In a recent post under "electricals" David H raises the question of the affect of removing the rudder and placing it in the towing vehicle to achieve better balance (correct nose weight) of the trailer.
The HM rudder weighs 21kg without the tiller! This is pretty heavy and approaching the weight of some outboard engines. As this is the outer most item from the boat/trailer's centre of balance it will have a big effect on the trailer's nose weight and will also help to reduce the overall trailing weight (remember the maximum legal combined boat/trailer weight is only 1800kg).
However, as removing the rudder is time consuming and would take up a lot of space in the towing vehicle, I'm currently looking at constructing a much lighter rudder. Needless to say, I'm a little obsessed by boat weight and keeping it as light as possible. Has anybody ever weighed a South African rudder?
Regards
David Peck
CC94 Whistling Rufus