: Wouldn't the rudder horizontal serve as less drag and be less of a seaweed
: hook? Would also be less apt to be damaged in a grounding, even with the
: kickup feature.

: I'm sure someone has a thought on this.

With a horizontal rudder the axle or pivot point would be underwater. Therefore it would need to be: (a) watertight; (b) faired into the hull somehow; and (c) the control arms that the steering cables attach to would need to be inside the hull which would reduce cargo space. It's been done by at least one other person on this board (the name escapes me) but I think that the complications outweigh the benefits for a lot of people.

Bret