Fixing steering
Ok, I don't have wheel steering on my Mac, but did work at a marina to get through college. You probably have a rack style steering system. (a gear on the wheel shaft engauges with a rack in a box that the cable pushes and pulls actuating the steering.) They rarely come with any zerks. They always freeze up in time. The fix is to add zerks, and grease them several times a year, and when you winterize. I used to drill and tap and add zerks at the collar where the cable goes in to the rack, and at the other end too, as well as in the bushing that the wheels shaft goes through. Might be able to do it in place, might have to remove it to have enough room to drill the holes. Yes, some times I made a small dimple in the shafts, but it never semed to hurt any thing. The box is usually made of aluminum, so it drills easy, and taps easy. I had both a regular tap and a blind tap, you can manage by doing all the taping with a cheap tap, then grinding the tappered tip off and rechase all the holes so as to get the threads all the way down to the bottom. Then just screw the zerks in and grease. Work the wheel back and forth a few times (lock to lock) and grease again. You should feel a big difference. After a few weekends of sailing grease it again and it should be smoother that new. If it's too stiff to turn already, try liquid wrench, or better yet, PB rust buster, sprayed where the shafts (cable) goes into the conduit, and try working it back and forth. Spray it up several times and work it back and forth untill it is free enough to get it's full travel. If you can't get it turning try drilling your holes for adding the jerks and spraying the liquid wrench in through the holes. Saved every one I worked on. Many of these repairs out lasted replacement systems put on other boats after I left. Those thatdidn't were probably never greased again.
