Frozen steering

The wheel is frozen. It won't budge. Is this common for a boat that's been sitting for a long time and are there easy/good ways to bring it to life? I have plenty of time (read helpers) and less will to spend money (read cheap).

Is it worth trying to salvage the old system or replace it with one of these? It looks similar.
http://www.iboats.com/Pretech_Rotar....246965--list_time.1180067310--view_id.352594

Re: Frozen steering

You need to determine where the problem is. I am assuming you have a cable helm and an outboard engine. An easy place to start is to disconnect the cable at the engine end and pivot the engine to make sure it is free. If it is, move on to the cable itself. It should slide freely in its sleeve. Most likely it is the cable. Once you take everything apart get some high quality penetrating oil and soak everything down. Maybe you can get it to free up.

The steering system is very important obviously, and frozen parts indicate bad corrosion. Corrosion breaks down the strength in parts and can cause catastrophic failure and loss of control of the boat. The best advice is to replace the parts for safety sake.