were do you shop and recommended.

[smallboatlover]

i was wondering every boating website says there the best but which one is cheaper and more reliable. i have hear of a few light overtons, west marine, iboat. now all those being big name places am i better off just going to walmart or benys to get my boating gear. which one do you shop at and would recommend?

 

[jayhanig]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

I go to West Marine when I want to walk out the door with something, as there's a local one. Overton's is also close by: not so close that I'd drive there but close enough that the shipping only generally takes a day. The marine store associated with this forum is excellent. Shipping is very fast.

Those are the only three I buy from.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

iboats.

Do you go to a restaurant and ask where is the best place to eat?

If you want to support your local tax base then shop local. You bragged about the iboats store and they have price matching.

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

yes i was bragging about iboats and the great customer service.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

I'm luckier. We have 2 large discount marine surplus stores in my area. Not a lot of seats/life vests/oil, etc, but they have crap loads of boat parts and supplies.
I go to WM when I'm in the mood to spend 2x the normal price. Usually iBoats and other online stores have the best prices.

 

[sasto]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

iboats.

Do you go to a restaurant and ask where is the best place to eat?

If you want to support your local tax base then shop local. You bragged about the iboats store and they have price matching.

At first I laughed..........then I realized how true this is.

If online? Here.

Next!

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

iboats

 

[bruceb58]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

You bragged about the iboats store and they have price matching.

Sorry, but price matching is so lame. I never go through the trouble anymore to call in and price match. The lowest price gets the business.

 

[nlain]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

If shopping online, iboats is first choice, if they do not have then look at others, iboats usually has what I want and usually has the best price and if not the difference is not worth the effort of price match. If I have to have something right now then my only choice where I live is worst marine at twice the price.

 

[JB]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

I will tell you what I think, guys. This forum is like a garden from which we reap huge harvests of knowledge and fellowship with other boaters.

Like any garden, nuture, water and fertilize it to keep your free harvest healthy.

Patronizing iboats is how we do that.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

true dat, JB, especially about the fertilizer spread around here sometimes....

For the same reasons to support iboats for on line shopping, please support your local independent for on land shopping, especially the ones at the marina, bait shop, etc. They pay a lot to be there and are the source of priceless local knowledge. Buy your ice there, oil, tackle, small hardware. If it costs me $10 more, great; I'll pay $10 not to have to go on Walmart property any day.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

I'll pay $10 not to have to go on Walmart property any day.

Just $10? I would give up a kidney if I don't ever have to go there again.

 

[DaNinja]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

iBoats has been good to me even when I ordered the wrong part. No complaints about my business with Oveton's.

West Marine is good for my walk-in stores in MO, but they're pricey and my local shops know me by name and won't try to up-sell me.

I'm pretty limited here in Central Texas without an hour roadtrip.

 

[NYBo]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

Before finding this forum, I bought a lot of stuff from Overton's. No complaints, but now I try to buy from iboats whenever it makes sense. For items I need immediately or that make no sense to ship (e.g. gallons of 2-cycle outboard oil), I go to WalMart or my local Gander Mountain.

 

[jonesg]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

iBoats is a bargain compared to richy rich west marine.

 

[cribber]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

Iboats 1st then see what Overton's is doing price wise. All of my props have been from Iboats... no one could beat the price when I wanted to change my setup. And I have an OEM, Hustler, and Solas for different uses.

 

[scoutboater]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

Just $10? I would give up a kidney if I don't ever have to go there again.

I don't know about a kidney, but I'll definitely spend more money to stay out of that place any day...

 

[Guest]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

Fireman431 I am totally with you about Walmart. I hate that store because they have put so many US and Canadain people out of work by buying/making vurtually ALL their stuff off shore. I had a friend of mine send me a true story of Walmart that blew me away. They had the largest ship ever built to haul thier Chinesse made stuff to the US and then it goes back there empty because it hauled so much (profit) here that it doesn't need to take anything back there. They also put all 3 big US electonics companies out of bussiness IE: Motorola, Rca and Zenith are all gone because WM built its own supply factory in China and they pay thier workers $5/day for a 12hr day 6 days a week. No wonder we are losing because the trade unequality between coontries!

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

Fireman431 I am totally with you about Walmart. I hate that store because they have put so many US and Canadain people out of work by buying/making vurtually ALL their stuff off shore. I had a friend of mine send me a true story of Walmart that blew me away. They had the largest ship ever built to haul thier Chinesse made stuff to the US and then it goes back there empty because it hauled so much (profit) here that it doesn't need to take anything back there. They also put all 3 big US electonics companies out of bussiness IE: Motorola, Rca and Zenith are all gone because WM built its own supply factory in China and they pay thier workers $5/day for a 12hr day 6 days a week. No wonder we are losing because the trade unequality between coontries!

Well..... before you believe your friend you might want to call him and read up about RCA's break-up, and check the websites for Motorola and Zenith........ your friend's "true story" does not hold too true............ go ahead and look up the largest container ship and see who owns it. What you actually received is rumor...... btw the largest container ships rarely visit the USA..... do some fact checking.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: were do you shop and recommended.

no chit.... I wonder who made my brand spanking new motorola phone LOL

plausible? sure... true? um FAIL