For many years I have used a product called the Steersman Steering Guard or more often referred to as a Steersman Nut to augment the seal of the steering actuator ram as it exits from the tilt-tube of my outboard engine. The purpose of the Steersman Nut is to create a seal that wipes off grease from the steel actuator rod of the steering mechanism as the rod exits from the Port side of the tilt-tube on the outboard.
Steering an outboard engine by having an actuator rod pass through the engine tilt-tube and then connect via a drag link to the actual outboard engine tiller extension is the method used by most steering systems that use a mechanical flexible cable between the helm and the engine, or on hydraulic steering systems that use an unbalanced through-the-tilt-tube actuator or "side" actuator.
In the Summer 2024 I was working on cleaning the Whaler Drive area of my boat (a 1990 REVENGE 22 W-T Whaler Drive), and one area that needed attention was the continual presence of grease stains on the gel coat of the inboard face of the transom from water splashing on the steering actuator rod that was carrying a layer of grease on it. The grease was present because the seal in the Steersman Nut was no longer working properly.
The seal mechanism of the Steersman Nut is a concealed O-ring that sits in a machined groove on the ID of the nut; this O-ring wipes off any grease on the steel rod as it moves outward from the tilt-tube (which is more or less filled with grease). The presence of grease on the steel rod indicated that the O-ring had become worn and needed replacement.
The O-ring is a particular size, and finding the exact O-ring at a hardware store could be difficult--particularly if the hardware store doesn't have about 500 different O-rings in stock and on display. Instead of searching the local (rather modestly equipped hardware store) for an O-ring, I visited the manufacturer's website: https://steersman.com/
There I found their telephone number ((800) 747-5976), and made a call. I did not reach a person, but I was able to leave a message, which was just a request for information or help in getting a replacement O-ring. Perhaps a day later I got a return call, and spoke with the head honcho, who told me that he would be glad to send me a free replacement O-ring (or two), if I just sent him an SASE with a note that an O-ring was needed. By the next day I had that SASE in a first-class envelope and on its way to Houston, Texas. I received my SASE envelope by first class mail not too long afterwards, with three O-rings inside, which is now (for me) a lifetime supply. (I am not too impressed with first-class mail these days as the postmark in Houston was September 11, and the envelope took over a week to arrive to my P.O. Box in a small northern Michigan post office.)
Replacing the worn O-ring (which had probably been in service for perhaps 15-years or more) eliminated the problem of the grease getting out of the tilt-tube and being splashed onto the gel coat of the Whaler Drive. And how nice to find that a small marine manufacturer was still in business and providing great support.
Today many outboard engine hydraulic steering mechanism use a balanced cylinder that connects directly to the outboard engine tiller, so there is no need for a Steersman Nut, but if you have a steering system that uses an actuator that passes through the tilt-tube, a Steersman Nut is a nice accessory to install. They are still available for about $30.