A
skeg, (
skegg or
skag) is a sternward extension of the
keel of boats and ships which have a
rudder mounted on the centre line. The term also applies to the lowest point on an
outboard motor or the outdrive of an
inboard/outboard. In more recent years, the name has been used for a
fin on a
surfboard which improves
directional stability and to a movable fin on a
kayak which adjusts the boat's
centre of lateral resistance (it moves the center of resistance relative to the center of effort). The term is also often used for the fin on water skis in the U.S. and for the tail bumpers of aircraft in the US Navy.