lower unit outboard protection: Boat motor protection

to be honest I dont think they are worth buying.

I've never used one, but I would think it would help. After all, it is something else between the elements and the skeg... You are talking about a skeg protector, right?
I'm sure Bobpaul would know whether they are good products or not.

Yes the skeg and the front side of the lower unit gears up to the fin. It bolts to the fin and slips onto the skeg. It is a single piece item made of ss.

I think they're a little overpriced at $129.99, if that's the model you're talking about. But then, everything specific to boating seems to be more expensive than what would seem right. That lower unit guard is a good example, I think. But considering the damage it might save you from, it could be worth it. Just my two cents.

Aaron

Hey two cents is more than what I had when I came in here.

It could be the difference between a cracked gear housing and a dented piece of stainless.
You see alot of lower units with dents and dings. Barring a catastrophic collision with a stump at 20MPH I think it's a good product.

After getting into some rocks with my outboard i took a good long look at them. The skeg is made out of aluminum. If you wrap it with the stainless skeg protector when you hit an obstuction in the water would it fail above the protector? With that in mind i decided not to buy it.

I'm sure the skeg protectors are designed with good intentions, but i'm afraid the aluminum above the protector would fail if struck by an object. It will fail at the weakest part of the lower unit and wrapping it in stainless would only move that weak spot up. Just my two cents.

If any of you guys has any input or use these, i would sure like some to hear how they are working out.

After just having my lower unit repaired and the prop I asked the people at the marina what they thought of the protectors. There response was that you are better off without one because if you do hit something hard enough it will tear off at the base of the housing possibly causing more damage than without a protector. Like me, I'm being more careful. Schoe

I have a Reef Jumper mounted on my skeg when I go to Lake of the Woods in Ontario Canada. Ya, it costs me like 89 bucks. I hit one reef, really good too, and the thing paid for itself big time. If you fish in an area where there are alot of un-marked reefs, then I recommend to get it. You will loose 5-10 mph off your top end speed but you have to ask yourself, - is my lower unit worth it ?

The one I had was called the River Runner. It worked great when I have run over sand bars or gravel. Even a few logs a time or two. When I got back from the Catstock Gathering and was gassing up the boat, I noticed it was gone, along with the entire skeg. It appeared broken off, but not at the mounting location, much higher as in almost even with the gear housing. I am not aware of hitting anything that weekend, who knows? It could have been the result of a past hit leaving a hairline crack. Either way, I am having to get a new skeg welded on. Will I get a new River Runner? Yes! Even though I ended up with a ruined skeg, I feel I would have long ago anyway if I had not had it.

Mark J said:

It could be the difference between a cracked gear housing and a dented piece of stainless.
You see alot of lower units with dents and dings. Barring a catastrophic collision with a stump at 20MPH I think it's a good product.

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i like a gibson too mine is loud also

another thing to think about is that its hit or miss, if your running down the river without a protector you can go right over top of some stuff without hitting it, but if you had a riverrunner and since it sits lower in the water you hit it with that. I guess everything has its drawbacks and nothing is perfect. I went without one on mine, believe me I was asking about the protectors when I bought my boat. If I got anything it might be just a steel skeg protector to prevent dents. My theory is, if its on the boat it will break eventually no matter what is on it. The more things you add to your boat, the more things will break.