Tools Needed:

• Drill,
  • 1" Hole Saw Bit,
• Center Punch,
• Razor or Utility Knife,
• 2 Large Crescent Wrenches,
• Channel Locks, or 3/4 Drive Ratchets with 1 1/16-1 1/8" sockets,
• Silicone Seal

1. You will need to drill one to three 1" diameter holes. To do this, remove all stock plastic tail bushings and squirt nozzles. Temporarily place OEM style aluminum tail bushings in holes already provided by PWC Manufacturer

(1997-1999 900, 1100STX) Place top hitch match plate on top, run the hitch bar through the center holes, locate the position for the holes needed to be drilled. (2000-2004 STX) Place the stainless top plate on the step surface with the edge of the plate meeting the rear edge of the moulding at end of the pwc. Locate and mark for the holes to be drilled near the edge of the rubber mat on the rear transom step. The bottom edge of the holes should meet the edge of the little dip in the pwc hull which is in between the rubber mat and the rear moulding. Drill holes. (A center punch sometimes helps with guiding the drill bit when starting the hole.)

After drilling holes, remove any of the top match plate, the hitch bar, and the center aluminum bushings used for locating the markings for holes to be drilled. Clear out debris. Place the aluminum bushing that you just removed from the center hole to the outside hole just drilled. (2000-2004 models do not use any hole through bushings.)

With a razor blade or utility knife, trim away rubber mat from around bushing for a flush mount fit on the pwc hull. Tighten the aluminum bushings.
(See figs. below.)

2. The center hole is left without an aluminum tail bushing exposing the 1" hole going through the PWC hull. The center holes on the match plates are 3/4" diameter for the 3/4" diameter rod on the hitch bar to ride against. This alleviates any damage to the PWC hull by releasing stress to the area and eliminating any frictional rubbing or cracking from hitch movement.

The top and bottom match plates will distribute the stress load across the PWC stern (Fig. 5). Place 3/4" x 4" Bolts and fender washers provided through the holes on the rubber tow pad. Then place the top match plate through the bolts so that the center hole is exposed in the center cut-out area of the rubber tow pad.

Run the bolts through the slits in the velcro boot making sure that the velcro is facing up (Figure 7).

Place the entire assembly on the stern

3. Once you have placed the top part of hitch assembly on the pwc stern and passed the bolts through the aluminum bushings, locate the bottom match plate, fender washers, lock washers and nuts (some pwcs require someone to stand on or to push down on the assembly, for weight, to help get enough bolt thread for the first time, until the rubber tow pad has broken-in).

Place the hitch bar through the top and bottom match plates, align the entire assembly, and tighten down all the nuts and bolts (When youbottom out on the aluminum bushings in the tow pad you have tightened enough).

To mount sled, remove the cross pin, locate sled upto hitch, reintall cross pin, fasten lynch pin to end of cross pin. Fold velcro boot over and fasten to sled. You're good to go!

(Approximate assembly time: 30-45 minutes.)

Periodically, you will need to adjust and retighten the play in the double nut feature. Also, you will need to periodically retorque the rest of the nuts on the hitch. Even though the nuts are torqued on with spring washers, vibration tends to loosen the nuts slightly over a period of a few months. So, as a precaution, check the fastening hardware at every pre-op and post-op.

Step 1 below.