I would say it really depends on how badly the cable is and the bend is. If the steering cable is in great condition and the bent section is just a slight bend, you could try to straighten the bent out to see if it would work. And the best way to do that is to make a little setup to hold the ends of the shaft section and then apply pressure in the bent section a little at a time and try it. Once it slides in and works without problems or binding, use it. If that seems like too much effort, then just buy a new one and happy boating. Many bent things are actually straighten using that procedure and it does straighten bent shafts perfectly. JMHO!