RE: What to use instead of tail-skid???
Sullivan tailwheel assembly. I use them on all of my taildraggers. All the way from my Sig Something Extra to my 89" Super Decathlon. You can find them at Tower Hobbies, [link]http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXFV47&P=0[/link]
The attached pictures are from my Something Extra
Ken