My point 65 north XP has a rudder and a skeg and also paddles very well with neither deployed.In fairly calm water( up to 1.5 mtr swell with wind chop ) you can vary how much skeg you drop down to suit the conditions .In rough water dropping it all the way down steadies the boat and increases stability.But when it gets really rough (over 2mtr swell and strong winds) I use the rudder for better control ,also if you are using a sail the rudder is almost a necessity.As well on most skegs you will notice a small hole on the lower edge for tying a thin piece of cord to so if the skeg sticks ,you paddling partner can reach under and give it a tug to unstick it .But both rudders and skegs do cause drag and the boat paddles a lot faster without them being used.