Jesse, this is a fantastic article!  Your towing kit is virtually identical to mine except my Grand Cherokee is a 2020 I bought in April specifically so I could tow my Rhodes.  I like the idea of the rudder cover since the ablative paint comes off rather easily.  I have an old sail bag that I think will work well for that.

Thanks for documenting this and what sounds like a great adventure.

~Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org> On Behalf Of Jesse Shumaker
Sent: Friday, September 17, 2021 9:39 AM
To: The Rhodes 22 Email List <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] [Rhodes 22 List] Centerboard Down When Motoring on to Trailer?

Hi Mike,

On a trip over Labor Day weekend, I checked my tongue weight (with rudder
in the v-berth) and stopped at a certified scale to weigh the trailer and
overall rig.  It weighed more than I anticipated but it towed smoothly.  I
had a cover made for the rudder to make it easier to handle moving into the
cabin.  I went into some details about this and my towing setup at the top
of the second page in the attached document which you might find helpful
for reference.
http://rhodes22.org/pipermail/rhodes22-list/attachments/20210908/722d8ac5/attachment.pdf

Jesse Shumaker
S/V Zephyr

On Fri, Sep 17, 2021, 8:17 AM Michael McKay <mm.bizlist1 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thank you Roger—that is excellent advice.
>
> Michael McKay
> (630) 209-2054 (m)
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Sep 17, 2021, at 8:11 AM, ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > Michael,
> >
> > It all depends on how the weight is distributed on your trailer.  The
> transom is strong enough to support the static and dynamic loads of the
> mounted rudder going down the road.  So, if you have enough tongue weight;
> that, your trailer is stable on the highway; then, it’s OK leave the rudder
> on the transom.  I’ve been leaving the rudder mounted for trailering for
> years.  I like to kick up the rudder blade a few inches and cleat it off
> for more ground clearance.  The rule of thumb for stability is the tongue
> weight needs to be 10-15% of the gross loaded trailer weight (i.e. the all
> up weight of the trailer + boat + motor + water, fuel, food, sails, gear,
> etc).  Note, I also leave my Honda 8 bhp extra long shaft outboard mounted
> on the transom for trailering and it weighs ~130 lbs.  Check the list
> archives for a discussion of how to measure and increase your trailer’s
> tongue weight.
> >
> > With my trailer and mast carrier, the masthead is the thing that
> protrudes furthest aft past the transom.  I put a red flag on the end of
> the mast so the police won’t ticket me.  Depending on your trailer and mast
> carrier, you might have to red flag the masthead or the rudder blade,
> whichever is furthest aft.
> >
> > Other than the extra rigging/unrigging steps, it certainly doesn’t hurt
> to unstep the rudder and store it in the cockpit.  If you need more tongue
> weight, you can even put the rudder in the cabin up in the V-berth.  If you
> have to do that, I would wrap the rudder in something like a mover’s
> blanket to protect the V-berth’s cushions.
> >
> > If you leave the rudder stepped, remember it’s hanging out there on the
> transom, possibly the 1st thing to hit if you back into something.  & you
> can’t see it back there in your rear view mirrors!  I always kick the
> rudder blade up all the way before backing up.
> >
> > Roger Pihlaja
> > S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> >
> > Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> Windows
> >
> > From: Michael McKay<mailto:mm.bizlist1 at gmail.com>
> > Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2021 11:51 PM
> > To: The Rhodes 22 Email List<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] [Rhodes 22 List] Centerboard Down When
> Motoring on to Trailer?
> >
> > Roger,
> >
> > I’m preparing to trail my Rhodes on my own for the first time next
> weekend. When I brought her home last year, the seller had removed the
> rudder and put it in the cockpit for transport.  Is that step unnecessary
> or a reasonable precaution?
> >
> > Michael McKay
> > (630) 209-2054 (m)
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> >> On Sep 15, 2021, at 8:31 AM, ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> Hi All,
> >>
> >> The centerboard is not a digital device.  You will find; that, if you
> motor onto the trailer with the board about half way down, it will guide
> the boat onto the rollers as per Stan’s claim.  With the centerboard about
> half way down, there is so little pennant left in the well that it cannot
> get snarled up.  If you have to back up, the centerboard will only drop
> down until the pennant catches it, no harm done.  I’ve been retrieving S/V
> Dynamic Equilibrium onto it’s trailer with the centerboard half way down
> since 1987.  After the boat is up on the trailer, I disconnect the fuel
> line from the engine.  While I’m waiting for the gas in the carburetor to
> be used up, I kick up the rudder blade and cleat it off.  Then, I pull in
> the rest of the centerboard pennant and cleat it off.  So, I always trailer
> and launch the boat with the centerboard fully retracted and cleated off.
> >>
> >> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium has a proper, high aspect ratio hydrofoil,
> centerboard.  But, I would imagine the newer diamond board centerboards
> would function in a similar manner when loading the boat onto the trailer.
> Try it with the board about half way down.
> >>
> >> All kick-up devices on sailboats are vulnerable to damage when backing
> up.  This includes the centerboard and even more importantly, the rudder
> blade!  I mention the rudder blade because, located on the transom, it is
> most likely to hit something 1st when backing up.  There is tremendous
> leverage to pry the rudder right off the transom if you back into
> something.  Not only can you lose the rudder; but, you might rip a big hole
> in the transom!  Leaving the centerboard &/or rudder blade  down when
> backing up is hazardous at best.  If you hit something, I would call it
> operator error.
> >>
> >> Roger Pihlaja
> >> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> >>
> >> Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> Windows
> >>
> >> From: Ric Stott<mailto:ric at stottarchitecture.com>
> >> Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2021 4:48 PM
> >> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> >> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] [Rhodes 22 List] Centerboard Down When
> Motoring on to Trailer?
> >>
> >> I can assure you, it will ruin more than just the day.
> >> I believe the Diamond board was redesigned from the original blade
> style Center Board specifically to avoid such disasters, and is less
> susceptible to damaging the CB cap. The pivot point is different, but I do
> not know how it is different, I’ve never seen one. Stan is reluctant to
> sell me a Diamond board because it takes significant intervention and
> Fiberglass work to reset the pivot point.
> >> I have a blade type CB and have repaired the cap once and replaced the
> whole thing once.
> >> I rebuilt the cap, trunk and replaced all the control line rigging with
> new Turning blocks imported from England - the only source for them.
> >> After a steep learning curve - I never back the boat up (put it in
> reverse) with the CB down - it can cause damage to the cap.
> >> If you launch with the blade type CB free to drop off the roller - it
> can be catastrophic, I promise.
> >> Ric
> >> Dadventure
> >> ’84 Continental
> >> HBNY
> >>
> >> Richard F. Stott, AIA, LEED AP
> >> ric at stottarchitecture.com
> >> O -631-283-1777
> >> C- 516-965-3164
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>> On Sep 14, 2021, at 4:27 PM, Graham <gstewart8 at cogeco.ca> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> You can do that and It can be helpful perhaps with a strong cross
> current that makes alignment with the trailer difficult but I am reluctant
> to do this out of the fear that I will forget to retract  and cinch the
> uphaul line. If you make this mistake the centreboard will drop when you
> back the boat off the trailer and this can result in serious damage as the
> centreboard can be pushed up with sufficient force to break the centreboard
> cap. That will ruin your whole day.
> >>>> On Sep 14, 2021, 4:00 PM -0400, Jeff Smith Photo <
> jeffsmithphoto at gmail.com>, wrote:
> >>>> The diamond board should be down when motoring on to the trailer -
> right?
> >>>> Best regards,
> >>>> Jeff
> >>>> JeffSmithPhoto.Net
> >>>> w <http://NJphoto.Net>ww.jeffsmithphoto.net
> >>>> Cell: 732-236-1368
> >>>> Atlantic Highlands, NJ
> >>
> >
>