Discount on everything?

[Emoyeni]

Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a sailboat and I have come to the conclusion that it needs to have virtually all the electronics, sensors, and displays replaced. It also makes sense for them to be from the same vendor so they all work well together. What is the most economical way to do this? If I go to a boat show Dan I get deals like this? Specifically I am looking for a new:

Wind speed sensor and display
Water speed sensor and display
Depth sensor and display
Chart plotter
Autopilot
AIS

[skipmac]

Boat show deals are a possibility, if they have any boat shows in the near future.

I replaced all my electronics bit by bit by watching sales, eBay, last years models, etc and saved a bundle.

[406Columbia]

I ended up buying an entire Raymarine set up piece by piece from various vendors. Just got the best price I could find on various sites, used Defender, West Marine and a few other online sources. Once you ID what you want start hunting. I would steer clear of anchor express and similar vendors. One problem I had with them was they sourced the unit from a third party.

The unit I received had been drop shipped from another vendor and arrived BADLY packaged. Holes in the box, parts missing etc. I promptly called them and they gave me a VERY hard time, had to send more than a dozen photos. Then they sent me another unit, second one arrived and was beat like a drum and packed badly as well.

I finally gave up, sent that back too. Needed lots of photos, keep in mind with all the photos I have now on both units form the returns. So I found another low price seller online that wasn't one of the big reputable guys. Wont believe what arrived at my house again.........one of the units I had already returned to anchor marine! Same serial number, same box, etc.

So while saving money is the key, try big name companies on the best deals you can find. West Marine does good deals around this time of year, Defender will even price match! Also, to get some extra bucks back open up the rewards accounts for West and Defender has a first program. I put all those purchases on my Costco Visa card and got money back from that too.

Got top quality components that all communicate, arrived in factory packages and cant ask for much else. But we wanted all brand new stuff since we plan to keep the boat for some time and want to really depend on it.

Anyway good luck.

[rbk]

Boxing Day is right around the corner. Start looking online see what you like. Boat show “deals” aren’t always that great. Find a package deal and look for last years model for a better discount. Check locally we well as online.

[Lepke]

If you can install it yourself, the cheapest price is online. Usually Amazon or ebay. That also goes for most other marine gear, paint, etc.

[Svsumurun]

Holland marine is close to you , and usually has killer deals for the boat show ( but no show this year , so....?)
I bought a whole package from them a few years back and saved a pile of money. Great people to deal with too.

[Dogscout]

First off make a list of all the parts and pieces then email a few vendors and ask them to quote the best deal. I bought all B&G from SVB in Germany (I am in Greece) and they gave me a great discount. Mind you that the electronics and lots of other items I bought came to a whooping 15K Euro.

Try direct from the manufacturer too. Try Defender, West Marine and The GPS Store.

It dont hurt to ask!

[George_SD]

There are sales every year AND many companies have rebates several times a year. Just a few months ago there were rebates on essentially all Raymarine Electronics, so I bought the autopilot. Then got a new chartplotter on a holiday sale.

I'm going with the places that offer the best price AND best return policy. So it's not based on the price alone. Why? Because of the problems described above where a discount seller doesn't package well or sends used/junk. I would rather not get that last dollar of savings, but get a good company standing behind the transaction.

I've passed on buying from Hodges and Anchor because their return policy wasn't as good as BOE Marine, even though the prices were slightly better.

[ronstory]

My recommendation is to make positive all the equipment is certified NEMA 2000. I would pick a wind sensor that uses ultrasonic tech for no moving parts. But my experience with the modern N2K stuff is just seems to work across the big manufacturers, since they seem to actually test their interfaces to the spec. ;^)

Most of our equipment is Raymarine, but have Maretron, Simrad and B&G on network as well. Plus I'm using LCJ CV7 and that is best piece of equipment I've bought. It jus t works. https://lcjcapteurs.com/en/girouette...7-windyplug-2/

... and NA dealer I need to by from is in Canada. ;^)

[Emoyeni]

Thanks for the great info guys. For those who have replied thus far, what is your top three go to companies in terms of price/return policy?

[George_SD]

For me

BOE Marine
WestMarine - (if you are willing to wait for a sale and sign up as a Gold Member). Their return policy is exceptional, but yes - every day prices are high. Just recently had to return brand new rode and chin in a bucket to them, because once I pulled it out to install - found out the rode was torn in half. They took it with no questions asked. 3 weeks ago bought a boat bean bag and it had a broken zipper puller, so they opened 3-4 boxes for me to find an intact one. Unfortunately all had broken pullers, but they didn't give me a hard time at all.


Most importantly - make sure they are an AUTHORIZED dealer, otherwise you may not be able to get rebates or even warranty support.

By the way - Raymarine's typical warranty is 2 years, but they will extend to 3 years if you register your equipment on their site within 90 days. Warranty for marine gear is important since it's expensive and lives in harsh outdoor environment.

[ronstory]

Agree, BOE is great. Also, I've had good luck with Hodges Marine.