Like many of you I was puzzled that the white plastic clips were no longer being stocked by Four Winns dealers. Guess they sourced the new part design in response to so many of the white clips breaking. They certainly look more durable, but you’ll have to disassemble the bimini tube caps in order to get them on. It wasn’t the easiest thing ever, but thanks to a good Samaritan (Matt at Intermarine Boats in FL—I owe you!!) I was able to learn how to make the modification. And now I’m sharing it with you.
First off, this job is most easily accomplished with the bimini top FULLY DEPLOYED. That way you can work alone on the individual bimini tubes while the rest of the structure stays supported. No spotter is required.
TOOLS NEEDED:
Flat head screwdriver (as wide as possible)
Electric drill (most cordless drills lack the torque needed to drill out rivets)
1/8” drill bit (pilot hole drilling)
11/64” or 3/16” drill bits (removes the bulk of the rivet)
Machine oil (cools the metal while drilling)
Punch tool (aids in pushing the old rivet body through the hole)
Needle nosed pliers (aids in peeling off stubborn rivet heads)
3/16” rivets (stainless steel or aluminum—I could only find aluminum ones)
Riveting tool with a 1/4-inch nosepiece.
Here’s a general overview of the work required…you’ll need to remove the tube caps, circled below in red, using a drill to bore out the rivets. Additionally, the top tube is anchored in a pivot block and held in place with a single screw. That screw needs to be removed so you can pull the tube out of the pivot block and work on the cap.
Once the cap is off, just slide the closed end of the new clip onto the tube and then reattach the cap with a 3/16” rivet (see photo). You can find a good variety of riveters (manual or pneumatic) at Harbor Freight Tools, and the rivets are available at True Value or Ace Hardware. Personal preference only: a pneumatic riveter works the best.
The rivet holes in these tubes are 3/16” in diameter, so we’re going to start small at first with a 1/8” pilot hole, then finish with a wider 11/64” or 3/16” bit. I actually used the 11/64” bit because I didn’t want to risk widening the rivet hole. The goal is to separate the rivet head from its body, so you can push the body through the hole and take off the tube cap. It’ll take some work to drill all the way through the back of the rivet, but don’t give up. Each one gets easier as you gain practice.
At this point I stopped taking pictures, but hopefully you get the idea. Just remember: don’t disassemble the main bimini tube (that’s the middle one with the kink and the black rubber disk on it). The new slide-on clip can’t make it past that kink. As far as the orientation of the new clips, I faced the open side towards the water. But I really don’t think it matters. It’s entirely up to you; either way works the same.
Hope this helps, you guys. I really fretted over this project initially but it turned out to be fairly easy. It’s a good DIY task, and besides, I doubt most dealerships even know how to install these clips, given that they’re so new. Best of luck!
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. In four years I only lost one and got a replacement at the time from my selling Four Winns dealer, who dropped the line last year. This spring I found out one of them is broken and fear the other 3 are set to go soon, so I was just going to replace them all. Since I'm probably not going to be able to get the part from them anymore I was just going to order some, now I get to drill and re-rivit 4 of my pole caps as well. Yeah!!!! 
