There are two kinds of go-fast powerboat owners, those who have damaged a lower-unit skeg by striking debris in the water and those who will. One heavy spring rainstorm is all it takes to transform a clear lake or river into something better suited for competitive log-rolling than boating.
A damaged skeg usually ends a boating weekend the moment it is discovered. And for any number of reasons—scarcity of free time chief among them—that’s a giant bummer. Lots of wise folks bring an extra set of propellers for a recreational go-fast boating weekend. Pretty much no one brings an extra lower unit or two.
But what if you could repair a damaged skeg just to get you through a day or two? And what if it only took a half-hour?
That’s something performance-boat owner Jeff Hoefling of Lively Machine Co, Inc., in Evansville, Ind., has been working on. The product won’t be available until spring 2026, but it could end up being the damaged-skeg version of a get-home propeller.
Hoefling already offers billet skeg replacements, which he described as “considerably stronger than original equipment manufacturer castings.” But his in-development skeg-repair product is something less costly and altogether different, starting with the material involved.
“We have a patent-pending, carbon-fiber skeg repair kit coming out, though it probably won’t be released until next spring,” Hoefling revealed. “We’re still doing a lot of testing, but for someone who damages a skeg while they’re out of town at an event, it will be a quick replacement that can be done in a parking lot in 30 minutes.
“That way, a damaged skeg doesn’t ruin your whole weekend,” he added. “It would be an inexpensive repair to keep you on the water.”
Stay tuned.—Matt Trulio