The new boat has arrived and the crappies will be in the shallows in a couple of weeks. Before you know it the opener will be here. What we want to do is make sure we start the season off without any problems. I have seen it too many times on opening day over the years, boats that are dead on the water electrically.
Whether you have the dealer rig it or rig it yourself, make sure everything is in working order before that first fishing trip of the year. Anytime I rig a boat the first trip is an equipment check. If I get some fishing in that’s fine, but the main purpose is making sure everything is functioning properly.
I checked the boat at the dealer and everything like the lights, bilge pump, and live well pumps were operating. Now it is time to put on the good stuff. We will start off with the trolling motor. The main thing I consider here is power. I will not tolerate a fishing trip cut short because of lack of power. If your boat has built in storage, live wells and built in gas tanks I would recommend going with a 24v system. A good rule of thumb is to get 4lbs of thrust for every 100lbs of weight. Example, if your boat weighs 1300 lbs you would want at least 52lbs of thrust. Another rule of thumb is 4x the length of the boat. Example 16ft x 4 = 64lbs of thrust. This would put you in the ballpark. Either way remember it is better to have extra power than not enough. This will be my 6th year running a 24volt system and it has not failed yet.
Shaft length is your next consideration. If you are bouncing in wind and waves you do not want the motor coming out of the water. If a 48inch shaft is recommended, go with a 54inch.shaft. There are two items I will mention here that are an absolute must. Number one is an on board charger and number two is a motor stabilizer. My favorites are the Guest model 2620 charger and the RAM-Mount stabilizer.
The next step is location of depth finders and gps. This sounds simple but make sure the mounting does not interfere with any hatches, lights, or other equipment. Also make sure it is in a viewable area when fishing. Most of us use multiple locators. I run two Garmin 240s and a 188. I mounted a second station on the console so I could move one of the 240s from position to position. I use Ram-mounts for all my applications.
I am usually running the locators, a gps, live wells, plus various other accessories. I like to use an accessory battery and leave my cranking battery for just that purpose. I also connect my locators directly to the battery instead of the fuse box. This cuts out any chance of interference. The accessory battery is stored along side my cranking battery, and both are charged by a Guest 2620.
I also prefer and recommend using a transducer board. This will allow you to add and adjust transducers without drilling extra holes in your boat.
Where you purchased your boat will determine how much wiring you will have to do. You want the wires out of sight but readily accessible if there is a problem. Keep the splices to a minimum and remember to use a fusible link.
When mounting rod holders use a location that is easily reached from the fishing positions but that are not in your way. I like to mount grab rails on the gunwales and then use rail mount Ram-Rod holders. This keeps the amount of holes I drill to a minimum. Using Ram rail mounts I can easily adjust the location of the holders. Also having the grab rails helps when I have senior members of EFN coming aboard like (Bill C. or the Leinieman.) HAHA
Once on the water make sure your locators are picking up a strong signal at varying speeds. Check clearance depth at which your trolling motor performs best. Also make sure you are carrying spare fuses. Oh yea, check on and make sure the fire extinguisher is charged and accessible.
Have fun rigging and we will see you on opening day.
Don Hanson EFN Pro-Staff
Boat rigging can be a pain at times but is something very important in helping you catch fish. Everything must be working and placed in the right spot to aid you in catching fish. Since you have rails for us to use we will be expecting elevators too. 
Thanks, Bill