Raz- Before I bought. I would go for a swim and take a look, but I would really make sure that is where the rudder is. There are a lot of E-27's out there for sale to be had for that kind of $. I would really look hard at this boat and question if the lost rudder was a freak occurence or the general care of maintenence by an idiot. There is a loyal group of Ericson present and past owners at
www.Ericsonyachts.com that have tons of knowledge to talk you through all issues. Rob Hessenius