"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
Has anyone ever heard of Edson pedestal steering gear chains breaking? I
ordered new steering cables from them a couple days ago and they talked me
into a new chain which they say should be replaced every 5 years. He made
a good case, crevice corrosion, etc., so I went along. I know Edson
would like to sell chain but I wonder how often the actually happens. My
chain appears to be original from 1980. It looks fine but I would have to
clean it up and dye test it to be sure. Quicker, and probably not much
more expensive, to just buy a new chain.

--
Roger Long

As it happens I was watching the series on "Wanderer" on the Knowledge
Network channel yesterday and they had their Edson chain break on them while
in the south pacific. Took 2 weeks to get a new one delivered. Nothing
lasts forever and steering is pretty important. I'd probably change mine if
going offshore but for local I'd just rely on my emergency tiller (which the
folks on Wanderer didn't seem to have).