Yet again I find myself begging the advice of some wiser souls…

Blog readers may already know that I had to take Blue Moon out of the water for some repairs. In putting her down otherwise very carefully they made the mistake of being a bit stern down so the weight came onto the skeg which bent sideways slightly. The solution recommended by the local engineer was to drive the forklift truck against it gently, but this now looks a bit risky with the lack of space.

I wondered if anyone had any bright ideas, or at least brighter than whacking it with a mallet, which is as bright as I can manage?

Any ideas gratefully received as ever…

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Hi Peter

My suggestion is leave well alone until next winter! I very much doubt if a slightly or even moderately bent skeg matters a bit.
If you feel something must be done then I would be inclined to try a lever rather than a mallet.

Martin

Good advice Martin thank you but it was so bent I wouldn’t have wanted to dry out on it. In the end the resourceful harbourmaster found a perfect piece of timber to sit on the forklift fork and did the job in two seconds. Sadly the skeg itself now has a bit of an S shape but it is at least mainly vertical. I was thinking of getting a new stronger one made up anyway: my little wings that I was so proud of adding turned out to be a size too bendy for hard sand!

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I have a new designed skeg that works very well. It protects the propeller much more when motoring and also helps keep it clear of the ground when dried out. It is deeper, longer along the stern tube, made of thicker steel than the previous one, and it has a flat horizontal piece supported by stringers that help stop it sinking into the ground. It is much stronger but heavier and more substantial than the previous one. Another benefit is that it is helpful in balancing all the anchor chain at the bow!
Have a look at it in Emsworth this winter. The manufacturer of it could easily make another as he will have the design still.

Mike