Congrats on the purchase! I started on a 5.2 about 6 years ago and I scrounged a nasty grungy one up for $1100 and completely rebuilt it into a bit of a hot-rod. There are a few of us here that are very familiar with the boat so holler' if you have any questions.

I towed with the rudders on for about a year before I started to get worried about them. If you put a pin in with a damnit-ring, they're pretty easy to remove quickly. Don't store them on the trampoline however, they will wear through in the vibration and bouncing (not personal experience - but I've seen it).