Replacing Edson Helm Chain/Cable

[mytime]

When I was at the boat show an Edson rep told me that the chain/cable connecting the helm to rudder should be replaced every 7 years (on all boats). He said they can fail without notice after 7 years...Does this sound right? Edson typically has high grade components. I am not sure of previous owners maintenance schedule. On my 21 year old Catalina 30 should I replace it? It is not a cost issue... replacement parts are about $300. What is the typical life of the assembly without failure? Or any recommendations? Thanks all!

 

[njlarry]

I asked the same question here before. The consensus was if it ain't broke etc. If you do annual maintenance and inspection you should be fine for coastal cruising. No doubt some will disagree siting the manufacturers recommendation. I just rebuilt my steering system and the chain cable looked fine. Your boat your choice.

 

[woodster]

well i guess they would say that being as how they get $250.00 for a replacement kit and that is the cheapest one in there catalog

 

[Ron20324]

[QUOTE="]. I just rebuilt my steering system and the chain cable looked fine. Your boat your choice.[/QUOTE]

As always, everything looks and works fine- until it breaks.

 

[njlarry]

[QUOTE="]. I just rebuilt my steering system and the chain cable looked fine. Your boat your choice.

As always, everything looks and works fine- until it breaks.[/QUOTE]
Well if inspection is pointless the alternative is to replace the whole boat every five years and put the old one in the dumpster? The steering cable is less than the tip of the iceberg of things that could break.

 

[woodster]

there is never a day off when you own a 30ft and above sailboat even a new one will create work for you to do and if you don't keep up you will get in a deep hole that may make you trade or sell out ...half the fun is keeping it ship shape

 

[centerline]

maybe edson is light duty stuff?... im not judging, just asking....
I have a YS helm on my boat and the chain is super heavy duty stuff for the task, and as easy as the rudder/wheel turns, there is no way in hades that the chain is going to wear out or become damaged due to normal use on this size of boat. there just isnt that kind of stress being put on it.
the cable that goes around the quadrant is another matter. the connections at each end should be inspected every couple of years, or more often if in constant use, for wear.. especially inside the eyes if thimbles are not used.
I sprayed the entire length of my cable with napa chain and cable lube, just to allow it to be better protected from the moist air, while giving lubrication to the wear points.
corrosion and an over-tensioned quadrant cable is always signs that there is some maintenance needed to the system.

 

[woodster]

It's a 5/8 roller chain with a #50 connector just like on a Harley motorcycle from the days of old plenty of strength

 

[Benny17441]

My recommendation would be, "If it ain't broken do not fix it as long as you have an emergency tiller aboard".

 

[kimelmore]

I just went through a total rebuild of my steering from the helm to the quadrant. The folks at Edson were remarkably helpful and now I have a spare chain and cable. It looked fine until I took the cable off the quadrant. I can post photos if someone wishes. The worst part was the base plate of the steering post was completely corroded almost to the point of failure. Impossible to see until I removed it. I would suggest anyone with a 20+ year old 30 with pedestal steering to take a look.

 

[heritage]

I just replaced a Yacht Specialties pedestal on my Hunter 27 with a used Edson pedestal. The YS pedestal's aluminum base was corroded to the point that there was little structure for the mounting bolts and I could not think of any way to repair it. The Edson pedestal was in good shape except for the base plate that goes underneath the cockpit floor. It's made of plate steel and was badly rusted. The plate is the backing for the pedestal bolts and also carries the two large sheaves for the wire cable. I knocked several layers of rust off the Edson plate and decided not to use it. The old YS plate is made of aluminum and is in great shape, so I modified it somewhat to fit the Edson pedestal top portion. The chain and wire cable from the YS pedestal showed no wear, corrosion or broken wire strands and fit the Edson with no modification.

I see no reason to change out the chain and cable every 7 years. Check the cable for broken wires or streaks of rust at the swaged connectors. If the tension of the cable is more slack than before, find out why and correct it.

 

[woodster]

The YS pedestal's aluminum base was corroded to the point that there was little structure for the mounting bolts and I could not think of any way to repair it

wish i had known...... i have a YS base here that i am going to have to get rid of...... it is in good shape ...if you know of any one that needs one tell them about me so i can dispose of it to do someone some good....(sorry i know that is just what you wanted to hear)

 

[FasterHorses]

Ahoy there Mates!
This is a repair that I made immediately after FH was commissioned this season... Once our dock master slipped our vessel, he notified us that our steerage was extremely difficult/stiff. Once aboard, I realized that we had no steerage at all. Upon inspection, which required crawling through the sail locker and up under the cockpit sole to sight the pulley that redirects the chain (vertical to the helm) to cable (horizontal to the rudder quadrant). The photo attached shows what I discovered. Without warning, the pulley let go. What transpired after that delayed our shakedown cruise by almost a month. Making a long story short- we DIYed it, had to remove and replace the chain and cable, drill out the pedestal bolts as these secured the base plate which is where the failure occurred. The Edson staff was extremely helpful throughout the whole repair process, answering every question we had during each call. Word of note here, the pedestal bolts were made of aluminum which it was suggested by Edson to replace with S.S. So if you don't know where or how to inspect your boat for potential repairs or routine maintenance, you will at some point get caught off guard. I do recall somewhere in a maintenance manual, to inspect this stuff, but I learned the hard way, and it could have happened at a much worse time.
If I can help any further, I have more photos.

s/v Faster Horses

 

[bmjpv]

This is what I kinda found on my 79' Hunter C a while back. Not quite as bad but on it's was back to nature. I found one on Ebay that came out of the fresh water great lakes vs my Florida waters part. I have painted All bare metals with Par 15 as needed. My chain had been well greased and no corrosion had taken a foothold so I reinstalled it. Yes Edson suggested I replace it and they were Great to work with.

 

[heritage]

wish i had known...... i have a YS base here that i am going to have to get rid of...... it is in good shape ...if you know of any one that needs one tell them about me so i can dispose of it to do someone some good....(sorry i know that is just what you wanted to hear)

Thanks for the thought Woody. But I did get a good deal on the used Edson pedestal which should serve me well as parts are available,,, not cheap,,, but available.

 

[woodster]

This one was free for the asking and freight

 

[Dan_Y]

At least inspect frequently if you don't change! We replaced the probably original '91 chain and wire rope in our h30 Edison pedestal just cause it seemed time and the radial drive wheel was dissolving. My mistake was leaving it to the yard to change chain and wire rope. I didn't inspect it for two seasons (why? It's new!), an the wire rope broke in 4ft following seas! Used the emergency tiller to get back in the slip about an hour and 15min later. I have GREAT appreciation for rudder loads in following seas now, just like the sailors who use a tiller do. But the problem was traced to me not paying attention that yard over tensioned cables. There was a small pile of wire strands below the sheaves under the pedestal. Metal filings would indicate the sheaves were out of alignment and cutting the wire rope, but we had only pieces of wire, indicating over tensioned wire rope. It was going on for a while too and would have been easily found by routine inspection. Follow the Edison manual for proper tension. BTW I have a 2 year used chain available cheap with the hardware except for the wire rope. I was in a rush and ordered a complete kit from WM and replaced it in the slip. Note the chain is stainless so it does not mess with your pedestal compass. PM if interested. Dan

 

[mytime]

My response From Edson after requesting additional information... I'm gonna do it after 21 years I can't imagine it is getting better over time and for $250 (I Paid $236.). I have some piece of mind.
RESPONSE:
For a boat in salt water (anything but the lakes), we recommend a replacement interval of 7-10 years for Chain and Wire. The chain is susceptible to crevice corrosion failure after that length of time, and the wire suffers from fatigue as it is bent and straightened (going over the sheaves and radial drive wheel). Proper lubrication (#30 motor oil) and inspection is recommended throughout this service life.
The correct replacement kit for your ’94 Catalina 30 MKII is Edson part #77101. This assembled kit includes 1.5’ of #50 chain, 7’ lengths of 3/16” pre-stretched steering wire, and a tensioning kit. I have attached the datasheet for your boat for reference – it is definitely worth keeping onboard. This can be ordered by calling in to us at 508-995-9711. The price for this kit is $249.00.
We would be glad to walk you the installation process and answer any questions, but also feel free to check out this set of videos that will also help (note that I have included some that are steps required to access the chain and wire – they are in sequential order below):


Binnacle Compass Removal:

Engine Control Removal:

Replacing Chain and Wire:

Tensioning Hardware Assembly:

Additional Maintenance Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDBr_VKN153DNPeQZXjYz1MYV1VGI06ng