Fitting out your boat: what to do first, and what can wait
Fitting out a boat goes wrong in a predictable way. People start with the visible things (seats, a sound system, a bait board) and run out of enthusiasm before they get to the boring systems that actually decide how much the boat gets used. Do it in the other order and the boat becomes useful much faster.
First: power, because everything else depends on it
Every system you add draws current, so the electrical setup either supports the fit-out or limits it. Get this right before you add loads to it.
The principle is simple. Separate the battery that starts the engine from the bank that runs everything else, and let a voltage-sensitive relay or a DVSR join them when charging. That way the house bank can be flattened overnight and the engine still starts in the morning. Our battery and charging range covers chargers, monitors, isolators and distribution clusters.
Fit a battery monitor at the same time. A voltmeter tells you almost nothing useful under load; a monitor counts current in and out and tells you what you actually have left. It is the difference between managing your power and guessing at it.
Size the cable to the current and the length of the run, not to what is lying in the shed. Undersized cable is the reason a light at the bow is dimmer than the same fitting near the battery, and it is the reason things get warm. Fuse or breaker every circuit close to its source.
Second: water in, water out
The bilge pump comes before the galley tap. A boat on a mooring or a trailer collects rain, and you will not be there when it matters. Fit an automatic pump with a reliable switch, wire it above the waterline, and fuse it. Then fit a second, larger pump with a manual override for the day the first one is not enough. Our bilge pumps range covers both, along with float switches and strainers.
Pressurised fresh water is what turns a day boat into an overnight boat. A self-priming pressure pump that tolerates running dry, an accumulator so it is not cycling every time someone cracks a tap, and a strainer on the inlet. Our freshwater pumps and pumps and plumbing ranges cover the system end to end.
Tanks are worth planning around access rather than capacity. A tank you cannot open is a tank you cannot clean, and in Queensland heat both biofilm in fresh water and diesel bug in fuel build up faster than people expect. Our fuel, water and waste tanks come with inspection lid and installation kits for exactly that reason.
Third: ground tackle
Most boats arrive under-anchored. The anchor is too small for the conditions the owner will eventually meet, and the rode is too short to give a decent scope at the top of the tide.
Size the anchor to the boat and the seabed, carry more chain than feels necessary, and add a snubber so the shock loads go into a length of nylon rather than into the windlass and the bow roller. Our anchoring and mooring range covers the lot, and the shackles that join it together deserve as much thought as the anchor itself.
The shackle is worth a sentence on its own. Specify to working load limit, not breaking strength, and either use a self-locking type or mouse the pin. The weakest fitting in the chain decides the whole system.
Fourth: lighting
Navigation lighting first, because it is the part with rules attached and because you cannot legally use the boat after dark without it. Range and arc matter, and requirements depend on vessel length and whether you are under power or sail. Maritime Safety Queensland publishes the current rules.
Then interior lighting. LED throughout, warm white in the saloon so it does not wreck your night vision, cool white in the galley and engine space where you need to see detail. The current draw is a fraction of halogen, which is what makes an evening at anchor practical. Our cabin and deck lights and electrical and lighting ranges cover both.
Fifth: shade, seating and comfort
Now the visible things, and in Queensland shade comes before comfort. A bimini is not a luxury on this coast in February, and it protects the upholstery you are about to fit. Boat covers and biminis are cut for our sun rather than adapted to it.
Seating is where the boat starts feeling like yours. Measure the bolt pattern and the height from the deck before you order, and think about whether the seat needs to fold out of the way when the cover goes on. Boat seats, pedestals and swivels covers helm, cockpit and fishing positions.
Then the specific gear for what you actually do. Rod holders and bait stations if you fish, blocks, clutches and running rigging if you sail, fenders and tender hardware either way.
A note on doing it in stages
There is nothing wrong with fitting out over two or three seasons. What causes trouble is fitting out in the wrong order and having to undo work. Running cable before you have decided where the battery bank lives, or fitting a seat over the panel you will need to get into.
Come in with a rough plan and we will tell you what to do first. We are on the marina at Southport Yacht Club, and the advice comes from people who have fitted this gear to their own boats rather than read about it.
