motor damage

[diandoli]

my mechanic was fixing my engine. When he was at his shop, he took a chunk out of the engine below the prop. what should I be worried about? see photo
2nd question, I shatter one of the small rectangular windows that pop out on my 1999 grady white 232. how do I get a replacement?

 

[wspitler]

Have him get the "skeg" rebuilt. Not a big deal if there was no internal damage to the gear case. If you can find a good repair shop they can weld on a new piece and make it look like new. I would not opt for a cover piece.

 

[seasick]

The skeg is there to protect the prop and lower unit from damage when you hit something like a log or the sea bottom. As long as the skeg is not bent, the boat will run OK, just don't hit anything
That said, it would take a heck of a wallop to break off that much skeg so you should make sure the LU is OK. Have the prop and shaft checked. Your mechanic should be responsible for repairs. Replacing a full skeg in my neck of the woods ran me about $275 at a marine metal shop.

 

[diandoli]

Thanks for the response. I’ve only got about three weeks left in the season here. I took it for a spin it seems to ride fine and the mechanic is aware of the issue. Any particular things I should look out for or listen for while driving the boat?

 

[glacierbaze]

Has what looks like yellow paint in your photo been there awhile, or did it come with the damage?

 

[seasick]

If there is no obvious damage to the prop or the gear case and you don't feel unusual vibrations, the unit is probably OK. It would be hard to not know or notice that the skeg broke off. What did the mechanic say?

 

[diandoli]

mechanic said he would take care of it this winter. I'm going to ask him to remove the lower unit to look for any damage. It seems to run without any issues

 

[wspitler]

Simply removing the lower unit will not show anything. I'd remove the lower drain plug, which is magnetic, and see how much fuzz (metal) is on it. If you have put many hours on it since the skeg damage or last oil change and there is any gear damage, there may be more than the normal amount of metal fuzz there. The other thing you could have him do (for free) is a pressure test of the lower unit to check for any seal damage. The specs for holding pressure are in the service manual. Other than that it would take a complete disassembly of the gear case to inspect for damage.

 

[seasick]

A pressure test should be part of an annual service. Some LUs don't have magnetic plugs so the check for filings is not always that easy. What I would have done is a run out measurement of the output shaft and a decent inspection of the prop.
You should ask the mechanic how he or she plans on repairing the skeg. I would not accept a bolt on skeg repair.