I was going to address this as an afterthought to Hank's post; but since you asked directly...

Yes, placing the skeg as far aft as possible will help counteract weatherhelm more effectively with a smaller skeg. But, you also must consider that the farther aft you place the seg, the more likely it is to be lifted clear of the water if you're in steep waves (one of the times you really need that directional stability).

A lot of commercial skegs are at least 3'-4' ahead of the aft stem. (Sideslipping is a problem that is desireable to correct for, as well)

Shawn

: placement along
: the keel line. Perhaps a small-profile skeg as far aft as possible might
: be the key to controlling weatherhelm, whereas a dagger-like skeg placed
: more amidships might be better to control slideslipping (like a center or
: dagger board on a sailboat). Any thoghts or theories about skeg
: shape/surface area/placement?