My old E27 came with the wheel whipped with white nylon cord. Looked very nautical and would not be hard to do. Did have the advantage of having the knot at top dead center so you knew what the rudder position was (was my first boat with a wheel vs a tiller and I had a bit of a learning curve retraining all those brain cells).
But eventually I cut it off. It rains a lot in these parts, even in summer, and unlike the bare stainless it stayed wet a long time. Your hands would start to prune and get cold. So its been straight stainless ever since.
Kevin Wright
E35 Hydro Therapy