When launching your kayak on a beach with pebbles, as you know they often jam the skeg.

I came up with a simple solution. Take a strip of Gorilla Tape (a high-quality duct tape) about four inches longer than the skeg box opening. Take some twine, and tie a wide loop at the end. Then fold about a two-inch flap from one of the duct tape back on itself...while enclosing the loop of twine within that fold. Over the remainder of the duct tape, put a couple strips of masking tape over any remaining duct tape--with the non-adhesive side of the masking tape laying on the adhesive of the duct tape. Then apply this whole apparatus over you (dry) skeg box, with the 2-inch loop with twine beyond the aft end of the box. Then have the necessary length of twine head up the side of the kayak, and attach it with a piece of tape near where you skeg control is.

Launch as usual. When you are clear of the beach and breakers, simply use the string to pull the whole apparatus off (you can store it in your PFD pocket).

I use the two layers of tape because the Gorilla Tape is strong, so the twice won't simply pull through it, leaving the tape to interfere with the skeg. Yet the masking tape has just enough adhesion to keep the tape in place while launching, but releases easily when you pull on it.

Might sound a bit complicated, but it is really an easy, simple system once you've done it once. And it is nice to know your skeg is free if you need/want it.

That sounds like a lot of work especially if you are launching multiple times a day. It's easier just to have someone pull the little string attached to the skeg. Or launch in a few inches of water. Or learn that you don't actually need a skeg in a well designed boat.

Nick, I looked up almost all of the boats you've recommended previously in your various posts, and found that they almost all are equipped with skegs. Etain, Alchemy, Tempest, Scorpio, Chatham, Tiderace..... Do you recommend that buyers order these boats without skegs, have the skegs surgically removed, or just always keep the skeg retracted? What is your practice?

The comment about not needing a skeg was intended as a comment that while almost all non-ruddered boats come with skegs, most boats rarely need them. They are nice to have in a strong cross wind or following sea as they eliminate some ruddering or corrective strokes, but are not essential. Forcing oneself to paddle without a skeg is a good skill to have, as skegs (and rudders) break and jam, and with the right skills, a trip doesn't have to be cut short due to equipment failure. After a while, you realize it's been months since you deployed your skeg and that you don't really need it. I have several friends who have removed their skegs to get more rear compartment room for expeditions but I wouldn't do that unless you really need to room for a big trip and don't mind reducing the resale value of your boat.
SM, I'm impressed you follow along with all my boat recommendations. Are you in the market for a new boat? What boat(s) do you paddle now? I would guess with your obvious love of big expedition kayaking and its history, it would be a Nordkapp or NDK Explorer.

Much of the discussion of sea kayaking and of sea kayak design, or what the "correct" kayak should look like, back in the late 1970s and early 80s when I started following these things, was largely in the hands of the designers themselves. You had people like Matt Broze, Derek H., Dan Ruuska, Frank Goodman, holding forth on rudders, skegs, bulkheads, fish- vs. swedeform, hard chine, blah, blah. Often these designers were in violent disagreement with one another. However, reading of the experiences of many, many sea kayakers over the years, talking with fellow paddlers, and my own years of doing the sort of paddling that most pleases me, have led me to renounce much if not all of the ideology that so characterizes discussions of what boat to paddle, and how to paddle it. Rudder vs. skeg vs. neither; GP vs. Europaddle; hi- vs. low-angle; it goes on and on and on. The reality is that all sorts of paddling is successfully and pleasingly done in all sorts of sea kayaks by paddlers plying all sorts of paddles in all sorts of ways. The key is to be an informed, educated, sea-wise mariner paddling a well-found kayak, properly equipped and maintained, in a sensible and prudent manner. My own test for whether a sea kayak is owned by a serious mariner is the presence of decklines and a compass; I also believe in plying the lightest paddle one can afford (and carrying a spare).

I've had four kayaks over the years: a Granta double (kit) that I converted to a single; a Dirigo 17; a customized CLC Patuxent 17 (built from plans--their hull, my deck and cockpit); and my current craft, an Epic 16X, which, while not perfect (what boat is??), pleases me mightily. I paddle most often with partners with a Nordkapp, some with Romanys or Explorers, and a Caribou. But most everybody I meet while/during paddling is happy with their boat! Go figure.

No need to use the past tense, the designers are still in disagreement with each other. Just read the interview with Greg Barton (Epic Kayaks) in the latest Canoe & Kayak magazine where he makes disparaging remarks about the entire class of 'British style' kayaks and the BCU system. Maybe he was upset that they interviewed Sean Morley for the forward stroke article and not him.

After working with this a bit more, I found it works fine to simply use a piece of duct tape...without the extra work of the masking tape.

As far as it being easier for someone to "pull the little string", that's not an option for me as I generally paddle solo. Also might be a challenge in big seas. And sometimes, just pulling the string is inadequate anyway.

Launching in a few inches of water often isn't an option while beach launching in surf (which is my typical mode).

Finally, you're right: if your boat requires a skeg (or rudder), that's a problem. And one should certainly learn to control their boat without the skeg in all conditions. Nevertheless, if you find yourself at your limits (due to sea condition or fatigue or illness), the extra effort of paddling without the skeg and having to take corrective action could be a serious safety issue. So for me, paddling solo, I like to take the minute needed to put on the duct tape, then I know I'll have that option if conditions warrant.