Cajo Help center
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Steering handle cable problems

If your steering handle binds, frays, or won't turn, submit a claim at caminojourney.com/pages/claims-form and we'll ship a replacement at no charge.

If your steering handle is binding, fraying, or won't turn, we'll ship you a replacement at no charge.

Symptoms

Some Traverse Rudder Steering Handles can develop binding in the internal cables. This shows up as one of these symptoms:

  • Handle won't turn at all
  • Handle is stiff or hard to move
  • Cable visibly fraying where it exits the housing
  • "Jumpy" or grinding feel when you try to turn
  • Handle works at first, then seizes after a few outings

It's not anything you did wrong, and it's not something that gets better with use — once the cable starts binding, it usually keeps getting worse.

Here's a quick video that shows what's happening: facebook.com/reel/2192584174839504.

> Already tried the rudder-cord unwrap fix and it didn't help? That fix is for a different issue — a double-wrap on the rudder pulley cord, which causes one-way-stiff steering. If you ran that fix and saw broken strands appear in the cable while you were testing, you've got this issue, not that one. The cable's done — don't keep trying fixes. Skip to the claim form below and we'll send a new handle.

What we'll do

Replace it. No charge, no need to send the old one back unless we specifically ask for it.

How to get the replacement moving

Fill out the Claims Form and we'll get a new handle out to you ASAP. We need:

  1. Your HIN (etched on the stern starboard side)
  2. Your shipping address and phone number
  3. A short video or a photo of the binding handle (helps us confirm it's the same issue)
  4. The dealer you purchased from, if applicable

Once that's in, the Claims Team usually has a replacement order placed within a couple of business days.

What to do in the meantime

Don't try to force the handle past the bind point — that can damage the cable run inside the rudder housing. If you have to get back to the dock, pull-cord the rudder up out of the water so the boat tracks straight with your foot pedals only.

If your replacement also binds

File the claims form again with a note that this is the 2nd (or 3rd) replacement with the same symptom. We'll keep replacing it until you have one that works right — that's a commitment to actually fix the part, not a one-time swap.

You didn't do anything wrong, and our team will follow up until it's resolved.