Rudder vs Skeg

I think I've finally found the best solution for the rudder vs skeg argument.  The answer is neither!

I'm finding a few kayaks that work well without either one in most conditions.

Current Designs Kestral 140  - so far so good in winds to 20 and very mild chop and surf. Yet to be determined on three day trips with a lot of wind.

Current Designs Solstice GTS  - So far as I could tell the rudder only helped in single blading and in sailing. Even then it was not a lot of help.  It did not really help with turns because you had to lean the boat pretty far to get it to turn at all. It comes with a rudder but, if I still owned it, I would remove it.

Cape Falcon F-1 - Only completely neutral boat I've paddled in 20 mile an hour winds.

Some kayaks need a rudder and do not perform well without them.

Cobra Expedition - The rudder really helps this boat track straight. Mine is a bent boat and turns right without a rudder. I could ad a trim tab or skeg instead but I'd prefer a straight boat.

Wilderness Systems Tarpon - I did not need the rudder until I went paddling at the coast with mine.  It is a design that lee cocks in bigger winds and chop and becomes uncontrollable without a rudder.  If you do not paddle in breezy and choppy conditions you may not need it.

Wilderness Systems Tsunami - Acts the same as the Tarpon.

Some Boats need a skeg to prevent weather cocking.

Most British designed boats have a tad of weather cocking designed into them with a skeg as part of the design to neutralized this trend in different conditions.

Many boats designed for rudders like the Tsunami tend to lee cock without a rudder deployed in bigger winds. 

I still prefer the rudder for sailing and single blading but most kayakers don't do either of those and so I'd recommend going without.

Racers usually prefer rudders because they don't want to waste any energy on corrective strokes that a rudder can handle more efficiently. 

Expedition paddlers prefer the simplicity and repair-ability of a skeg. And they view the needed edging skills as a feature of sea kayaking and pride themselves on their ability to learn these skills as opposed to simply using a rudder with all it's fiddly metal parts being turned into dust by the salty sea.