Hi Mike,

I have had great success with putting the skeg two feet behind the center of balance, and off to the side by one inch. Blade is .375 at the base tapering to .187 over 3-10 inches. The skeg can pivot down as much as 6 inches though I usually only put it down about two inches. Clearance around the blade is .020 per side or .040 total. There is minimal to no resistance from turbulence when retracted. There is a minor drop in speed when deployed but always an improvement over not deploying so it is worth it.

Only thing that can clog it is small sand and though rare can usually be dislodged with a little wiggling of the control knob. Mine also support the cable within a groove in the blade so there is never a kinking problem.

All in all complex though not complicated.

This may be more than you asked for but hope you find value in it. If you find yourself going in this direction I could come up with some photos and measurements for you.

Best,

Reg

: When considering the addition of a skeg, it will help with
: tracking, but:

: How much drag does it produce when it's down?

: In choppy conditions, how often is the skeg out of the water and
: not doing any good?

: When the skeg is retracted, how much drag does the open slot in the
: hull produce?

: What is the best way to minimize these effects?

: m