Back in 2017 there was a thread about a boat wreck. It was debated back and forth what caused the wreck. Some said operator error, some claimed the tiller bolt broke. This was the post: http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=778150 Anyway a couple of weeks ago I was replacing the swivel pin and yoke on my Merc 225 EFI. The tiller bolt had to come out to remove the steering cylinder so I thought it was a good time to replace it and the nut. I removed the nut, but the swivel pin is also threaded so it needed to be unscrewed as well. I barely started to turn the bolt and the head snapped clean off. I mean NO torque whatsoever!!! I don't know if it was cracked or weak, but it could have easily failed with possible catastrophic results. No opinion on whether that is what caused that crash mentioned above, but rather drawing attention to the fact that it is a safety issue that should not be overlooked.