I suppose the dissimilar metals question is a pertinent one, but in 17 years I haven't noticed any problems. I had the new fittings made by someone who worked in a factory I met at the marina here in Milwaukee and don't remember the name, but this is a very easy project for someone with the proper tools and access to materials.

Brazing the existing fitting would be a solution, but there might be other areas after all these years of use that could be suffering from fatigue and I wanted something I could count on. Having the fitting on my Commander break a week after being caught in 20 ft. waves and gale winds made me skeptical of reusing the fitting. The part that broke was opne of the straps that tie the two parts of the fitting together. During this same crossing, friends who were in another Commander traveling in tandem with us broke their tiller itself and were towed in; I now carry a spare tiller with fitting just in case! I probably don't have quite the worry of galvanic action being in fresh water as some of you would in salt water.