure I'm not getting in over my head swapping it myself. I also dinghed up the skeg pretty good. Below are a couple of pictures of the carnage. Is this something I should tackle myself as a newbie or bring it into a mechanic for a full inspection?

Skeg Damage
Propeller Damage

Thanks,

Derek

 

[src]

Unless you have a reason to change (hole shot, cruising speed, etc.), I would recommend just getting a prop that matches your current pitch/size.

I'm not sure if this manual covers your boat's year, but it has complete info on the Bravo series of sterndrives, including how to change the prop: http://boatinfo.no/lib/mercruiser/manuals/mercruiser28.html#/0

 

[Nodrog]

Derek you can also take your propeller to a propeller repair shop in your area. If the damage is beyond repair they will tell you. They will also be able to tell you the size and pitch of your prop and how a different prop could help you. I damaged my props this year also, about 5 wks ago, and had them repaired for a fraction of the cost of new props. Some prop shops also do skeg repairs.

Good luck on your repairs

Gordon

 

[Brite Idea]

If it's an aluminum prop just buy a new one. The skeg can be repaired and depending on the amount of damage sometimes you can ignore it. If your not comfortable doing the work yourself pay a mechanic it will be worth the money. Do you have grounding coverage? It's a boat and your a boater this happens to all of us so fix it and move on.
Rob

 

[Air O'Nautical]

That doesn't look so bad.

The prop damage look minor enough that I wouldn't be concerned about internal drive damage.
Remove the prop with a block of wood between the blade and the drive above it and a socket wrench.
Find a prop shop and have it repaired.
Props are not cheap and yours new will run $400+ so, repair it.

The skeg isn't necessary and you wont miss the bit missing at all.
I have driven boats with the skeg completely gone and never missed it.
But, we want it to look right and it needs paint to protect it.
I would recommend with a rotary sanding wheel (not a grinding wheel) on a angle grinder remove all the jagged material and make the bottom of the skeg flat again.
Prime and paint...and get back out on the water.
Later on you can always have a piece welded back on to look new..

Pretty easy DIY.

Mark