Defender Marine / West Marine

[Hippocampus]

For me the fundamental problem is I like to see, hold and examine the things I buy. Pretty much true for fruit, clothes, switches, marine supplies, tools. In short everything. On a boat often when I want to fix or replace something I don’t know the vendor nor the part number. Nor do I know if there’s a better product that could substitute or a cheaper product that’s just as good.

In the distant past I’d remove the failed or broken part and go to my friendly chandlery. Put it on the counter and have a chat with the owner or a family member or long time employee. They’d check it out. Often tell me of alternative better or cheaper equivalents and instruct me as to reinstalling it correctly. Going to the chandlery was an education and fun. It was a social spot as well as you commonly ran into friends there.
I’ve had similar experiences in hardware stores that carry a lot of marine stuff for the commercial fishing fleet and boaters. Most recently in Virginia Chesapeake and low country South Carolina but never in a WM and only occasionally in Defenders before the buy out.
My main disappointment with internet shopping is the inability of any internet vendor to come even close to that experience. Even if you take the time and effort to get someone on the phone unless it’s a specialty shop the person (if they’re in this country doesn’t matter as well) usually has no idea what you’re talking about.
Recent example- the faucet fo the galley sink failed. Doesn’t leak but the switch to make it spray or stream has failed. There’s no discernible markings on it. Go to the internet and try to compare pictures and dimensions. After awhile think I have a match. Order it and have it shipped to my dirt dwelling in MA. Boat in VA. Will find out in a month if I picked correctly. In the distant past would have removed it and brought it to a chandlery. Gotten the same thing or an alternative that was better. Would have zero concern if it would fit.

 

[mvweebles]

Little known fact, WM will match "sold by amazon" prices at the store.

The San Diego WM I was at 6 months ago had a big blue West Marine banner behind their counter. If you looked carefully, there was a 3-inch stripe of blue tape covering the original words on the banner "Lowest Prices Guaranteed."

I don't think they match squat anymore.

Peter

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

West Marine skipped the last Miami Boat Show. Does not bode well.

Seattle boat show too.

 

[Shrew]

I honestly can't imagine why West Marine would be paying for top dollar booths at premier boat shows. They're not going to generate sales and there is no ROI for the cost for them.

It's the same reason you don't see Anheuser-Busch booking booths at Beer Festivals.

 

[lwarden]

The San Diego WM I was at 6 months ago had a big blue West Marine banner behind their counter. If you looked carefully, there was a 3-inch stripe of blue tape covering the original words on the banner "Lowest Prices Guaranteed."

I don't think they match squat anymore.

Peter

Peter, did you notice they also had the words "hassle free returns" covered in blue tape as well? That prompted me to ask; "how much hassle will you give me?" An interesting conversation ensued but in the end they will still take back reasonable items which aren't pushing the limits.

 

[psneeld]

In my experience, I have had better service and knowledge from some internet vendors than the help they hire at some West Marines.

Seems like a lot of them are like some of the advice given here on TF.

Personal experience versus real, expansive knowledge.

Just because you have boated for 40 years really proved itself a joke when I started teaching boating and captain's licensing and listening to these self proclaimed "old salts". They learned fast enough what on the water experience is all about.

 

[Don L]

wow guys, just wow

 

[Delta Riverat]

I like West Marine. Don't buy everything from them but they are the only place close and I like to take advantage of sales and free shipping to the store. Gives me an excuse to go have lunch in Stockton and then go walk the aisles before I pick up my part.

 

[CharlieO.]

I was in a West Marine yesterday and the manager did confirm that they will price match Amazon.

 

[mvweebles]

West Marine will price match on items from Amazon, but not their Marketplace affiliates.

https://www.westmarine.com/customerservice/Price-Policy.html

I seem to recall a LOT of WM merchandise is branded West Marine and therefore not available elsewhere.

My observation is that retail in general (not just marine) has coalesced around standardized pricing. There just doesn't seem to be reliable cost leaders anymore. WM's value proposition is now based on its available on the shelf or can be shipped to the store, not price (unless you want to haggle on everything). Amazon is now similar - they are often more expensive but can get it delivered quickly. Also oddball parts such as uncommon plumbing adapter fittings and such.

I've spot-checked pricing on some items I purchased a few years ago as I prepped for my refit. 30% increase is the norm, but some bigger items would be well over 50% more expensive today. Inflation and change in retail industry are my explanations.

Peter

 

[Hippocampus]

Thing that drives me crazy is selling from brick and mortar is more expensive but internet prices keep rising. Several times I’ve tried to buy directly from manufacturers only to be told they won’t sell to me. Then contacted distributors only to be told they won’t sell to me unless I was commercial and had an account with them. Seems now large scale internet retailers write the song and manufactures and distributors sing it. So Amazon, Etsy, eBay and the rest indirectly control pricing and mechanisms of selling at all levels. The large internet vendors have so much market share that if you want them to market your products and sell your stuff they not you set the parameters of how you do business. So a manufacturer or distributor needs to think twice before selling direct retail and conversely if they do price at or above the internet price.

 

[twistedtree]

I'm sorry to hear people are losing faith in Defender. I have bought a lot of stuff from them over the years with good prices, good stock, and quick delivery. But I have very little recent experience since I have moved my boating to the west coast and mostly use local suppliers in Seattle.


Related to this is Amazon, where I have found things have changed quite a bit. Pretty consistently I find that they are no longer the best price on things, and often distinctly more expensive. But when you factor in availability and shipping costs (we have a prime membership so shipping is almost always free), they are still competitive.


However delivery time now varies widely. If you are in a city, especially Seattle, you can get pretty much anything in a day or two, and some stuff you can even get same-day. But in rural areas delivery is VERY slow. In rural Vermont, I can't get anything in less than 5-7 days. Nothing. And the USPS, UPS, and FexEx all come through daily, so it's not a last-mile issue. I suspect that Amazon has gone from being a top-priority customer to now a low priority customer for common carriers since Amazon went and built their own UPS/FexEx. I can usually get stuff faster from other supplies vs Amazon, simply because of delivery times. Amazon used to be faster than everyone else, and now they are slower than everyone else - at least in rural areas.


Bottom line is that I buy a lot less from Amazon now, and a lot more from other suppliers who have product in stock and will ship for a reasonable cost.


Which least to another issues - shipping costs. OMG, shipping with UPS and FexEx is now stupid crazy expensive. Lots of businesses still have reasonable rates using these carriers, may because of contracted rates, or maybe because they are subsidizing. But retail shipping has just gone nuts. Whenever possible, I now use the USPS. They are faster and cheaper, sometimes massively so.

 

[ranger58sb]

Recent example- the faucet fo the galley sink failed. Doesn’t leak but the switch to make it spray or stream has failed. There’s no discernible markings on it. Go to the internet and try to compare pictures and dimensions. After awhile think I have a match. Order it and have it shipped to my dirt dwelling in MA. Boat in VA. Will find out in a month if I picked correctly. In the distant past would have removed it and brought it to a chandlery. Gotten the same thing or an alternative that was better. Would have zero concern if it would fit.

An instance where we've had good success with our owner's clubs. Somebody knows who the OEM vendor was for Part X. Assuming OEM supplier is still in bid-ness, we've often been able to find a match to the original part. Sometimes the replacement has even been free, under initial warrantly. (Cartridges for Ambassador faucets comes to mind.)

The builder of our previous boat went south in circa 2011. The bubba who bought the brand name doesn't know squat about squat. The owner's club knows everything about everything. (Well, OK, it's not perfect... but pretty good.)

And then the boat builder, if still in business, can be helpful too. Current boat has a bazillion page Parts Manual, including nifty diagrams, and sometimes the individual "parts" short-hand can be deciphered... leading to OEM info, etc. (Grohe aerator assemblies come to mind, here, free replacements. Another connection part replacement wasn't free, but Grohe customer service led me to the right product, not expensive.)

And since our model is no longer in production, the owner's club for this one is really helpful too. I'm in the process of tracking down how an original sunpad was supposed to work (unlike the POS replacement than came on the boat... and a couple owners told me they could send pics.

-Chris

 

[mvweebles]

I'm sorry to hear people are losing faith in Defender. I have bought a lot of stuff from them over the years with good prices, good stock, and quick delivery. But I have very little recent experience since I have moved my boating to the west coast and mostly use local suppliers in Seattle.


Related to this is Amazon, where I have found things have changed quite a bit. Pretty consistently I find that they are no longer the best price on things, and often distinctly more expensive. But when you factor in availability and shipping costs (we have a prime membership so shipping is almost always free), they are still competitive.


However delivery time now varies widely. If you are in a city, especially Seattle, you can get pretty much anything in a day or two, and some stuff you can even get same-day. But in rural areas delivery is VERY slow. In rural Vermont, I can't get anything in less than 5-7 days. Nothing. And the USPS, UPS, and FexEx all come through daily, so it's not a last-mile issue. I suspect that Amazon has gone from being a top-priority customer to now a low priority customer for common carriers since Amazon went and built their own UPS/FexEx. I can usually get stuff faster from other supplies vs Amazon, simply because of delivery times. Amazon used to be faster than everyone else, and now they are slower than everyone else - at least in rural areas.


Bottom line is that I buy a lot less from Amazon now, and a lot more from other suppliers who have product in stock and will ship for a reasonable cost.


Which least to another issues - shipping costs. OMG, shipping with UPS and FexEx is now stupid crazy expensive. Lots of businesses still have reasonable rates using these carriers, may because of contracted rates, or maybe because they are subsidizing. But retail shipping has just gone nuts. Whenever possible, I now use the USPS. They are faster and cheaper, sometimes massively so.

I have noticed the exact same Amazon trends too. I think UPS/FedEx get used by Amazon for shipments with issues, meaning Amazon rolls their trucks for the easy stuff. USPS has found a place in my heart too - I recently sold a largish item on eBay to a fellow in Puerto Rico. UPS and FedEx consider Puerto Rico to be international shipping and charge accordingly. The USPS charges the same as if it's being shipped to Denver. Reminiscent of a recent politician who thought you needed a passport to go to Puerto Rico.....

If I were to start my refit now, one related item I would change is to be more loyal to specialty vendors such as Sure Marine (HVAC/Regrigeration) and PKYS (Electronics). Prices are close to competitive, tech/product support superb. I simply didn't know what I didn't know when I started.

Peter

 

[LindaFlorida]

Just an update, I ordered the pump on 06-12 at 9:30pm Marine Parts Source. The package arrived on 06-14. UPS

 

[Bmarler]

West Marine will price match on items from Amazon, but not their Marketplace affiliates.

https://www.westmarine.com/customerservice/Price-Policy.html

I seem to recall a LOT of WM merchandise is branded West Marine and therefore not available elsewhere.

My observation is that retail in general (not just marine) has coalesced around standardized pricing. There just doesn't seem to be reliable cost leaders anymore. WM's value proposition is now based on its available on the shelf or can be shipped to the store, not price (unless you want to haggle on everything). Amazon is now similar - they are often more expensive but can get it delivered quickly. Also oddball parts such as uncommon plumbing adapter fittings and such.

I've spot-checked pricing on some items I purchased a few years ago as I prepped for my refit. 30% increase is the norm, but some bigger items would be well over 50% more expensive today. Inflation and change in retail industry are my explanations.

Peter

I wonder if they price match on Amazon because they supply Amazon.

 

[BigTime]

Seattle boat show too.

Last Miami Boat Show I went to WM had a huge space loaded with employees and NO customers

 

[Barrie]

With the membership of Trawler Forum we, the members, should be able to carry a big stick and get a corporate discount. What say you out there. Time for being united and not be a sheep but a wolf. (I just scared myself )
Barrie
Live and let live, but don't tell me how to live!

 

[RT Firefly]

 

[sunchaser]

With the membership of Trawler Forum we, the members, should be able to carry a big stick and get a corporate discount. What say you out there. Time for being united and not be a sheep but a wolf. (I just scared myself )
Barrie
Live and let live, but don't tell me how to live!

Their doors are closing due to the lack of walkins. We on TF are a very small group exerting no real buying power. The hope is their on line catalog remains complete so we can order stuff and it gets delivered on a timely basis

 

[Hyperion]

With the membership of Trawler Forum we, the members, should be able to carry a big stick and get a corporate discount. What say you out there. Time for being united and not be a sheep but a wolf. (I just scared myself )
Barrie
Live and let live, but don't tell me how to live!

We do this in motorcycle racing. When I needed new tire warmers, or brembo masters, I would put out a call for a group buy call on the forum and get 5-6 other racers who were interested. I would then negotiate a hefty disscount.

 

[PhilPB]

Last order from Defender in March 23' and it was a good experience with availability, price and shipping. Used Marine Parts Source this year as well and they had the best price by about 20%, shipping time was great and their customer service was fantastic.

 

[Choices]

I have purchased from both. We are now a West Marine Pro account, and I use them regularly.

Defender has been great, service good, and pricing fair.

But we bought a Hypalon dinghy and motor combo from them, and it literally came apart under warranty, barely, and they offered nothing and did nothing.

After that I really soured on using them for big purchases.

Please note they were professional, but the message was, oh well.....

 

[Bitstream]

I've noticed my credit cards offer discounts at West Marine, one was $30 back on a minimum $100 order and one was just a straight up 15% off.

Also West Marine is having a sale - 6/1 - 6/20 - 10% off most stuff. Use Code SAVE10 at checkout.

So you combine stuff like the sale and CC offers can add up to pretty good savings.

DO NOT expect overnight shipping from West Marine even if you pay for it. I paid substantially more for overnight shipping on a fuel valve and it didn't even leave their shelf for 3 days with me calling everyday asking when it was going to be shipped.

I have been a West Marine and Defender customer for a long time. I am sad that Defender has gone this way.
West Marine is following the "Radio Shack" model. They went from having well stocked and carrying what boaters need to stocking what moves and having constant sales. How many Radio Shack stores are still around?

 

[Delta Riverat]

I really miss them too. It's nice to be able to get a fuse, led, resistor that you need by driving a couple miles.

 

[alormaria]

Defender is dead to me.

 

[Dani-lu]

Never at the stores I was at...had to br another brick and mortar store within so many miles.

I have heard of some where the managers followed that very temporary corporate policy a lot longer and may do it on their own...but never in all my visits. Maybe because I have mostly gone to WMs in busy boating towns.

If it is sold by and shipped by Amazon, West Marine price matches. If they say no, maybe the cashier is not well trained or forgot. Ask for the manager!

 

[TBW]

There is Boat Owners Warehouse in Stuart Florida. I usually stop there on my way out. They have stuff; they will help you; they know what they are doing. They even have a special day when a man comes in and finds specifically what you need and orders it for you. Think they have a few other stores but not sure.
Too bad about Defender; for WM, maybe wait for Woolworths to come back.
TW

 

[BobMc]

Well unfortunately Defender Marine was recently bought out. I have ordered many items in the past 7 years. Great pricing! This morning I was researching for a price on the Dometic TW12 SaniPump Discharge Pump.

Defenders price $477.99 and West Marine $469.99. Wow!
. . . . .

When we owned Sanderling we did a lot of our online and in-store (when we were cruising in Maine) shopping (and buying) at Hamilton Marine. It's worth your time to check there:
https://hamiltonmarine.com/

 

[henrymei]

When a business can make more money selling clothing, that’s what they’ll sell. I remember when Lands End was a high end marine hardware store and their catalogue used to have technical articles on sailing. Then they started to sell clothes. How many remember that?