: 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

I've been thinking of adding a skeg to my Great Auk. I don't really care to cut one into the hull, so why cant a guy just make something like a fixed rudder with just up/down control. No control cables or rudder pedals. Just a rope along the deck. I'm thinking something could be molded to snugly fit onto the stern and maybe just bungee'd back to something on deck to hold it in place. In this way it could be taken off if desired. It could be lowered when needed, raised when not. Nothing to slow you down with it up. Anybody see a problem with idea?