You like to turn a wrench, wield a cordless drill, and test circuits with a multimeter. You can install all your own accessories and electronics in your garage after delivery. But should you?
The answer is not clear-cut.
Some boat buyers install their own components after the purchase to save cash on the initial acquisition and to substitute sweat equity for greenbacks. The main disadvantage to that is inherent in the term “sweat equity.” It can be really hard work to install electronics and other accessories after the boat is built. Wiring chases through the hull can be crowded. Often, manufacturers don’t leave chase cords to pull power, data and transducer cables. And work areas can require rubber arms to loosen or tighten fasteners.
Trolling motors and shallow-water anchors, for example, rank above average in complexity, proving tricky to install when the boat is fully assembled.
When the boatbuilder installs accessories, access to the underside of the deck or to chases in the hull is easy because the exposed hull parts provide ample work space. Cables are more easily positioned and often loomed in with the wiring harness for the rest of the boat’s systems. Fasteners can be more easily secured and sealed than in a finished vessel.
However, factory installations come with inherent negatives. For instance, moving a cable loomed securely into the vessel-wide wiring harness can damage other wires, as well as the system wires under scrutiny. And unbolting an accessory with fasteners located behind an inaccessible bulkhead means you might need to cut a hole for a deck plate when it comes time for replacement.
On the DIY side of the equation, you can often buy the electronics, accessories and other components you want at a discount in the aftermarket. However, several boatbuilders offer extended warranties on components such as electronics if they install them at the factory. The advantage comes at a premium, surpassing the best price of the system you want to install.
“We charge more for factory-installed electronics,” says Jason Parsons, regional sales manager for Vexus boats. “You can often buy them cheaper at a big-box marine retailer, but our cost covers rigging and the added warranty.” Good advice.
On the other hand, the manufacturer might not offer the components you want. For example, Simrad, Garmin, Lowrance, Raymarine and Humminbird are among the most popular electronics devices aboard saltwater fishing boats, but some builders won’t install certain brands. Instead they specialize on the highest-volume systems so that their assembly crews can efficiently manage just one system. If you are most familiar with a different brand, you’ll either have to find an installer, rely on the dealer, or roll up your sleeves and do it yourself.
There are some things you shouldn’t install, such as cup holders, unless, after running your boat, you just have to have one a bit closer to you. Gyrostabilizers are intense installation challenges, and if you know you want one, have the manufacturer build it in and stand behind the installation. Some builders prebuild receivers for gyros so that they can be more easily added later, but that is still more complicated than a factory installation during vessel assembly, and can cost more. Plus, you have another cook in the kitchen when it comes to warranty claims.
Trim tabs can be added after the delivery of the boat, but why would you? All vessels are improved by them and nearly all benefit in terms of ride and crew comfort with them. In this case, if they are not standard, order them as an option and let the factory crew install the system.
You can also roll factory-installed electronics into the boat loan more easily than handling it afterward. It’s easy to run up a $10,000 or $20,000 or more tab on these systems. On the other hand, electronics tend to live a shorter life than today’s powerful outboards and all-composite hulls. You could be paying for your original electronics for years after they have worn out or become obsolete.
The best advantage of factory installation of your components is getting a turnkey fish-ready delivery so you can head out immediately instead of spending the next few months of weekends getting the boat ready to go fishing.
