I've had to make a few mods to the Feathercraft rudder on my X-Factor. The rudder came with SS cables that were crimped into a loop at each end. This set-up was less than satisfactory. The first time they were installed, the cables were crimped a little too short. This left me with less rudder swing than I wanted. I had the cables replaced and crimped to the right length, but they didn't last very long. The replacement SS cable corroded within a few months and broke (rudder stuck hard over going through the surf
) I also had a problem with the frayed tag end scratching my leg all the time.
Here is the new set up
I replaced the SS cables with 1.8mm
Spyder Line from New England Ropes. The line has a Dyneema core with a UV resistant polyester sheath. It has almost no stretch and the parting strength is 350lbs. You can get this stuff at West Marine. I think this line is far superior to SS cable. The biggest advantage is that you can precisely adjust the rudder throw by moving the knots. It's so much easier than crimping the SS cables. There is no stretch, so the rudder response feels just as firm as with the SS cables.
It was a little difficult to feed the line through the plastic guide tube, but that was mostly due to the corrosion residue inside the tube. It would be fairly easy to route it through a new tube. I was a little worried about the line chafing on the edge of the rudder arm holes. To prevent this I could have beveled and smoothed the edge of the hole. Too much work for me so I just got a couple of shackles to tie off to. The line is stationary on the shackle so there is no wear on the line. This arrangement has lasted for over two years with no signs of wear.