Vendors, General West Marine [and alternatives]

[Teranodon]

Over the years, I have dropped a lot of money at much-maligned West Marine. I find that their store brand items are pretty good and much less expensive than the top-of-the line stuff. I have their compass binoculars, handheld VHF, AGM batteries, Guest lifejackets, first aid kit, flashlight, blankets, boathook, other stuff. In days gone by, I loved my WM warmup jacket. It lasted for years, but they no longer carry them.

Defender is reliable, but I agree that the shipping is too high. They sometimes have very good sale prices on rope.

I strongly recommend Hodges for electronics.

Garhauer for blocks and other deck hardware. Great products and customer service.

And now a sour notes: iBoats is worthless. They screwed up my order and then made me jump through lengthy, complicated hoops to get a refund. Hard to get in touch with, don't really care about you.

Around the docks here, Fisheries seems to be the object of some kind of mystical veneration, but I've never been able to figure out how to actually order anything from them.

 

[Christian Williams]

West Marine is invaluable for anything expensive to ship, such as poles, spars, dinghies and so on. Delivered to the store free for pickup.

Also, in some cases their extended warranty makes sense, as with certain electronics. It is very nice to hand back an item, say "it doesn;t work," and be handed a replacement.

Currently I have found Defender often comes up short, or at least is no longer a no-brainer. I bought $20 Ronstan blocks that were $16 on Defender. Took them off the WM shelf, no week-long wait, no shipping cost.

 

[Blue Streak]

Defender charges a fortune for shipping. I ordered pawl springs and winch lube.
Ground shipping was $30.00, so I went to West Marine.
And if you have to return an item, you have to pay shipping.
Not a fan.

 

[peaman]

Around the docks here, Fisheries seems to be the object of some kind of mystical veneration, but I've never been able to figure out how to actually order anything from them.

If you mean Fisheries Supply, I have ordered and received stuff from their website, and the process has been as good as I could hope for. Most recently for an electrical panel LED that I couldn't find from the usual vendors.

Regarding picking stuff from the shelf to avoid shipping cost and delay, take a look at your local (small box) hardware store. The Ace nearest me has a pretty good boat section, as well as the non-marine-specific stuff. And the don't have the "marine markup" that West often has. I've gone there for bottom paint, Cetol, epoxy, wood bleach, etc.

 

[Christian Williams]

And then there is McMaster-CArr, truly venerated amongst the illuminati (and by me, too). Do they sell to individuals? Apparently so, in my experience (I use the East Wind Press Inc. credit card).

"McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 700000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day."

Stuff you'd expect to custom order they often have. Want stainless stand-offs 3/8th ID by 3/4 x 5/8ths? On the shelf and here the next day, no shipping charge, for an order totaling $26.

Company is 100 years old and subject of studies by business schools. https://moneyinc.com/mcmaster-carr/

 

[bigd14]

McMaster-Carr wins in my book by having a detailed dimensional drawing for nearly every product on their site. It's easy to misinterpret what side "width" is referring to for example, but click on the link to "product detail" and it's all perfectly clear. I have ordered so much from them that they seem comfortable emailing me a bill if I don't enter my payment information before pressing the order button. More companies need to emulate them.

 

[Alan Gomes]

McMaster-Carr wins in my book by having a detailed dimensional drawing for nearly every product on their site. It's easy to misinterpret what side "width" is referring to for example, but click on the link to "product detail" and it's all perfectly clear. I have ordered so much from them that they seem comfortable emailing me a bill if I don't enter my payment information before pressing the order button. More companies need to emulate them.

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Yes, McMaster-Carr is a great company. They are just down the road from me, so everything I order I just pick up at will call. It's not too far out of my way home from the boat, so sometimes I've ordered a part I need using their phone app while still on the boat, and then it's ready and waiting for me when I swing by for it on my drive home.

Two of my former students have worked there. (Actually, one still does.) It's an interesting culture. They expect the employees to work hard, and MC holds them to a high standard for speed and accuracy. But they also compensate them quite well. It's a very well-run company.

The phone app works well, and the website is excellent. Their prices are not always the lowest but often pretty decent. The selection is amazing. Overall it's a great resource.

 

[Tin Kicker]

McMaster Carr is great, but I find working with Grainger.com to be easy.
They'll ship things to my local store for me to pick up.

 

[steven]

I use McMaster Carr often and they have a great site. However, as of the last time I used them, last summer, shipping costs were not quoted or mode selectable. On my last order (last summer) I called and their typically helpful person went over shipping options and costs, and selected my preference on his side. He said they awere looking into adding shipping info and self-service shipping mode control to their site. Anyone know if that has happened ?

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Sourcing parts: A common complaint, and one I've made, is having to pay extra for something just because it's 'marine' grade. The mechanic remounting our engine pointed out the fuel line I'd purchased at NAPA as something to be replaced. Functionally, they are probably fine, but he says if there's ever a claim involving them, the insurance company would likely deny payment because it's not Coast Guard approved. This is an angle that never occurred to me. FWIW

 

[dcoyle]

We have a great marine supplier in Maine, Hamilton Marine based in Searsport Maine. They have an online site and do ship products. Luckily they have a store in Portland Maine around 8 miles from my house! We also have a West Marine store in town but for most stuff Hamiltons is much better and cheaper. Hamiltons usually has really great customer service as well.