Installing the skeg

I decided to add a skeg to help maintain a straight path when the boat is on plane as well as to provide grip in turns. It seems that everyone has skegs of various sizes so I decided to make mine somewhat shallow in hopes that I would have just enough to keep some control during turns while being able to slide a little bit when I want to have fun. Mine started out at a 1/2 inch and ends at 1 1/2 inches at the highest point aft. It's 43 1/2 inches long and I ended mine 24 inches from the transom with an airfoil shape. The shape and placement should prevent any cavitation problems with the motor. I also trimmed the center of the skeg to match the angle of the keel for a tighter fit. I think it was around 3-5 degrees, I don't really remember because it was so long ago when I actually installed it. 





I also reformed a sharp edge along the hull at the transom. Earlier on when prepping the boat for  fiberglass; the sharp edge of the transom had to be sanded down for the fiberglass to lay without air pockets forming underneath the sharp angle. Rebuilding the sharp edge can minimize the risk of turbulence to the prop or porpoising of the hull that could be caused by a rounded over transom edge. It seems to be what most builders decide to do for boats with planing hulls such as the squirt. I used system three magic gel and wax paper to keep the epoxy from sticking to the boards. The magic gel seems to be incredibly strong so I'll see how this works out over time. The scary part is all this work I'm putting in for boat performance I have no idea how it's actually going to perform until I'm finished and put it in the water.



Heat lamps to help the epoxy cure since it was cold outside.

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