How to Choose Rigging for Your Boat

Rigging has come on a long way since the days when wind-and-sail was the only method of travelling across water. Now rigging involves everything from electronics to accessories like coolers and paddleboards.

NOTE: Our Yamaha rigging catalog is no longer available since the video above was published in 2019. 

What is Boat Rigging?

Back in the day, rigging was simply "lines and chains used aboard a ship especially in working sail and supporting masts and spars," as defined by Webster's dictionary. These days, you could define rigging as any point at which you interact with your boat, be it working on, monitoring or adjusting it. For example, any controls you use to manipulate the boat, or any gauges you use to get information and feedback from your boat, would be considered rigging.

The three main points of interaction with a boat are:

• Controls: Steering, shifting, throttle
• Gauges: Instrumentation relaying information about the boat and the surrounding environment (RPMs, temperatures, voltages, fuel levels, etc.)
• Displays: Instrumentation relaying information about the surrounding environment (depth finders, GPS, radar, fishfinders, etc.)

Determining What Rigging You Need

Boats require control rigging — steering, shifting and throttle controls — but from there on exactly what other rigging you'll need depends on how you use your boat. 

Does your vessel require control rigging for both the main console and a flying bridge as well? If it does, how do you determine what you'll need to accomplish that? 

Rigging Gauges

Which gauges you'll need largely depend on how you plan to use your boat. For example, if you have a pontoon boat you only use on a lake, you probably won't need a satellite GPS system. However, if you have a triple-outboard V-hull you take offshore, you'll want a lot more information about your boat and the surrounding area.

At the very minimum, you should consider adding engine RPM, oil pressure and temperature gauges, regardless of how you use your boat. These gauges provide invaluable information on your motor's health, help you identify small issues, and allow you to fix them before they become major problems. A gauge or display that shows you the time on the engine is also useful, as it helps you keep up with the routine maintenance schedule.

Invest in an LCD screen display if you'll be taking your boat offshore. Unlike a couple of gauges, an LCD display will give you all the information from the engine, and could make the difference between getting back to shore or getting stranded out on the ocean.

If you need help with rigging parts or any other OEM boat parts or accessories, give us a call at 877-408-1587 and we'll be happy to assist you.