FWIW, I tried to rebuild my backstay ram two summers ago and learned the hard way, I didn't have the proper tools to do it myself. I wound up taking the thing to a local shop and they finished it for me. I got a rebuild kit from Offshore Spars and followed the detailed instructions that Dennis shared and got all the specific seals on the rod and piston but couldn't get the piston back into the cylinder. A new seal jambed on the inside threads of the cylinder. Desperate, I took it to the shop and they looked at it, ordered a new $15 seal which took a few days and installed it while I waited, the next Saturday. IIRC, the parts were $120 and the guy charged me $50 for ten minutes work. Plus, I gave him $20 to look at it. Not bad. I'd rather use my local shop that has all the tools and ram expertise. I only tried to rebuild it myself that time, because the front office said they couldn't get to it for a month and I would have missed a month of sailing. I learned that at my local hydraulics shop, during the week, the women in the front office schedule the jobs and everything waits for months. On Saturday, the front office is closed and the workers in the back, are happy to help people in distress. Another thought, the O-ring seal at the top of the ram is an easy DIY project because that seal lives in the top cap that unscrews from the cylinder. You still have to follow the instructions to work on it, to be safe, but it is a simpler job than rebuilding the whole unit which has multiple seals inside. My local shop repaced that seal fifteen years back for $35 and then bench tested the unit to #4000 for me, to prove that was the only thing needed. This time around, I thought I should rebuild the whole unit for peace of mind. Tip: This is the best time of year to check your hydraulic rams and get them fixed. Don't wait, like I did, till Spring. Chuck Scheaffer, Resolute, 1989 C&C 34R, Annapolis
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