A (slightly) contrary view on parts.

[SailingHarmonie]

I have heard it repeated so often here, it is almost like the secret password. If you haven't said it, you haven't been admitted to the club:

Volvo Penta parts are insanely expensive, and cheap Beta engine parts you can get at a tractor dealer.

But you know what? There are some hidden catches to those statements.

Volvo parts prices are expensive. They are expensive because Volvo maintains a huge dealer network, and you can GET the parts you need off the shelf for 25 year old engines. Recently I needed a relay for my TMD22a. I was able to dinghy over to the dealer in Saint Martin, and they had them in stock.

Now, I did pay €30 for a part I could have had shipped in from Amazon, all up, for $10. But $20 was a perfectly acceptable premium (to me) instead of waiting for a week to get my engine running.

Across the Caribbean from the DR to Grenada Volvo has a dozen dealers. There is never one more than a day's sail away.

What about those tractor dealers everybody talks about? Exactly how many Kubota tractor dealers are there between the DR and Grenada? One. In central Puerto Rico. And at least one of the three listed Beta dealers (in La Marin, Martinique) doesn't actually carry ANY parts! How does that help?

Cheap parts are great... IF and ONLY IF you can get them in a timely manner. Needing to have everything shipped in to order costs money. Import duties, shipping charges, extra marina or mooring days while waiting for parts to arrive. It is easy to ignore those costs while you rant about paying extra for a part off the shelf.

If you are local sailor with local engine dealers, that's great. If you cruise on weekends from a home base, waiting a week or two for parts isn't critical. The issue doesn't apply. Maybe you even cruise in farm country where tractor dealers are easy to find. But for the long range international sailor parts supply and cost is a much more complex issue then is usually presented here.

I am not at all suggesting that Volvo's are better engines, or that Beta's parts supply is hopelessly bad everywhere you go. But the parts situation is more than going to the local tractor dealer.

[rslifkin]

A lot of parts availability depends on where you are. Some areas just have bad support for certain brands.

For Volvo, the complaints seem to vary depending on model. For some, parts are a little pricey but easy to get. For others, there's frequently a long wait to get a part. And around here on the Great Lakes, Volvo dealers are few and far between. So if you need an actual Volvo tech to look at something (rather than just a part shipped in), good luck.

I don't mind needing to get a part shipped as long as I know I can get it to wherever I need quickly. Realistically, in many places there are likely to be a lot of parts for any engine that aren't just sitting on a shelf somewhere in town. And for "need it now" parts, I'll take available over cheap.

[ThereAndBack]

You paid 30 for a part that was 10. I'm not cool paying that kind of markup. It might be fine when you need a part that costs 10, but when you need the part that costs 1000, you're in trouble.



I had a beta 38 for years. I was in the san blas islands and needed parts. I called Beta and they shipped it to the nearest place I could pick it up. It was there in 2 days.

[Tellie]

Quick story. The very first time I ever went into the Volvo dealer here in Ft. Lauderdale (25+years ago) I was looking for a new water pump for a 4 banger I was helping a friend with. The girl was very nice and brought out this tiny little water pump. $890. I just installed a water pump on my truck for $70. I said "$890!!! I just paid $70 for one for my truck "She looked at me dead panned and said "I didn't tell you to buy a boat" I have never forgotten that lesson. I'm all for saving money anyway you can, but this is one VERY expensive hobby.

[singlespeed]

I had three Kubota licensed engines aboard. Two Perkins and a Beta. Something ubiquitous like a relay can be purchased at one of the many auto parts dealers on the islands. Kubota licensed manufacturers' parts are frequently interchangeable and widely available in the EC. The trick is figuring out which model is equivalent to yours.
Tractor dealers are the preferred choice because most farmers keep their tractors for years, so the parts counter person will recognize a part from a 20+ year old Kubota derivative.