Are Marine Products Worth the Higher Price?

[BosnBill]

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?

 

[nathan]

nice write up! I do fine it harder to purchase all marine grade stuff due to the price.

 

[BosnBill]

Thank you N on the write up. Boating is my passion and I enjoy sharing my experiences with fellow boaters like yourself. I know you are passionate too or you wouldn't be here on this site as often as you are.

Question tho,... are the hardware and other things you buy for your boat holding up okay? Do you find yourself replacing them more often than you'd like? I did, even when I was a fresh water boater. My best fresh water low budget stuff lasted maybe 3 years, max. I kept my fresh water/salt water boat for maybe 20 years when my kids were growing up and in those years I bought a lot of boating stuff. For me, cutting corners never paid off. You?

 

[nathan]

I havent cut many corners with my coronado (Just too nice a boat and worth too much for me to cut corners) I did just order a car gasket kit to replace the gaskets on the chrysler 440. I mainly needed the oil pan and exhaust and a few others. I have a few none marine fasteners on the swim platforms so when I get it on the water I will let you know. I do know that the boats I have sold and have talked to the new owners say they are still going strong.

 

[Chris E]

be careful of those gasket sets, we had a problem with auto gasket sets and marine engines because they are freshwater cooled, they'd rust out the steel on the head gaskets causing leaks - not good.

you only use one type of fastener on swim platforms - stainless, anything else will rust off. actually - stainless should be used for everything.

and NEVER ever use automotive distributors, starters or alternators - they are not screened and will cause a fire hazard

 

[nathan]

The only gaskets I plan to use from the set are the oil pan, valve cover, exhaust, and a few other small gaskets. the head gaskets on the motor are in great shape. i bought this set because it was on clerance at summit and was cheaper than the gaskets seperate.