Are Marine Products Worth the Higher Price?

BosnBill

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Did you ever make the mistake of trying to save a little money by shopping for boating hardware at your local home improvement center only to find it rusted out and became useless after a season or two? You can either buy another one just like it or upgrade to..."marine" at a loftier price. Seems to me if you had bought the "marine" in the first place you'd have saved some money and aggravation. Here's an article with an argument in favor of going "marine":
Are Marine Products Worth the Higher Price? What's your experience been?
 

ukmctc

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Did you ever make the mistake of trying to save a little money by shopping for boating hardware at your local home improvement center only to find it rusted out and became useless after a season or two? You can either buy another one just like it or upgrade to..."marine" at a loftier price. Seems to me if you had bought the "marine" in the first place you'd have saved some money and aggravation. Here's an article with an argument in favor of going "marine":
Are Marine Products Worth the Higher Price? What's your experience been?

I have found over the few years that I have restored and worked on boats that in general the parts required can come from hardware stores, superstores, camping and caravan shops, these things are generally the same product but cheaper.
There are some items which are marine only, but these are few. Its not the name its the quality of what you buy.
 

rafiki_

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As long as you buy goods appropriate for their use, then they do not necessarily have to be sourced from a Marine supplier. I buy service items from my engines from auto sources. These are OEM parts, the only difference being they are not supplied in Quicksilver boxes, which clearly cost a fortune. If I can, I buy Mercruiser parts from the USA, generally 60-70% cheaper than the UK.
 
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timbartlett

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Depends on the circumstances.
I was working for a commercial orgnisation that had a lease arrangement on a boat.
When we handed the boat back, the owner tried to charge us fro replacing all the AC electrical sockets, which had suffered cosmetic corrosion.

I agreed about the corrosion, but not with the price: "Why so expensive" I said?
"They are special marine products" said the owner's rep
"So how come these special marine products have corroded to the point of needing replacement in two years?" I said.
I cut the final bill down by well over 50%.

OTOH it is a mistake to assume that marine retailers charge more than their camping and caravanning counterparts. For something like a "leisure battery" I'd go to a caravan shop. For a hand-held GPS, I'd go to a chandler.
 
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