Best Places to Buy Stuff?

[Bay Man]

Besides West Marine, where are the best sources of all those sailing things, big and small, that will keep my bank account balance low. Both on-line and brick and mortar locations.

[bob_77903]

Defender is also an excellent source of marine gear.

Discount Marine and Boat Supplies - Inflatable Sales - Defender

[starchaser 2011]

+1 on Defender. Great selection price and shipping

[perchance]

Mauri Pro. Has anyone dealt with them? I'm thinking of buying "Staylock" fittings from them.

[Pete the Cat]

Hamilton Marine is another place that has good prices and good service. Just about anyone will beat West Marine by a lot--so I do not consider them a very good benchmark. I find my local boatyard chandlery is less expensive and has more knowledgeable folks.

[Delay]

Originally Posted by Bay Man

....that will keep my bank account balance low.

Why on Earth would you want to have a low bank balance?

[belizesailor]

Oh, I have loads of experience abusing my cash flow for boat stuff! Here's my 2c:

For general boat stuff WM and Defender are certainly two of the most convenient choices. Defender in general has better prices, but not always. What I have found by comparing WM prices online is that, in general despite the rant, their prices tend to be competitive....except they seem to hide landmines in their pricing structure. You will find a dozen things that are competitive and then one that is 300% more expensive than everyone else.

Some other suggested vendors:

"Sailorman" in Ft. Lauderdale, an amazing selection of used gear -- great fun to go wander around and you can also order on-line. Has been "improved" in recent years so has lost some of its funky charm.

"Marine Parts Express". Great source of marine diesel parts. Good prices, very knowledgeable, great service.

Also, many so called "marine" products are over priced rubbish. You can often find the same thing in other markets, like the RV or home improvement market, for dramatically lower prices.

You can sometimes run across some great finds on eBay. I've picked up some great fishing gear here and replacement parts for marine electronics etc.

Not boating specific but, Amazon, has the most awesome cyber-storefront on the planet. Some really great search tools too. They have an especially cool facility for finding nuts and bolts. I've bought lots of small general parts and liveaboard stuff via Amazon. Most cruising guides are available here too.

Speaking of cruising guides and such. "Bluewater Books and Charts" of Ft. Lauderdale specializes in this sort of thing. Very knowledge staff (all cruisers), huge inventory, great service. Their web site is a bit clunky, but if you have trouble finding what you want just give them a call.


PS: Noticed that your ride is an H37C. Great boat! Used to own one. Got pics?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by perchance

Mauri Pro. Has anyone dealt with them? I'm thinking of buying "Staylock" fittings from them.

Yes, just a little, they specialize in one design stuff like for my H33, good service, very knowledgeable.

[Ziggy]

In addition to WM, Defender, and Hamilton Marine, here's a few others I like to use:
Dave's Marine Electronics for electronics
Genuine Dealz for electrical supplies
Rigging Only for rigging stuff
Jamestown Distributors (more expensive but they have some otherwise hard to find stuff)
Bo'sun Supplies for misc. hardware

I've never had a bad experience with any of these stores.

[HopCar]

Sailing Services in Miami and of course Hopkins-Carter Marine.

[Fortytwo]

McMaster-Carr

[Stu Jackson]

ACE Hardware

[CPseudonym]

So far I've been happiest with buying boat supplies form Defender, Jamestown, E-Bay, and don't forget Fakeslist I mean Craigslist. Believe it or not I've mined my best deals by far on Craigslist locally. People that sold there boats and find leftover stuff in the shed just dump it cheap there.

+1 on the RV stores too. Almost anything "within reason" for inside the cabin can be had from them. Ace Hardware is great too.

[toddbrsd]

All great advice above. West Marine will price match Defender and Jamestown on line prices, but not some of the more obscure on-liners. I usually shop on-line, print out the price and bring it to WM, especially for major and/or electronic purchases in case there are issues down the line.

[Nicholson58]

Listed sources are all good ones for general stuff. I think I've used all of them. Also look at Marine parts Depot. marinepartdepot.com Index for all things stainless. Make sure it is 316L. Epoxy :*Epoxy Resins and Hardeners US Composites for Epoxy, fillers, cloth. The 635 thin resin is the best for layup. Lots of other stuff too.

WM policy is to match any price you find. I search the net and print a couple of the best low prices I can find, go to the store and buy direct from my local West. Just like Sears, NEVER pay list price - Its always on sale.