: I have some good Felco
: cable cutters that make a very clean cut, so I think that will be ok.

They'll work fine, but you'll probably want to round the ends, at least the one you're feeding up to the control. A Dremel tool works well for this.

: My thinking in securing the cable housing is that flexing when deploying the
: skeg presumably increases friction, but maybe that's not true (I wouldn't
: be adding or increasing the bends).

There's not a whole lot of flexing going on in a skeg system

: What about the theory that lubrication picks up grit?

It depends on the lubricant. Oily lubes are a no-no. Wax lubes work fine.