Changing rudder control cord.

 My rudder control cord broke on my perception pilot 120. I was thinking to try so 80lb steel leader.. Any thoughts?

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I’d be worried about how it would wear on surfaces as you pulled it back and forth.

You can pickup replacement rudder line by the foot. 1/16" 7 strand aircraft wire is the standard replacement and it's really inexpensive. Just pick up a couple of crimps and you're in business.

http://www.riggingwarehouse.com/default.aspx?page=item+detail&itemcode=109-SSAC7%2F304/062-0000&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7dDdoP7S2QIVErbACh1W0wUWEAQYBSABEgL0f_D_BwE

Is it wire or braided line? Hobie rudder line is 700lb braid and pretty easy to locate at hobie dealers and online.

I've used 400lb black-vinyl coated shark leader. I think it was 7x7 cable. Came from amazon, included crimps, worked well.
I'd go with higher than 80lb test. The 400 is still quite thin and not hard at all to work with. I'd actually bought vectran line to do this, but it didn't fit through the channel for rudder-line on my boat.

I've used 400lb black-vinyl coated shark leader. I think it was 7x7 cable. Came from amazon, included crimps, worked well.
I'd go with higher than 80lb test. The 400 is still quite thin and not hard at all to work with. I'd actually bought vectran line to do this, but it didn't fit through the channel for rudder-line on my boat.

Perfect, I'll go with that. Thank you sir!

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Is it wire or braided line? Hobie rudder line is 700lb braid and pretty easy to locate at hobie dealers and online.

It's braided line,  frayed out quick!

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I'm a little worried though that wire may cut into the plastic at the angle its coming out..    I'm on the fence about it. I wanted to call perception cause the kayak is pretty new.

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The Hobie rudder cord is thin, slick, durable and cheap.  You might look into Kevlar rudder cords, too.

I'm a little worried though that wire may cut into the plastic at the angle its coming out..    I'm on the fence about it. I wanted to call perception cause the kayak is pretty new.

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I'd give 'em a call. Depending on how new the boat is, they might just send you the line. That fray-break points to either a faulty line or sharp attachment point wearing through the line.

As for cable, if it's heavier gauge (thicker diameter), I'd not worry about it cutting into the boat, but you're right, that exit angle seems oddly steep for what it's doing. That said, the vinyl coating on the cable I used is pretty thick, and the cable feels smooth, not abrasive. You'd want to keep an eye on the cable to make sure the coating isn't wearing down.

FWIW, this is the stuff I used:
https://www.amazon.com/Strand-Stainless-Steel-Coated-crimps/dp/B00NIX1MBW
in the 1.4mm size (400#) It's been great as my work out SIK's rudder line for about a year now, and I do push fairly hard on the pedals when paddling aggressively.

If you go the cable route, pick up some shrink wrap tubing to dress the crimp ends; I also like it for adding a little padding on the loop if it's going around something sharpish like a threaded bolt.

The only minor difficulty I had is some of the crimps were difficult to thread onto the cable because of the black coating. Trying different crimps worked to find ones that would fit.

 If you're worried about the wear ( cutting into the kayak) , Insert a bushing into that hole, for the line to slide thru.  I used a short piece of irrigation tubing ,  (1/4" X  1" ) glued into place.    I also would recommend the Dyneema line that West Marine sells..    It's a very slick kevlar type cord.   Tough cord,  you'd never have to change it again.

I'm a little worried though that wire may cut into the plastic at the angle its coming out..    I'm on the fence about it. I wanted to call perception cause the kayak is pretty new.

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I'd give 'em a call. Depending on how new the boat is, they might just send you the line. That fray-break points to either a faulty line or sharp attachment point wearing through the line.

As for cable, if it's heavier gauge (thicker diameter), I'd not worry about it cutting into the boat, but you're right, that exit angle seems oddly steep for what it's doing. That said, the vinyl coating on the cable I used is pretty thick, and the cable feels smooth, not abrasive. You'd want to keep an eye on the cable to make sure the coating isn't wearing down.

FWIW, this is the stuff I used:
https://www.amazon.com/Strand-Stainless-Steel-Coated-crimps/dp/B00NIX1MBW
in the 1.4mm size (400#) It's been great as my work out SIK's rudder line for about a year now, and I do push fairly hard on the pedals when paddling aggressively.

If you go the cable route, pick up some shrink wrap tubing to dress the crimp ends; I also like it for adding a little padding on the loop if it's going around something sharpish like a threaded bolt.

The only minor difficulty I had is some of the crimps were difficult to thread onto the cable because of the black coating. Trying different crimps worked to find ones that would fit.

I got what you suggested and am gonna pout it in this weekend with the rain.  I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks!

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Good luck! Keep us posted on how it works for you.

FWIW, I didn't have proper crimping tools and just used vise grips. Worked fine. I also put two crimps on each end just in case.

Good luck! Keep us posted on how it works for you.

FWIW, I didn't have proper crimping tools and just used vise grips. Worked fine. I also put two crimps on each end just in case.

Well I'm hitting the water Amigo! Thanks for the advice! Worked like a charm, and runs better then it did.

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awesome! glad it worked for ya.