It is not necessary to replace your whole
electronics package. Although you may be tempted when you see what a new one can do
.
There is likely also no reason to replace the ram - carry a spare set of
seals for it, and learn how to replace them. Hydraulics are incredibly robust and reliable, provided they are treated with a bit of respect.
The pumps can, and do, fail quite a bit more often, So, if I were you, and were not about to re-do all the
electronics, I'd get a set of Hydraulic
seals, a spare
pump, a spare set of
brushes and bearings, solenoid, a spare AP computer, controller,
rudder sensor and heading
sensor. Total cost for this
gear for a
B&G triton system would be somewhere around $4500 USD. It can interface to your existing
gear via NMEA0183 or NMEA2000, whatever is easier for your install.
Of course you can continue to add spares list and still not have something you end up needing. Not really practical to carry a spare boat! This is where lateral thinking and ingenuity can get you home. IMO part of the attraction of the cruising life.
All that being said, I once hand steered for about 1000 NM due to a failed AP computer :-( (well,
sheets and bungies, but you still had to watch it all the time)
Send me a PM if you'd like me to do a real quote, rather than an estimate. I ship stuff everywhere.
Cheers
Matt