Top 10 US Boat stores/chandleries online

Chandleries are where one obtains all the items one needs for a boat. When we set out to do a listing of the top 10 online marine chandleries, we had no idea how many there actually are and we would have to review. Our ranking is based on a combination of factors that include search engine rankings of key word terms (e.g., marine supply, boating supply), functionality of the website, user interface friendliness, ease of navigation, breadth of inventory, and policies (shipping, returns, etc). It was not an easy task.

There are many chandleries throughout the world and the larger ones have catalogues available on request as well as extensive online catalogs where you can find just about anything you could possibly want for your boat. Many companies offer services of forwarding spares by sea or air all over the world. We did not take these considerations into account and limited our selections to US based concerns.

There is no doubt that West Marine, which now owns Boat US (which is why we list both together), is the biggest, baddest marine chandlery, period! Some complain, others extoll their virtues. Personally, I am greatful to have easy access to marine supplies in multiple locations in which we cruise. Online, I have been able to acquire gear that I could not find anywhere else, and the toll free telephone tech support has been wonderful. I spent a half hour one day discussing the best way to configure a new VHF radio, with the ultimate recommendation from the tech to go with the best wiring I could afford, and a note from me to coordinate the recommendations of experts in the catalog with inventory available in the store.

Defender at number 2 is there because of pricing. Boater's World is more power oriented than sail, and they often have inventory that West Marine does not carry. Marine.com and Sailnet.com (now sharing ownership) have a great concept going - provide great content to surround product selection, but the jury remains out on how well they will perform after Sailnet's bankruptcy and Marine.com's buy out. Integrating in a merger is not an easy task.

Numbers 5 through 7 offer broad product availability. Numbers 8 and 9 focus strictly on sail with emphasis on performance racing. And JSI, though among the newer entries has just upgraded their web presence to provide better access to their broad range of services from sails to cushions to every piece of gear you need.

Fawcett Brothers and Jamestown Distributors were also considered but the former's website was cumbersome to maneuver and the latter's inventory is fabulous but so specialized as to be in a category all its own. Both are highly regional. Although Overton's came up high in the Google and Yahoo key word rankings, they seem more focused toward small craft like PWCs and waterskiing boats.

If you have other ideas, please do let us know. It's only our opinion and we'd like to make your opinion count.

Please Note: The number 1 selection each month receives a free link to their website for that month. Being named to the list does qualify those honored to sponsor links. Please contact us for details. The list is not revealed prior to posting so the selections are made in relative absence of bias according to reasonably well defined criteria. You are invited to submit names for consideration.