hydrolic leak on my 28 te

[saltshaker28]

I just took the raw water strainer out of the boat and saw a leak on the piston to my steering has any one ever rebuilt a piston and how hard was it

[Rx-scape]

I replaced the cylinder on Rx-scape, if yours is a SeaStar mfg. by Teleflex in Canada but with Albin not all 28TE are the same. Original was a HC5212 but West Marine only local source, only carries the HC5314 a little larger cylinder and larger piston but fits in easy. I bought a replacement seals and the spanner pin wrench but have not tried to replace them.
I had a little trouble getting the replacement seals kit some places will only sell them to a "qualified marine hydraulic mechanic" which I am not, or a Boat repair shop.
I thought I will replace the seals and have a spare or have a mechanic do it that has done it before.
Rx-scape

[RobS]

I replaced my 5312 with the heavier duty 5314. I was at the Essex Rendezvous when mine let go so swapping with a new one was the easiest way to go. Plus I had wanted to move up to the heavier model and luckily that's what I was able to find in stock. I considered rebuilding the old unit for a spare but it's not that costly of a unit so the cost of the rebuild did not seem worth it. Plus it's a very reliable unit, especially if you move away from the 5312 to a heavier unit. The steering is easier with the 5314 and she still tracks great. More turns from hard over to hard over helps from bottoming out the steering