: 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?

Necky has a similar skeg on its plastic boats. If you are considering it, take a look at their boats. What Bill Hamm said is correct, they have to be the size of a rudder. A small skeg permanetly attached on the hull might work better if you do not want to do an internal skeg. There have been many examples posted on this site.

Charles Robinson