The New Boat Is Coming... Now What?

Buying or building a Sportfish boat? 

Different things come to mind when people talk about outfitting a boat. Some people think it's about tackle. For us it’s the process of figuring out everything from dock lines and fenders, spare parts, maintenance supplies and safety equipment. You think about what tackle you need or want all the time. That’s the fun part! Nobody wants to deal with buying all the other stuff for the boat. Let’s be honest, it’s a pain in the ass. That’s where we come in.

As a captain, I remember outfitting boats several times. It starts with a list and a few trips to the store... and then it grows to a giant list and a million trips to the store. Oh, and it started with a budget… and that pretty much went out the window too. So, I saw a need and an opportunity to help relieve our customer’s, which were also friend’s, pain points and simplify the process. Yes, we sell almost 14,000 products, and have access to over 30,000 more through our distributor relationships, but we want it to be an organized process with all the right products that you need for your boat.

Planning…

We like to start with a phone call or an in person meeting and our Sportfish Outfitters checklist. It’s a general discussion about what type of program the boat will have and the basics of what you need. We walk through the whole checklist based on category.

Docking and Anchoring: You have to start somewhere with this giant list and it’s the first thing you’ll need when she goes in, so let’s start here. Where will the boat live? What’s the travel program? From there, we determine line and fender selection and size and/or spare and stern anchors.

Exterior Maintenance: This conversation usually revolves around what everyone’s favorite products are. Everyone has their own way of doing things and we want to cater to that. There is a lot to cover and the checklist makes the process painless. We can source anything at a competitive price, so no need to ask if we carry it! 

Safety Equipment: There’s a lot of planning that goes into this category. Choosing a life raft, building a ditch bag, deciding which PFD’s to carry, etc. It’s usually a discussion of options and then a few more phone calls to get it dialed in. The travel program will determine a lot of these decisions.

Last thing is spare filters, pumps, hardware, etc. These items generally come at the end of the build or after delivery. We can help with all of that too! Let's give the wallet a break until the boat gets delivered... We also make our own screw and electrical kits, sealant kits, and have plenty of tool options.

Creating an order…

Part of our new boat outfitting service, and perhaps the most beneficial, is creating the order for you based on the list we create together from the checklist. We then create an online draft order based on each category which does a few things:

1. Allows the list to be easily edited and adjusted by category.
2. Allows you to break down the whole process and choose when you want to receive the products you need.
3. Helps you spread out the budget over time of the build. You can pay for each category when you decide you are ready for it.

Receiving your order...

Anyone who has run around doing all of this shopping before knows this is a lot of stuff! Once the order for each category is paid for, there are a few options for delivery:

1. Freight Shipping: We can warehouse the products until you are ready for your delivery. We pallet the products and freight ship them to you so they all come at the right time or when needed.
2. In Store Pickup: Everything can be picked up at our North Palm Beach location.
3. Local Delivery: We offer free delivery within 50 miles of the West Palm Beach area with one of our trucks.

So whether you’re building a new Sportfish or Center Console boat or buying a used one, the process of buying everything for it is inevitable. What do I need for my new Sportfish? Is there somewhere I can get all of it to make this easier? We are here to help and want to make your new boat experience more enjoyable and as efficient as possible. 

And for all you Center Console guys we have even made the process easier for you too! Check out our Pro's Choice Kits on our new Center Console Division outfitting page.