I had to do the same when I replaced the rudder on my E381. I'm guessing no more than 30" or so. Since I was replacing the old rudder I just cut the bottom off when I removed it. The new one I dug a hole for, as mentioned above. A word of caution, boatyard lots are compacted earth and crushed stone. When I dug the hole I needed a pickaxe, pointed shovel, PHD (post hole digger!), etc. to make any progress and still ended up with blisters. Looking back it would have been easier to just have the yard sling the boat for 5 minutes, and likely worth the coin and vertebral disks..... And yes, the rudder is heavier than you expect once out, top heavy as mentioned. Two people is a good idea. RT