I just got a new boat which came as plain as you can get. Just a
smaller 18' bowrider. I have now purchased a basic Garmin fishfinder
and a Alpine marine CD player/stereo and a couple of speakers.

Now the hard part: installing and wiring these gadgets. So here are
some of the questions that come to mind:

1) as far as I can tell, I have only one, unused, "Accessory" switch on
the console. Should I plan to connect the fishfinder to that switch?
Am I right to think that the stereo does not really have to be on a
switch?

2) How do I connect the stereo to the battery? Should it be done at
the battery terminals or is it OK to splice the red battery wire (or
connect it to the fuse box?)?

3) there is no metal near the casing around the CD player/stereo. What
should I ground the stereo's black wire to? Am I correct to assume
that wiring to the stereo's own harness is not a good idea?

Andre