C'mon fellas, comparative shopping shouldn't be left up to our
wives alone when food shopping!
You don't have to be a cheapskate. Why EVER buy something for $$$$$$ when you can find it for $???
A little history for new-to-boats boaters:
West Marine, however difficult they may now be, started something 20 or more years ago that benefited us all: reasonable prices with stuff ALL in ONE PLACE that all of a sudden, instead of being hidden in some dark, hard to find chandlery, was made "public." They deserve a round of applause for making what we now consider boating possible by making the products accessible. They lowered prices on a lot of stuff over the years. Remember when a 3 channel crystal VHF cost $500??? also, remember they publish those handy dandy useful Advisors, FREE, which contain a lot fo basic information for starter boaters, as well as some very high quality electrical systems guidance. They also opened stores near marinas - wow, what a concept!
The ONLY chandlery in San Francisco in 1978, for instance, was located in the heart of the financial district, hidden down a dark alleyway. No place to park, nowhere to load, hard to find, limited stock, you name it. Now, WM has gone to the dark side, but I remember when they actually, hear this, had folks in the store who knew about boating. No longer - it's just lowest price for labor, highest price for goods. Times change, get used to it!
So, now my favorite boating store is no longer WM, but ACE Hardware. And I've suggested that many times to folks on this forum.
If you buy cheap chain, it's possibly a VERY unwise "investment" or savings, because your ENTIRE boat could be lost. Pound-wise, penny-foolish is NOT a new concept.
So, make use of the available resources on the internet, which didn't exist only a few short years ago, and learn about materials, find others who've gotten good deals for PROPER equipment, and buy prudently.
Nobody forces you to go to WM, and they still have some relatively good bargains: cleaning stuff, or use "green" products or your local hardware store. Everyone who's owned a boat (and not a mega-yacht) should have learned by now how to find bargains. But remember: not all sales are bargains and not all bargains are sales (or good for that matter).
Even us guys can now comparative shop!:dance:
