Rear seat mount on 2000 ZX202C

[Wormweight]

Hey guys, has anyone had a problem with their rear seat mount? Mine was loose and the screws would not tighten. It was a chore to remove the old screws and nuts because they were frozen and bent.

After removing the mount, I noticed that the top holes are too close to the outside wall so that a socket cannot fit around the nut. This would mean that the new nuts would never get tight enough. I am unable to access the top plate with a wrench.


A guy at BassPro Shops suggested using a wing nut so that the ears will keep the nut from turning and the screw will tighten.


This has worked ok so far. The 2nd option is to make a large washer to fit under the bottom plate and then tighten the nuts to against the washer. Any other ideas?

By the way, I tried calling Skeeter to ask this question and they asked me to first call the service department at the closest dealer. If they cannot help, then the dealer will call Skeeter.




Modified by Wormweight at 12:48 PM 2/8/2007

[GM482V]

Can't remember his name, but he runs the Skeeter support trailer at some of the Tournaments. He drilled the holes a little bigger on mine and put bigger bolts in it. He had a socket that had been ground off on the outside, to make it smaller, just for that. Worked fine.

[Wormweight]

Did he use screws with the oval heads, or bolts with a hex head? Also, were they short so that a socket could fit?

Just curios, is your mount 3/4 drop in, or threaded? Thanks.

[GM482V]

Short, oval head. I had threaded bases.

[Wormweight]

Ok. I tried 1/4" x 20 x 1" long and I could not get underneath the plate to attach the wing nuts. I'll see if I have an extra socket to grind down.

[MichAngler]

I had this issue on my 202 and what I ended up doing was taking a large fender washer and opening the hole to fit over the shank and then drilled bolt holes to match

I still ended up using larger bolts it seems this design was not meant to handle the stress

Under the main deck there is a secondary plate that holds the bottom of the shank in place and has cutouts to allow the wrench to reach up to the nuts I used the fender washer to sit under the secondary plate and gave the whole thing much more support.

Hope this helps

See Drawing below

[Wormweight]

Yes, I thought of that. I was hoping not to have to make something. I agree that this design does not appear to be able to handle the stress. The mount should have had a larger surface area. I'll start looking for a large washer if I decide to go that way. I may have some flat aluminum stock that I could cut. I would like to hear from Skeeter how this was attached originally. Thanks.

[MichAngler]

Well be assured that they have changed the design completely and can now handle the stress with no problem

[Wormweight]

Do you know what it looks like now?

[gofish24]

i have the same problem, however since i dont sit much when fishing (especially in the back) i havent worried about it to much. i dug in there one day to see what i could do and as detailed above, what a mess. i bought a couple of the oversized plates that the pedestal seats go in, but couldnt get that to work either. keep me posted on how you progress. i will get back to work on mine next week.

[Wormweight]

SUCCESS!!! A local hardware store had a 1-1/2" fender washer.


It fits around the cylinder perfectly.


Trace the holes onto the washer and mark a point away from the edge enough for the new nut.


Drill 5/16" holes so that the screws will fit without binding. Cut a 1/4" off the back edge to fit against the livewells. Add a quick coat of paint.


The screws are 1/4" x 20 x 2-1/2" and nylon lock nuts.


I tightened the screws and nuts evenly until all were tight without breaking something. It feels very sturdy now.
The only other improvement could have been to also cut the sides because the opening under the deck is a square.

Before adding the washer:


After adding the washer:

[MichAngler]

Looks exactly like what I had to do including the flat spot on the washer, Forgot about that! It’s been a few years since I did mine

You will find this provides 10 times the support the old design had and should last you the life of the boat!

Nice addition of the photos

[gofish24]

looks great and am glad it worked for you, however i isnt a fix for all models. i ended up grinding down one of my 10mm sockets and getting it fixed (for now) mine is a 99 zx210c. what a dumba$$ way for skeeter to have done the back seat....

[reelman]

yes, have loose one also! Do they make a new model of this seat anchor we can buy-install?

[gofish24]

you can buy one that comes with a big baseplate you screw to the deck. but if your deck is like mine, you will have to cut a new hole for the hole in the plate where the seat goes in. it is a large hole and the deck is of course metal so not an easy job.....

[reelman]

By some miracle I was able to poke a screwdriver thru the bottom hole and wiggle it around until the top screw felt some resistance and I managed to tighten two of the 4 screws very snug... am a happy camper since I only have a partner a dozen times a year at most. This was after buying the washer and the screws... which may have to be used someday.

[reelman]

By some miracle I was able to poke a screwdriver thru the bottom hole and wiggle it around until the top screw felt some resistance and I managed to tighten two of the 5 screws very snug... am a happy camper since I only have a partner a dozen times a year at most. This was after buying the washer and the screws... which may have to be used someday.

[puma Jimmy]

okay, I have the same problem and it is so bad I can not even let anyone use the seat. I tried wing nuts but they do not hold at all. The last resort is this fender washer trick but I can not find one at all that is an 1 1/2. Can anyone help? Thanks

[SWayne]

What I did was bought the square base plate from Bass Pro, drilled out the old screws ans removed the old mount. I then Marked ,drilled and tapped the new holes, got some stainless steel screws and lock tite and screwed them down. Problem solved.

[Stratos21]

What Tom (Wormweight) forgot to tell you guys is, that once in a while he has a fat old man setting on that seat. Not always but once in a while and his a$$ can loosen it up.