Challenger 35’ Ketch helm linkage broken

[Al Hodges]

Hi all,
My sister-in-law just bough to fixer-upper. We were taking it to the pump out station in the harbor and suddenly there was a clank sound in the helm pedestal and the new no response to turning the helm. We managed to get safely to the dock without some assist from a light breeze and got pumped out.
We also managed to get back to her slip with the aid of a very helpful fellow boater. Shout out to Brian in Oxnard. THANKS BROTHER!!!
Anyway I found a broken chain down below but don’t know Howe it routes back to the helm.
I did appreciate any in sight into how this system works. Her boat is a 1975 Challenger 35’ Ketch.
Thanks to all

[Dsanduril]

Looks like the Challenger 35 has a steering pedestal in the cockpit? In that case, was the broken chain attached to a couple of cables? That went through some turning blocks?

If that's the case then the chain (should look like a motorcycle/bicycle chain) should go up through the pedestal, over a sprocket, and back down. Cables get attached to each end, and then go to the rudder. Here's a picture of a pedestal from the top to give you an idea:


and a diagram of how many of them work (there are so many variations that you may have to take a few pictures and post them if things look a lot different):


PS - Welcome to CF

[Haley]

Thanks for the pictures, @Dsanduril!

[tkeithlu]

Welcome to the forum, Al, and I'm sorry that you've had a bad day.

Most likely the connection between the chain and the cables broke, but it could also be cable skipping off the rudder quadrant or some other pretty simple failure.

In any case, you can repair it. It's simple. Dig in and find the problem. If you need new chain or chain fittings, go here:

https://www.mcmaster.com/chain-and-rope-fittings

or here:

mcmaster.com/drive-chain

Get to know the McMaster-Carr catalog; it's very easy to use because it's a branching system that leads you through narrowing down to what you need. Measure the chain and look on the sides of the links; "45" means it's a group 45 chain in the catalog. You can do the same for cable fittings.

It only gets rough if you (very unlikely) have a damaged rudder quadrant. You might have to go to Hamilton Marine (they support commercial fishing boats) for a new one.

Hang i there, and let us know how you did with your first repair project.

[coopec43]

As other have pointed out it could be a cable/chain link broken.


Maybe your steering is an Edson set-up?

https://edsonmarine.com/products/sailboat-steering-wheels/steering-hardware/chain-wire-rope