A also used to eschew skegs, but I have become a fan over time, and have retrofitted a couple in my most useful boats.

All new boats in recent years automatically get a skeg. I don't even think about it any more. So much easier to fit during construction.

Et

For the last 20+ years I've paddled my baidarka designs and never felt the need for a skeg.

Then I designed my first new Greenland based design in years, "Ootek" with a skeg.

A skeg is a device which increases tracking in certain sea conditions.

If you're paddling in open water with a strong beam (side) wind, your kayak will want to weathercock (turn nose into the wind). Even if your kayak is normally a good tracking (goes straight) kayak you may experience difficulty in keeping the kayak on course with a strong beam wind. When you're paddling forward the bow is cutting into waves and is firmly planted in the water. However, the stern is not and a side wind can blow it away, causing weathercocking. A skeg can firmly plant the stern in place in a beam wind and keep the kayak tracking straight so the paddler can focus energy on paddling forward and not waste energy on course correction strokes.

Another sea condition which is aided by use of a skeg is in a following sea. In certain sea conditions of just the right wave height and frequency, when you are running with the waves, you may experience your kayak starting to broach (turn sideways parallel to waves) with every wave crest hitting your stern. It can be tiring and no fun, to constantly need correction strokes to stay on course. Here again, the kayak bow is planted in the slow water of the wave trough, while the stern is pushed aside by the faster moving wave crest. A skeg will keep the wave crest from sweeping the stern to the side and make the kayak ride smoother, going forward in a straight line.

It's not all or nothing either. The skeg can be deployed to different depths to adjust the tracking in varying sea conditions.

I've found a dramatic difference between Greenland and Aleut based designs regarding skeg use.

Most Greenland based designs benefit from skeg use in the above mentioned conditions.

Recently I've installed skegs on some of my baidarkas. I cannot notice any added benefit to deploying the skeg on the baidarka. The baidarka handles better in all conditions. High winds and rough seas are common around the Aleutians. Those full time paddlers focused their attention on coming up with a design to fit local conditions.

Etienne, have you noticed your baidarkas do not need a skeg?

Rob