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The Tao of Boat Rigging (Part I)
Setting up a small boat for ocean use requires some careful planning.
Materials, products and tools can be critical for long-term reliability. The
Internet has made shopping both a treat and a chore. Read what we learned
through rigging Toy Boat 2
Equipment Plan | The
10 Laws | Selecting Gear
| The Results |
Misc. Notes |
Caveat Emptor
 OK, fair warning - this is NOT a
general guide to rigging your boat. There are lots of places to go to find
information about tools, types of wiring, procedures for drilling
gel-coated fiberglass, cutting thru-hulls, etc., etc., and also a fair amount
of stuff about rigging small boats for offshore fishing (see sidebar ).
This article is a togue-in-cheek review of some of the highlights and
lowlights of rigging Toy Boat 2. This includes tips,
products we found useful, problems we encountered & their solutions,
and other miscellaneous comments.
What we describe may not be the best solution to a problem - if you
have suggestions for a better way to do things, by all means, let us know
- either
via e-mail or in our
discussion forums.
If you're mainly interested in seeing pictures of Toy Boat 2 at first
launch, see the photo gallery in the section titled "The
Results". If you would like more details about how we
arrived at her current configuration, you'll have to wait for Part II
(next issue), where we'll go through the changes that resulted
from her initial sea trials and subsequent fishing trips.
What We Wanted to Put
Into Toy Boat 2
Let's start with a look at what we wanted to add to the boat. Here is our
original "wishlist" (you can go to the Scorecard
and see what we currently have installed):
| Hull |
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Keel protector (we occasionally go freshwater fishing, wanted to be able to put
the boat up on the beach without scratch the keel too much)
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Trim tabs
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Raw water washdown (to wash dirt, blood off the decks)
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Permanent horn
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| Anchoring |
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A good primary anchor, 300+ feet of rode
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A secondary anchor
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Sea anchor (for drift fishing as well as a safety item)
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| Propulsion (in addition to the gas motor) |
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Tilt indicator
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Water pressure gauge
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Fuel flow meter
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Salt water electric motor (24V) (secondary propulsion, slow trolling,
freshwater bass fishing)
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| Electronics |
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Sonar capable of reaching 300 - 400 feet in salt water
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GPS
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VHF radio (25 watt)
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Dual battery system, both batteries charged by engine
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On-board battery charger
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| Additional Safety Equipment (beyond Coast Guard requirements) |
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Inflatible life vests
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Emergency Position Indicator Radio Beacon (EPIRB)
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Fishing
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2-3 scoop livewell
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Outriggers
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Rodriggers
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Downrigger
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Horizontal rod racks for 16+ rods (May seem like a lot, but with two
people who fish both conventional and fly gear, this actually is not enough)
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Gunwhale rod holders for 4 rods
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| In addition to the above, we needed to be able to
carry the usual array of necessities & junk:
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Charts
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Spare prop
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CG required safety kit
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First aid kit, tools and spare parts
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Manual bilge pump
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2-3 large tackle boxes
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Camera case
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Foul weather gear
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Fenders and mooring lines
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Binoculars
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Food and drink
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And of course, some fish
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