Hello, I am getting into my third season with my 1975 O'day 27. When I bought the boat I knew that the skeg was cracked and needed work, the previous owner told me that it was like that when he bought it 5 years prior and that it hasn't changed. The first winter storage I had I went down to check on it and the crack was about a quarter inch wide, so I knew that their was water in their. When spring hit me and a friend of mine had drilled some holes in the skeg and it was just pissing water out of it. we epoxyied the holes back up and she went back in the water. everything looked great when she came out that fall. Though this past winter when it was ridiculous fridgid cold I went down to check on the boat and found that the skeg had cracked again, although not as bad as it was originally but its I need of some more attention. Has any body else had this problem?? Im in need of a good direction. I have to find how the water is getting down into the skeg.
Cracked Skeg
- Thread starter jacksTYCracer
- Start date
I have no direct experience on this but my favorite O'day guru had a similar problem. He is on the Chesapeake so freezing temps are not such a big deal. He purchased his O'day 39 off the show room floor in the 80's and has since modified the boat to be a true blue water yacht.
He repairs boat for a living so I but a great deal of faith in him. He does not do forums, here is his latest on skegs. I hope it will help you.
I can help translate if this is not clear.
I think I mentioned early last fall to one or both that I had a leaking strutt . Thought I would pass on the Low Down . The factory had bonded the strutt , a good thing , they drilled a 1/4 hole throught FRP knob and the strutt and afixed two (2) bonding wires. One either side with a S.S. 1/4 in bolt . AND there inlies the problem .Oxygen starvation , the bolt separted inside the FRP and the strutt . And then the water seeped up the strutt and out through the bolt , Now that it was not tight . SOOOO if you start to see a liitle water under the engine pan for no apparent reason look under the fwrd part of the hot water heater (Mirror ) and you just might see the seeping drip. The fix is a pain but easy . Pull the heater , make a cut in the heater floor . Pull both bolt ends . Redrill with 1/4 in bit , TAPP completly through with 5/16 tap and pick up a 3 " bronze machine bolt and you get the rest of the picture .NEXT : drill a hole in the TOP of the FRP strutt and tap w/ a 1/8 " pipe , then get a small funnell and poor water in the funnel to wash any salts that may have come up the inside of the FRP and bronze. THEN a dash of Acetone to complete the flush . Now go to the local auto parts store and pick up an inexpensive grease gun (will be sacrificial) and an 1/8'' grease fitting . Back to WEST one or two units of WEST , pump it into the strutt till it comes out of the hull and strutt joint . Got all that ??? . While you are in there it will be a Good time have a good look around . Now I will tell you that you will see the fuel tank platform looking a bit Knarghley . Not much me thinks we can do to help . I am going paint what I can with WEST . . The heater will come out the port cock pit locker door or the if you remove the propane locker it will come out that way too . Might have to loosen the steering cables . But again a good time to poke around a see what condition your condition is in . "Found my mind in the bottom a bag as i was ................" remember that song ?
Ok there ya go , been a crazy winter here .We saw 5 deg. one morning , maybe , all together a foot of snow .warm today . Still busy fixing boats . I looked afer the top of the engine the winter . new glow plugs , serviced the injectors not bad but not good either .Was getting hard to start if it sat for week . adjustd the vlaves , torqued the head . Good for another 4000 hrs .
He repairs boat for a living so I but a great deal of faith in him. He does not do forums, here is his latest on skegs. I hope it will help you.
I can help translate if this is not clear.
I think I mentioned early last fall to one or both that I had a leaking strutt . Thought I would pass on the Low Down . The factory had bonded the strutt , a good thing , they drilled a 1/4 hole throught FRP knob and the strutt and afixed two (2) bonding wires. One either side with a S.S. 1/4 in bolt . AND there inlies the problem .Oxygen starvation , the bolt separted inside the FRP and the strutt . And then the water seeped up the strutt and out through the bolt , Now that it was not tight . SOOOO if you start to see a liitle water under the engine pan for no apparent reason look under the fwrd part of the hot water heater (Mirror ) and you just might see the seeping drip. The fix is a pain but easy . Pull the heater , make a cut in the heater floor . Pull both bolt ends . Redrill with 1/4 in bit , TAPP completly through with 5/16 tap and pick up a 3 " bronze machine bolt and you get the rest of the picture .NEXT : drill a hole in the TOP of the FRP strutt and tap w/ a 1/8 " pipe , then get a small funnell and poor water in the funnel to wash any salts that may have come up the inside of the FRP and bronze. THEN a dash of Acetone to complete the flush . Now go to the local auto parts store and pick up an inexpensive grease gun (will be sacrificial) and an 1/8'' grease fitting . Back to WEST one or two units of WEST , pump it into the strutt till it comes out of the hull and strutt joint . Got all that ??? . While you are in there it will be a Good time have a good look around . Now I will tell you that you will see the fuel tank platform looking a bit Knarghley . Not much me thinks we can do to help . I am going paint what I can with WEST . . The heater will come out the port cock pit locker door or the if you remove the propane locker it will come out that way too . Might have to loosen the steering cables . But again a good time to poke around a see what condition your condition is in . "Found my mind in the bottom a bag as i was ................" remember that song ?
Ok there ya go , been a crazy winter here .We saw 5 deg. one morning , maybe , all together a foot of snow .warm today . Still busy fixing boats . I looked afer the top of the engine the winter . new glow plugs , serviced the injectors not bad but not good either .Was getting hard to start if it sat for week . adjustd the vlaves , torqued the head . Good for another 4000 hrs .