Where do you buy most of your marine products?

Local dealer usually has in stock whatever is needed

[clk219th]

I usually buy most necessities at Academy in Gulfport, MS. Lately I have been doing some shopping online (Bass Pro Shops, West Marine, Boaters World). Academy just opened back up (after Hurricane Katrina) at the end of December, and their inventory is still not back to normal. From what I have seen online, I like Academy just fine for their variety of inventory and prices. Just as an aside, I have a 150 Cool that I staked down on the trailer with some slack in the rope in my back yard (Pascagoula, MS) during the Hurricane. It rose with the tidal surge and sat right back down where it belonged. I only had to clean out the limbs and buff out a few scratches, and she is as good as new. Not many of my friends made out like that.

[albaris]

I voted other...I buy from BoatFix.com, especially electronics and high end engine parts if needed. They also have an excellent, friendly forum called BoaterED.com. Les can beat just about anyones price on electronics and engine parts.
Day to day stuff I shop locally. BoatUS, and West Marine are both over 50 miles away.
Since moving to the Great Lakes area from the Atlantic coast, I don't do any fishing, so I never purchase gear or tackle.

[NCangler]

Haven't heard of them before Albaris. Thanks for the tip. I'll check it out.

Cabelas for 2 vhf radios and antennas. best price and service, slight problem with second teck walked me thru in 5 min. internal coding error. Shop internet, but service rep, can be worth a few dollars more. lowrance in past has always gone the extra mile. 15 yrs of gps unites. online updates abount 1/2 of garmin prices. Rest go to online wholesale houses. or direct manufacture 500 ft 1/2" nylon. $94.00 with shiping. not bad. West marine, Boaters world. Convient yes. No real bargains. we have 3 in 5 mile circle compete against one another.

[CubFanPete]

I buy most at Acadamy in Mobile.

[woodNfish]

Myloyalties areto my wallet and I generally shop on price. I've only had problems buying on the internet one time and that was with a Yahoo store about 5 years ago. I have not purchased from another Yahoo store since that time because Yahoo would not offer me any help in resolving my problem. And guess what? I will never buy from a Yahoo store even if they have a better price.

I use google to search for product information and nextag.com and pricegrabber.com to find the best prices shipped to my zipcode.

My last purchase was a Lowrance LMS-339c color Sonar/GPS unit that I bought from http://www.deepblueelectronics.com. I was originally going to buy the 334c for $599. It would have been $624 with shipping from Bass Pro or Cabellas, but I got the better 339c on sale ($699 at Bass Pro & Cabellas, w/o shipping) for $654 and FREE! shipping from DeepBlue. So for only about $30 more I got a much more capable unit, and it came with the speed sensor.

I bought Lowrance's Fishing Hot Spots Elite online from http://www.thenerds.net (excellent service - I received my maps in 2 days and did not pay extra for the fast service) for $53 shipped - Cabellas and Bass Pro wanted $99 not including shipping.

Last week I bought a brand new, in the box, Pflueger Trion 66L ($90 at Cabellas - Bass Pro doesn't carry it) on Ebay for $54 delivered.

I've been very happy with my shopping skills.

I bought my plastic welder from Harbor Freight, and two props in the last 4 months (ugh!) from BoatUS.com two more very good comanies to deal with.

Another eason I use Price Grabber and NexTag is because consumers rate the companies they have bought from and you can get some idea of how they are to deal with. I've purchased 2 digital cameras over the internet using Digital Camera Resource (http://www.dcresource.com) to read reviews and link to sellers and not had a problem either time.

Sure, I give my local marine dealers some business, but I have two boys in college and a wife who have become accustomed to their lifestyle so I do what I can to make certain I get the best deal I can for my purchases, and I always figure shipping into the equation. If a local company has what I want and it is only a few dollars more, I may be willing to pay the extra for instant gratification, but any company that thinks it doesn't compete with the internet is run by fools.

Buying over the internet is safe and thrifty.

woodNfish

[Mud Runner]

Working for a marina on a military installation gives me an additional option as we are a reseller. I buy from Paxton if the quality is comparable to other name brands. It saves a bunch. That's where alot of marinas and smaller marine store buy from. It enables them to stay competitive.

[MolarBoater]

Browns Point Marina....all Suzuki OEM, 1. Boater's World 2. West Marine 3. Cabelas 4. BPS 5. Merritt Marine
found it hard to beat VITelectronics.com on Garmin Network Bundle, thanks TUMS on that one. SailNet.com was best on my epirb. Local, Mark's Outboors(saltwater) and Dick's Sporting Goods (freshwater)

[1John]

Boaters world.com has great deals and no tax or shipping if not in a hurry. I was in the local store the other day for stuff I had to have and they said they were not affiliated with the .com store at all. as long as you do not need help it sounds like you are ok, just don't go to the store to follow up an online purchase.