Abstract: The disclosure involves a hydraulic cylinder having an elongate interior chamber, a piston movable in the chamber, and a first fluid passage generally parallel to the chamber. In the improvement, the cylinder includes a second fluid passage generally parallel to the chamber and both passages terminate at faces at either end of the cylinder housing. Air bleed fittings and hydraulic fluid fittings are at the faces and because of such location, jammed and broken fittings and damage to the boat transom and other structure are substantially avoided. And since each passage has both bleed and fluid fittings, it is not necessary to "crack" a fluid fitting to bleed the cylinder during installation.