It seems to me that every time the word "marine" is included in
the description of anything, the price triples. Maybe that's why a few of us
fondly refer to a certain marine retailer near home, not as the Dollar
Store but, as the 100 Dollar Store. Still, there are some ways that you can
save more than a few dollars if you're careful.
Know what you need
Whether you're buying on-line or in-person, it's always best to know exactly
what you're hoping to find. The best way to do that is by knowing the Manufacturer's
Part Number. Many retailers carry the manufacturer's part number along with
their own inventory number to aid in identification, so check their catalogs.
Most often, I'll go directly to the manufacturer's web site and search for the
part I have in mind. You can use Google to search for the manufacturer or distributor's
site. Once you find the part, write down the part number. The part number can
then be used to search and (more importantly) remove any confusion that you
may come across in an item's description. I've seen cases where an item description
was simply copied from another part but the manufacturer's number was the item
I wanted.
Buy on-line
The Internet is a powerful tool when shopping for parts and suppliers. I needed
a new shore power Y-Cable to split from 250V/50A to two 150V/50A lines (in other
words a Marinco 154AY Y Adapter). The one that came with my boat was held together
with black electrical tape. Both West Marine and Boaters World listed that adapter
at $535 and $479 respectively, which did not include tax or shipping. I found
the same part at BuyPowerGear.com for $323 plus $8 shipping for a total of $331.
By using Google and searching for "Marinco 154AY", I discovered several
on-line retailers that sold this part and could see at a glance how much they
were asking for it.
Speaking of Boater's World, if it is electronics that you are looking for, you might try there first. I have found their prices for electronics to be consistently lower than others.
Remember that retailers can't and don't put every part they carry on-line.
Just compare West Marine's catalog to their on-line catalog and you'll see there's
a lot more in print than on the web site. It sometimes pays to ask directly.
Remove marine from the equation
If you can take the word "boat" out of the deal, you can almost always
save money. Even RV prices are lower than Marine prices, often for the exact
same item. So it's always worth taking a look at the RV sites.
The same holds true for services like upholstery. Find a local upholstery shop
and take the items you want recovered to the shop. It will be a lot less expensive
than having a marine upholsterer visit your boat.
Buy On Sale
West Marine recently advertised a sale on dock lines, in fact a bucket of lines.
In my case, I bought the 5/8" black double-braided lines in a bucket. I
got two 25' lines and two 35' lines, not to mention the bucket, for $99 ($200+
if bought separately). Not a bad price for lines and all I did to find it was
read the mail flyer before tossing it out.
Many of the best sales can be found at the Boat Shows. At the Bay Bridge Boat
Show in 2005, I bought a Raymarine C120 Chart plotter from Boaters World for
$1,922.00 which is a lot less than the advertised price of $2,499. That's because
Boaters World was offering a show discount on electronics. Combine the show
discount with the certificates you'll earn from the purchase and it can be a
good deal buying from the big boys.
On-line Sources
Here are some of my favorite web sites to try for on-line purchases:
www.google.com Great for searching for anything
www.vehiclespecialty.com Vehicle Specialty Inc. handles RV & Marine Flexsteel Furniture
www.buypowergear.com BuyPowerGear has Marinco cordsets & plugs
For just about everything marine:
www.go2marine.com Go2Marine
www.cyber-marine.com Cyber-Marine
www.starmarinedepot.com Star Marine Depot
www.foreandaftmarine.com Fore and aft Marine Supply
There are hundreds of others out there so get on line and save a few dollars.
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