yeah i had my two sons in the boat couple weeks ago and was wondering when the steering cable was last replaced. scary ****. glad your crew is alright.

I had one go recently also, when looking into replacement cable was advised they should be replaced every couple of years? Be interesting to see if they break due to age, or number of hours.

Greasing them will help but they do just wear out, Hugh amount of pressure on them. I just put hydraulic steering on mine, well worth it.

I did not notice any difference in steering, a mate was on helm day before afterwards advised he felt it binding. The cable had done approx 5-600hrs, and snapped internally when backing off pontoon. As for greasing them they are prelubed and do not need greasing. Replaced with no feedback system, huge improvement, and cost effective.

worksux wrote: Not good, Was there any sign of it happening, like steering being a little firmer.

Coastguard Maritime School wrote: This is another example of a situation highlighting the importance of wearing the Kill-Cord.

Thanks Potty. Think i will stop going WOT until i get things checked. My boat is 3 years old ,but even so. Wonder what cost would be to change systems.

so potty, you gonna look at hydraulic then?

My steering cable parted last week too - in good weather a mile and a half off Mangawhai. A sharp turn to starboard resulted. Lashed the boat hook to the motor cowling as a jury tiller to get home. When taken in for repair was told 2 - 3 years was normal life, anymore than 3 was a bonus, so at nearly 6 I had been lucky. I had never heard about having to change them out - and presumed it would be checked at service and changed as required. No indication of anything untoward, all working fine until it let go. I'm just glad I wasn't crossing the bar in marginal conditions or out at the Kaipara graveyard. Changing at 3 years of they go that long would seem advisable. 

The hydraulic steering on my boat failed suddenly earlier this year when the steering arm unscrewed from the hydraulic arm. A much less common thing than steering cable failure but a bull horn type arrangement would be much better than the single action on my boat.  I was lucky we were only doing 10 knots and had only just got through a bar crossing. At 35mph iit would have been a violent turn. Very lucky you weren't hurt.