Had a cable blow out while sailing. Things to watch: 1. If the rudder is a little sloppy, may mean that the cable is getting old and loosening up. 2. If the rubber boot looks like its starting to rip ... since you should change the boot when you change cables ... if the boot is ripping ... the cables may be going as well. Cables fit into a conduit and just push through with teflon grease if the conduit is OK. 3. In my 89 LE ... the cables have been changed now twice ... every 8 years or so. 4. The problem seems to be the U Turn the cables makes on the quadrant ... it seems to fatigue the cable at that turn, and you can see those two turn points with a mirror and flashlight at the quadrant... turn the wheel hard over to see ... if you are small enough to get to the back of the lazarette ... check to see if the cable strands are starting to break. One of my cables completely ruptured... the other had a couple of strands broken. Check to see if the nylon conduit ends are starting to break. 5. The nylon cable ends in the pedestal seem to groove and probably should be replaced every time. 6. Remember to pull the pedestal bracket down and check the cable ends before you order the Chain/Cable assembly from Edson ... My chain looked perfect ... but Edson sells the kit which seems to overprice the cables alone to give you an incentive to buy the cable/chain assembly. Didn't check the conduit ends and found one broken only after ordering and receiving the cables. Double FedX on that. 7. Replacing cables is not an easy job to do on this one ... probably why Edson doesn't make this unit anymore. You have to pull the quadrant out of the transom and work on it in the smallest part of the lazarette with the conduit attached. 8. Although Edson said there is no top to the unit, my arm seems to have a slight angle to it. So I think that the arm's slight angle should go to starboard to give just a couple of degrees more when backing to starboard. Either that or my arm has bent ... but I don't think so.I was always concerned that the rudder didn't go as far as it could to starboard ... only a concern when backing. 9. Once you do the first one ... the next one 8 years from now should be duck soup. End of Report Vic "Seven"