That depends on your skill level, the difficulty of paddling you do, and the type of boat you paddle. Good paddlers in easy conditions don't need a skeg. As we do most of our paddling in easy conditions, the need for a skeg is reduced. The harder the conditions you paddle, or the lower your skill level, the more you need a skeg.

While a boat like the Anas Acuta should have a skeg if you paddle in intermediate or advanced conditions, most paddlers are unwilling to give up the space that the skeg takes up in these very low volume kayaks.

Now you know how a skeg works. Remember, in most boats you don't need to lower the skeg all the way down in order to have the boat turn downwind. Go out and experiment with different skeg settings.