I've been reading this forum for some time now, and I've noticed that more than a few sailors have mentioned how "heavy" the H23 rudder is. I've noticed it most with a 2-3 foot following sea; neither the tiller pilot nor the admiral can handle the load. As a matter of fact, I can even see the top of the aluminum rudder housing bending under the strain! Looking at a couple of O'Day models I noticed that they have a "counterbalance" built in to the transom-mounted rudder. This puts a couple of inches of the rudder ahead of the pivot point which neutralizes at least some of the force aft of the pivot. This is very common on many aircraft as well. Question is, has anyone ever tried this? Does anyone have any ideas on how to modify a rudder in this way? Any thoughts? Jim Maroldo s/v: Lil' Wass Ett