Skeg ?

[Ted Rulfs]

I am in the midst of building my second wooden boat. Plans call for a skeg. I plan to power it with a small outboard. Do I need a skeg? What is it's function?

[paladin]

keeps from making holes in the bottom when encountering solid underwater objects, helps the boat track in a straight line, if you make handholds in it there's something to hold on to when the top becomes the bottom....looks nicer in profile.....if the boat is placed on a trailer, it will stiffen the craft and give something to rest on the rollers..:D

[Thorne]

Go with the plan, man!

Skeg good...

[Ted Rulfs]

Why would I need more than one answer? Thanks for all I needed to know. Thorne verified that. For the record, I am 79 years old, a perfect example of "it's never to late to learn".

[Frank E. Price]

A skeg also helps a boat with a flat bottom track around a curve. Some flat-bottomed boats designed without a skeg, like Bolger's Gypsy design, are quick to change the direction the bow is pointing, but are more than willing to continue on the old bearing -- sideways. A skeg is very much worth a little extra hassle in the building generally.

There are instances where amendments to the plans, like adding a small skeg to Gypsy, are a good thing.

Frank