Zinc Collar on Pedestal Shaft, Okay?

[montenido]

Hi all,
I have an Edson steering system on my boat. A while back I noticed that my wheel was rubbing lightly on one of my gauge pods, which was not normal for my setup. What I found was that my wheel is held in place by a stainless snap-ring in the rear, and the keyed shaft and nut in the front (aft end).

While I did replace the snap-ring, and some spares, it sure doesn't give me a lot of confidence in the strength of the stop behind the wheel hub. I was considering adding a stainless collar behind the wheel to act as the stop. I have plenty of room, so it should work. While looking for those, I came across zinc collars that should be able to serve the same purpose (for much less $). There will not be a lot of force against the collar, but a simple snap-ring leaves me a bit nervous.

At the same time, I am looking at making the wheel easily removable so that I can open up the cockpit while anchored. The new collar would greatly enhance my ability to tighten the wheel nut without bending the snap-ring.

Comments and/or suggetions are most welcome.

Thank you in advance.

Cheers, Bill