broken kicker-fix or recycle?

[B.L.smooth]

looking for some advice from those of you that know more about boat motors than I do.

I have (had) an 8 horse long shaft Johnson that was my trolling motor. Got a little lazy last summer and forgot to put the cotter key in that holds the motor up while in transit, and on my way home, hit a pot hole. The pot hole bounced the boat pretty good, but I what i didn't notice is that the kicker had dropped down and when i went to back my boat into the driveway, the bottom of the kicker caught on the curb.........

luckily there was no damage to the transom, but was once a long shaft is now a short shaft! cracked the metal about half way down the shaft.

so while the motor was always VERY reliable, the shaft would need to be replaced, and I'm guessing if i took it to the shop, it would cost more in parts than I paid for the motor ($600). so my question to you is whether i should just donate it to the local repair shop for parts, or if replacing the lower unit is something an average joe can do.

thanks in advance.

oh, and if the concensus is to recycle/donate, and there's someone on this board that could use the parts, i'd much rather donate it to someone on Ifish.

[MattPark]

Do you have a pic of the damage? It could be an inexpensive fix, lots of those motors out there.

[Lou]

Originally Posted by B.L.smooth

looking for some advice from those of you that know more about boat motors than I do.

I have (had) an 8 horse long shaft Johnson that was my trolling motor. Got a little lazy last summer and forgot to put the cotter key in that holds the motor up while in transit, and on my way home, hit a pot hole. The pot hole bounced the boat pretty good, but I what i didn't notice is that the kicker had dropped down and when i went to back my boat into the driveway, the bottom of the kicker caught on the curb.........

luckily there was no damage to the transom, but was once a long shaft is now a short shaft! cracked the metal about half way down the shaft.

so while the motor was always VERY reliable, the shaft would need to be replaced, and I'm guessing if i took it to the shop, it would cost more in parts than I paid for the motor ($600). so my question to you is whether i should just donate it to the local repair shop for parts, or if replacing the lower unit is something an average joe can do.

thanks in advance.

oh, and if the concensus is to recycle/donate, and there's someone on this board that could use the parts, i'd much rather donate it to someone on Ifish.

Tuff call. Good runner? Fix it/get a simular motot and switch out.
Was it insured? If it was check with your agent,

[Ta-Keel-La]

Forgive me for I am not a mechanic, but if it just cracked the metal, couldnt a guy just weld it?

[NavyRick]

Did you crack the lower unit gear case or the center section that powerhead and lower unit bolt too? Center section swap is very labor intensive...probably not worth it. Lower units are plentiful to buy used and most backyard mechanics can swap one out in about an hour.

[budnate]

keep in mind when one gets busted like this, there usually broke all over the place from the transom clamps on down and you cant see all the cracks and messed up bushings until you run it and it rattles and does wierd stuff, part it out, there usually never right after a good tweek.

[B.L.smooth]

thanks for the input guys.

I'll try to post some pics tomorrow as long as the ribbing is kept to a minimum

It was insured but the deductible is $500, so not really feasible to file the claim.

As for the other question about where it broke, it's right smack dab in the middle of the shaft. the lower unit looks like it's toast, since the rudder is bent and the prop is tweaked, so i'm beginning to think a recycling is in order but do appreciate the advice thus far.

[NavyRick]

Tear the powerhead off and sell it on CL....it will offset the cost of your new kicker a little bit. send the rest to the metal recycle yard

[Tinman]

Originally Posted by budnate

keep in mind when one gets busted like this, there usually broke all over the place from the transom clamps on down and you cant see all the cracks and messed up bushings until you run it and it rattles and does wierd stuff, part it out, there usually never right after a good tweek.