Used Passport 10.5 Why would they make this mod?

Long story short - I bought a used passport 10.5 from my local Hobie dealer. It was their demo/rental. Kayak has been great but I can't work out why they cut the plastic from the circular section of the twist & stow rudder. They also seemed to have shaved the rudder control handle as well. They salesman at the shop was at a loss as to why these parts had been modified, as am I. The rudder works fine, I'm just curious if anyone has any idea why this mod has been made.

Looks to have been dragged down the road or something... not a modification that makes any sense.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Matt, thanks for the reply. It may not look pretty but for the time being it still seems to work fine.