pretty stout. The rudder of a friends boat was pounded so hard on a reef in the DR that it actually was forced up and out of the lower shoe and then bent to port about 45 degrees. We spent 2 weeks putting the it back on so we could limp the boat to Puerto Rico for repairs. I think that a skeg rudder boat wouldn't have survived. Everything is a trade off and peoples likes and dislikes is what makes it interesting.