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[quote=MN3][quote]I do not agree that is has no strength in the fore aft direction. otherwise a windy day would be dangerous.
[/quote]
you are correct - it has "some" (fore/aft)  strength - but your conclusion is wrong
 it is designed to manage  loads from above
it is meant to stop your mast from ripping through you beam when it has lots of force on it ( sheeted and has wind on it)

it is NOT meant as a method to pull or push your boat horizontally - and if you do, you are adding a lot of force in a critical part that was not meant to have force on it - ymmv

Rudders - every pothole you hit will add wear to your rudders / especially your fittings and bolts and through holes

you can bend rudder through-bolts and cause worming out and adding slop to your rudders - it is up to you if the time savings is worth that risk/ damage (and your specific gear)

IF you travel with them on ... in the up position you risk the rudder causing damage by popping out of the locked up position and slamming down -  it is up to you if it is worth the risk and the time savings is worth it. different boats have different systems to keep the rudders up. some a reliable some are not - ymmv

If you drive a few miles on smooth roads - probably not a big deal, if you drive far down crappy roads (and care) ... it's probably worth the time to take em off.

If you look at most modern boats / racers, they take off all the parts, and put them in rudder bag, boom bags, sail bags, etc. It is all an effort to protect expensive gear and make it last<em>Edited by MN3 on Oct 25, 2021 - 12:27 PM.</em> [/quote]

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