Where do you shop for boat parts?

[WingRyder]

I am new to sailing, and don't yet own a boat. I am looking to purchase a liveaboard in the next few months. I am seeking some help on where to purchase some of the things I may need for a modest refit. I am looking for a non-project boat, but I realize that ANY boat I purchase will need some amount of refit/upgrade. After touring my local West Marine store here in Orlando, I see an unacceptable markup.... How do I know that? Well, my one example is 3M spray contact cement... @ Home Depot, it was $14, at West Marine, it was $27! That alone makes me distrust them as an honest retailer. (and people wonder why brick&mortar stores are failing).

I am humbly requesting that y'all can provide me a list of where you shop online, who has reasonable prices, and a more sailboat specific line of products. Where do you find your deck hardware? I would like to retrofit any boat I find, to a boat that I can easily solo sail. The West Sail store seems to have a VERY limited supply of products for sailboats.

I appreciate any help you can provide.

[SV Siren]

Just a few of mine.
Defender.com -usually a very quick ship to my door. 3-4 days.

Jamestowndistributors.com -for some reason their shipping arrival times as twice as long as Defender. 6-10 days.

Fisheriessupply.com -I order some from them, not as often.

Up here In the Great Lakes we do not have the swap meets that Florida has, but swap meets have their place if you know what you are looking for.


West Marine -yes they can be pricier, but lately they have been very good at matching the price of online retailers, just bring in their prices and they will match them.

As with any online retailers, watch for sales, you can save up to 50% off items if you have the time to wait.


I also use craigslist, and online sail forums and FB pages, as deals can be had for used or nearly new boat bling. For example, I picked up a pair of Andersen 46 full stainless winches for $750, for the pair. Retail these things run $1200 each, give or take. They were in "as new" condition without even a scratch on them.

[dcstrng]

Like others, I use Craigslist, also eBay and Amazon -- shop carefully tho' and you need to bring your own knowledge -- one of the things you are paying for at West, is that generally speaking your don't need to wonder whether something is fit for marine/salt-water use... Jamestown, etc... and if you live near the water, NAPA and/or your local hardware store may have a small marine section, ours do...

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by WingRyder

I am new to sailing, and don't yet own a boat. I am looking to purchase a liveaboard in the next few months. I am seeking some help on where to purchase some of the things I may need for a modest refit. I am looking for a non-project boat, but I realize that ANY boat I purchase will need some amount of refit/upgrade. After touring my local West Marine store here in Orlando, I see an unacceptable markup.... How do I know that? Well, my one example is 3M spray contact cement... @ Home Depot, it was $14, at West Marine, it was $27! That alone makes me distrust them as an honest retailer. (and people wonder why brick&mortar stores are failing).

I am humbly requesting that y'all can provide me a list of where you shop online, who has reasonable prices, and a more sailboat specific line of products. Where do you find your deck hardware? I would like to retrofit any boat I find, to a boat that I can easily solo sail. The West Sail store seems to have a VERY limited supply of products for sailboats.

I appreciate any help you can provide.

You hit the nail on the head, you can buy exactly the same product in a different market place for much less. Anywhere that sells stuff for boats, will likely be way more expensive.

Another good option is the RV market. Boats & RVs use many of the same products, but RV'ers wont pay boat prices so the exact same product can be substantially less in the RV market.

Another hint: anything with the word "marine" or "marine grade" in its name is likely overpriced rubbish with no marine specific properties at all...except the price.

[406Columbia]

If West Marine is close to you don't let the prices stop you. They have been price matching for months now. Every time I order something they match the best price and dirtiest deal I can find on the internet. Also if you order online and its over 50 bucks, free shipping!

Last thing, join for the rewards points and its like you getting even more discount and I get store credit cards or coupons every month or so. All that said, West Marine prices cannot be beat anymore when you consider they match the best price you can find and you build the points back in form of store credits.

I used to not shop there for much since prices were high but now I buy most everything I can from them. Composting head, anchors, hatches, line, pfd's etc. I just wish they had the watermaker I am looking for.

I do use Amazon also but since I refuse to pay for prime anymore they ship SO SLOW. Its usually a week before my box even ships from them, its awful. So for me West beats Prime and price matches to their price and ships faster! I see no reason in my case not to shop West. I like Defender too, but prices and shipping haven't been as good for me.

[slowneasy]

Lots of good advice. With Prime I have been able to purchase several items from Amazon at good prices, but I always shop around before purchasing.

As others have said used parts, swap meets, hardware stores, etc are all great options. Just be aware that not all things are equal. For example all stainless isn't the same. There is 18/8, 304, 316 and other grades. Just be sure you know what you want and are comparing apples to apples on products.

[Kenomac]

Ebay, Lowes, Walmart. I’ve recently seen 10x markups at Westmarine on the same items that can be purchased at these other retailers. They’ve never once price matched... always an excuse to not do it.

Just yesterday the numb skull at a New Hampshire West Marine couldn’t even sell me a Navionics chart for Canada.... I don’t think he even knew where Canada was located. Kept asking me if the Bahamas was the right one. I don’t have the patience to deal with that level of incompetence, so I gave up and bought it online direct from Navionics.

[JimsCAL]

I have been a Defender customer for decades. Prices are not necessarily the lowest, but usually pretty close. And while you pay for shipping, if you are not in CT, there is no sales tax. I understand those that are West Marine fans now that they have improved their price matching policy. I just find it too much trouble to price match a long list of items. For more expensive items, I will do a more extensive search and will usually find a slightly lower price elsewhere.

[406Columbia]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Ebay, Lowes, Walmart. I’ve recently seen 10x markups at Westmarine on the same items that can be purchased at these other retailers. They’ve never once price matched... always an excuse to not do it.

Just yesterday the numb skull at a New Hampshire West Marine couldn’t even sell me a Navionics chart for Canada.... I don’t think he even knew where Canada was located. Kept asking me if the Bahamas was the right one. I don’t have the patience to deal with that level of incompetence, so I gave up and bought it online direct from Navionics.

Odd that they have never price matched, I have done this no less than a dozen times in the last four months or so. Your not wrong about incompetence but then I don't expect these retail positions to be experts all the time. I seem to run into this more and more. I have the same problem at home depot and lowes especially. The plumbing departments seem to be the worst. But then I do my research prior to going to the store now just to be safe.

West Marines Policy on pricing matching, cut and pasted here with link.

Pricing Policies
Won’t Be Beat—Price Match Guarantee
We want you to shop with confidence and WE WON’T BE BEAT ON PRICE!
If you find a lower price on an identical product (Brand and Model) at a retail competitor’s store or website within 30 days of purchase, West Marine will match that price.



Follow these easy steps:
Step 1: Visit your local West Marine Store or call 1-800-BOATING (262-8464) and let your West Marine Associate know you have an item to price match.
Step 2: Provide the name of the competitor, the item, price and the advertisement, store or online location where you saw the price.
Step 3: We’ll confirm the price of the item & match it!
Price Match Guarantee Policy Details
All items are eligible to be price matched. We will price match competitor:
Stores and websites that carry the identical product (Brand and Model) to be price matched*
Sale and Regular prices: The guarantee applies to the price of the product before shipping, handling or sales tax charges
Sorry, we do not match:
Refurbished, used, damaged or open display box items
Freight, delivery charges and installation
Items sold at auction sites or liquidation sales
PLUS Plans
Shipping/handling charges
Expired ads/pricing over 30 days
Competitors outside the U.S.A.
https://www.westmarine.com/CustomerService/Price-Policy

[Bill Creadon]

If you have a BOW near you, Boat Owners Wharehouse, prices will rival Defender.

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by SV Siren

West Marine -yes they can be pricier, but lately they have been very good at matching the price of online retailers, just bring in their prices and they will match them.

West Marine realized that they were losing sales, so instituted this price matching policy. It really works, you just show the sales associate the same item advertised for less on almost any website, and they'll match it, no questions asked. I've done this many times recently, hard to beat the convenience of not having to get items shipped to you, especially when in a hurry. Just this weekend I got about $60 off on each of two Mustang auto-inflate PFDs with integrated harnesses.

[GoAway]

No question West Marine prices can be exceedingly high on some items and just relatively high on most, as others have mentioned, they do price match and I have taken advantage of this numerous times.

One problem with not patronizing bricks-and-mortar stores like West Marine and doing all of your shopping online, is that when you need something the same day to get a project done, you're not getting it. There have been way too many times to remember that I needed to ride over to the local West Marine store in the middle of a project I am working on to pick up some supplies.

When Amazon and online marine retailers starts delivering by drone to my boat within an hour of placing order, I may start doing all of my shopping online. Until then, I would surely miss the West Marine store if it wasn't there.

[ArmyDaveNY]

In addition to the above suggestions, check local marine chandleries and see if they have consignment shops. There are a few places in Rhode Island that I use when I am up there.


One thing to consider when ordering online or even from a brick and mortar location is the return policy. If you are not 1,000% sure it is the right item, a good return policy can save you a lot of money. Some places charge a restocking fee but others don't. West Marine has an excellent return policy, as do some others.


When buying electronic charts, be careful. Many places will not allow a return or will not allow a return if opened.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by GoAway

No question West Marine prices can be exceedingly high on some items and just relatively high on most, as others have mentioned, they do price match and I have taken advantage of this numerous times.

One problem with not patronizing bricks-and-mortar stores like West Marine and doing all of your shopping online, is that when you need something the same day to get a project done, you're not getting it. There have been way too many times to remember that I needed to ride over to the local West Marine store in the middle of a project I am working on to pick up some supplies.

When Amazon and online marine retailers starts delivering by drone to my boat within an hour of placing order, I may start doing all of my shopping online. Until then, I would surely miss the West Marine store if it wasn't there.

At one West Marine location in New Hampshire, the store shares a parking lot with a Lowes Hardware store. I purchased nuts, bolts and some stainless attachments for the dinghy the other day at West Marine, total sale $49.75 which was a ridiculous price for what I got. So I went across to the Lowes and purchased the exact same items for $11.23... then returned the items to West Marine for a refund.

At West Marine, I had to help myself since the staff just pointed to the isle. At Lowes, a fellow in hardware gave me some very limited assistance. Basically, customer service was an oxymoron at both locations, but I saved $38 shopping at Lowes.

[Captain Anthony]

BOAT means bring out another thousand. if you cannot stomach paying inflated prices, don't purchase any boat