New boat help with prop and skeg

[Fishin_dad]

I inherited a boat last season. This is my first boat. I noticed when I got it that the propeller has some dings in it and I was told that if I get them fixed it will be much better. What is the best way to do this. Should I just get a new propeller or where can I take it to get it fixed.

Also, I have a 40 hp engine and it works great for fishing, but my wife would love it if I could pull her up in skies once or twice or if I could get the boat to plane with the kids in it too. (I told her it was a fishing boat...but she wants to try). Anyways, would a different propeller affect the speed of the boat all that much? In other words are there certain propellers that are better for fishing or better for skiing?

Also...I might have gotten into really shallow water at Utah lake and scuffed up the skeg's paint job. Can I just repaint that? Is there a special paint that I should use?

I really appreciate your help. Thanks
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[MSM1970]

I would recommend purchasing a new prop and getting that one fixed for a spare to keep in the boat,
the skeg can be painted, I would get OEM paint, maybe file out any dings in the front edge, if it is broken off there are adaptor one that can be installed,
you will need to have a tachometer to see what your RPMs are to decide on the pitch of a new prop and how much weight is in the boat when you want to play.
40 hp will be tough to get some one skiing but tube could be pulled.
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[BearLakeFishGuy]

There are several prop shops that can fix the propeller at a fraction of the cost of a new one. It will be good as new.

I doubt you'd be able to get someone up on skiis behind a boat using a 40hp engine, unless that person is extremely light. I had a 35hp engine and I pulled my kids around on a tube and they had a ball.

I repaint my skeg periodically when the paint gets worn off. I use $0.99 Walmart black paint in a spray can. Works great.
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[Fishin_dad]

Is a tiny tach a good way to get a tachometer reading in the boat?
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[MSM1970]

Ya that would work, look on your motor or online to find ot what the rated RPM is, then you can see if you are getting the most out of you engine, if the rpms are low at top speed you might want a lower pitched prop, if your rpms are high then a higher pitched prop, you will want to run with an average load,

elevation make a big difference also. especially on old carbureted engines, I loose almost 5 mph from UL to strawberry,

it will take a few runs to figure it out, but that just means more time on the lake, remember its for the wife[]
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