Boating USA — February 2018

TOOLS AND

SUPPLIES

SKILL LEVEL

FINISH TIME

40 | BOATINGMAG.COM | FEBRUARY 2018

DIY

+ Weekend

Workbook

BOAT DOCTOR///WEEKEND WORKBOOK

• Megaware SkegGuard

($99.95, various sizes)

• Jigsaw with bi-metal

blade

• 3M Scotch-Brite pads

(green or red)

• Drill motor


• Cobalt or HSS drill bit

(^1 / 4 -inch)

• Mallet


• Mill-bastard fi le


• Wire brush

The skeg of an outboard

or sterndrive gear

case provides much

directional stability and

steering ease. Whether

caused by running

aground or due to some

land-bound calamity,

a broken or damaged

skeg adversely affects

handling. In some cases,

a welder can repair your

skeg. When I needed to

repair the bent skeg of the

Ya m a h a out b o a r d t h at

powers my Edgewater

228 CC charter boat, I

elected to do it myself

using a Megaware

SkegGuard. Made of

mirror-polished stainless

steel, a SkegGuard

works as long as at

least 3 inches of stub

remain of the broken

skeg. Here’s how I did it.

—Capt. John N. Raguso

REPAIRING A

BROKEN SKEG

An easy repair for a common problem

2 Hours

1 OF 5

ILLUSTRATION: TIM BARKER

The

SkegGuard

fi ts snugly

over the skeg

stub.