pscileppi

I have a new to me Baja Hammer 1997. 454 - 7.4L Stock - Bravo 1 - 25p prop about 400 hrs?

I hit a rocky area and whacked off half my skeg, bent the prop and maybe more! I was going about 30 mph and the rocks were about 6" below the surface I traveled through about 6' of them. I shut the engine down immediately (without letting off the throttle and it stuck in gear - towed to ramp by US TOW). At least the kids had fun..."daddy broke the boat".

The dealer advised that the propshaft was bent to .017" (I guess it should be less than .005"). And quoted a new lower unit and prop. They're not sure about any other damage until the lower can be put on and water tested. I don't think they tore it apart.

The price they quoted for the lower unit was high and I found a new one with DWP for much less - about $1500. I checked with Mercruiser and they advised that the DWP lower unit will work fine and should bolt right on.

I'm afraid I'm missing something so I thought I'd ask you guys - what do you think?
1 - buy the lower and see if that fixes it?
2 - buy the upper and lower and sell of the old upper if it's ok?
3 - replace the propshaft and have a new skeg welded on?
4 - what am I missing?

Thanks for any suggestions!

BY U BOY

If the case is not damaged and nothing else but the prop shaft and skeg are messed up, just put in a new shaft and weld the skeg on and call it a day.

pscileppi

OK, I'll have them quote it that way - I just wasn't sure if it would hold up with a welded skeg.

hoozeyurdaddy

They also make a product called " skeg gaurd " if you have 1-2 inches of your skeg left, you can install one of those, there about $130.00 bucks, look good and work just fine, and .017 is bad, but not horible, if no splines are twisted, change shaft fix skeg and go, no need for new lower with that little amount of damage.
Larry

pscileppi

I'm not sure if the skeg has enough left to repair as there was some scraping to the nose of the lower unit.

I tried to quote out the repair, but was told it would cost about the same as a rebuild. I did find a new lower for a little more than a rebuild and just went ahead and bought it. I know it's prob. a waste, but I've goofed around too long and just want it done.

Thanks for your help. Here's the picture of the damage:

Bryan Rose

Not trying to make fun of your situation but what does the bottom of the boat look like now? look at it this way now you have a labbed prop...and a race inspired lower unit...

pscileppi

Here's a pict of the bottom. The scratches came after I stopped the boat, couldn't get it started and the tide pushed the boat over the rocky area again.

Now that the lower unit is on the way, I'm working on getting a prop. I had a Mirage 25p and thought I'd get a Mirage Plus 25p or maybe a Bravo 1 24 p.

hoozeyurdaddy

you hit so hard it knocked the drain plug off center, ha-ha.
you may like the 24P B1, but it will cost you a little on top, but they sure make cruise nice. It should be fine with a used lower, just put it on and have fun.
larry

Mr Gadgets

You will be better off with the new lower you bought. When you weld an entire skeg on, it will warp the case and could cause problems. So you did the best thing. The next thing to be concerned about is if there was any stress to the upper gears when the prop hit. Sometimes the shock can be transmitted to teeth in the upper gear set. I had this happen to me when my motor stopped abrubtly (self destruct) and after I got back on the water, a few hours later I lost some teeth on the driven gear. I dont believe you were winding that tight and hopefully the skeg took most of the energy before the blades on the prop hit. Just keep a listen to the upper when it is running at idle (there will be some noise) and in gear (should be quite) and keep an eye on the upper magnet for a while..

Hope this helps.
Dick

pscileppi

Thanks for the comments - Larry and Dick.

I was hoping the upper is not hurt, but as you suggested, I'll listen and check the magnet. I'm gettting the new lower put on this week and scrounging around for a new prop. I didn't end up getting the the Bravo 1, but I found some used SS props at a marine supply place and will see if something there will work. Also looking into having the old prop redone - if the price is reasonable.

Thanks, Pat