I painted but I also shaped thin strips of oak to the skeg and rub strips and attached with epoxy which I am leaving the wood bare so they can get scratced up and I can just sand them down when I want to make them look good  then replace when gone.

( I figure about 8 or 10 sanders.)

This is on my passagemaker in Boston harbour waters.

 I agree with Anthony_B, the skeg will take a ton of abuse on the bottom edge, so whatever you decide, make sure the bottom is sufficiently ruggedized.  For my EP, I actually screwed in a stainless steel rub strake that has held up very well over the years.  I think aesthetics on the bottom are a secondary consideration.  With a large fillet, I wouldn't know where to mask it off at for painting.  I also graphite epoxy my bottoms for UV resistance, so it's one solid black surface.

   Hmmm....yes, I suppose I was thinking mostly aesthetics with my question, and now I’m thinking more work.  CLC sells a brass half-round material they say dresses up the bow and rub-rails, so I’m wondering whether it could be attached to the skeg for good effect without great difficulty.

It's your boat, do what you want with it! You could try adjusting photographs with something like photoshop to see what changes will look like but there are no hard and fast rules for what you want to do with your boat.

Please don't take this post the wrong way, I realise it sounds a bit short but seriously, you can finish the boat however you want to. Personally, I found paint covered up a lot of things I wouldn't want seen. . . . . !

Yambo makes a good point.  So what about what others do with masking paint from varnish, etc.  The durability issue (paint vs. varnish) got somewhat lost in the conversation, though, but other replies suggested some good options:  oak strips, or stainless rub strip.  I’ve checked with CLC and their brass half-rounds can be used on the skeg as well - - so I think that will address the durability question.  On the other aesthetic issue, I’m going to try showing the trailing edge of the skeg in varnish to extend down from the varnished transom.  No big deal.  If I don’t like it, the option is obvious.   ...... Thanks to all!

"Different ships, different long splices," as the old sailors' adage goes.

On our PMD, we varnished the transom exteriors but masked off and painted over (white) the plank edges where they meet the transoms, thinking, "Who want's to look at varnished end-grain plywood?"  We've been pleased with the effect, which seems to help set off her wonderful shape.

.....Michael