Finding Boat Parts Online
Getting people to advertise on your web site isn't all that difficult if you have good readership. In the year since we've started publishing this daily magazine, a substantial number of fishermen and women have chosen TheOnlineFisherman as their favorite fishing site on the web. We still have work to do in order to reach our highest dreams, but when Sales Manager Mike Bryant told us about the opportunity to work with a major 'player' in the world of boat parts, we were excited for a number of reasons. Let us introduce you to a company that's done 'the web' the way it's supposed to be done -- and whose efforts have put them in an enviable position from their status with the world's largest engine (and boat) manufacturers to the top of every search engine on the planet.
My interview with IT Director and web marketing master Jason Wasserman makes for a great read about a great company. Not to mention a vendor who will be there to help you when you need help. Having been on the water fishing a good deal of my life, I know that at some point, you will need a company like Boats.net. And when you do, why not know who the best is?
Becoming Number 1; The Story Behind Boats.net
About six years ago, there was a Yamaha dealership in Central Florida. Facing tough times, the business was 'on the block' and available to the right investor. I know one fundamental fact about buying a company; the buyer is relatively certain that they can do a better job running the business than the person from whom they're buying it. And in the case of Boats.net, the investors were right; within a year of purchasing the business it was the #1 OEM Parts dealer for Yamaha US and this #1 status among all Yamaha 5 star dealerships was only the beginning. Boats.net is now the top OEM Parts dealer in the US for five companies you might know: Yamaha, Mercury, Honda, BRP and Suzuki.
If you run an engine on your fishing craft, at some point it's gonna break. When it does, you will likely need replacement parts. The intensity and all-around impact of having your engine 'down' depends on the role sport-fishing and boating play in your life. For some of us, being without our boats is as bad as being without our computers. Boats.net is the nation's best source -- bar none -- for marine engine parts. That's not our opinion; it's the opinion of Yamaha, Honda, BRP, Mercury, Suzuki, and others in the same class. You don't become the top OEM dealer for companies like this because you have the right friends; it's in the numbers. And you don't reach numbers in a demanding space like ours without having come through again, again, and again. We hope you don't need the company today -- but you will. And when you do, make sure that you or your mechanic checks with Boats.net for the parts you need: their discounts range from 15% to an astonishing 80% for some parts.
Engine Parts..
There is a dream world where you buy a new boat and engine, you get on board, and everything runs perfectly and continues to do so from the day you buy it, until the day two years -- or twenty years -- later that you want a new one. My Robalo 21 Bayhunter has sported the same Mercury 150 Saltwater it had on it since June of 1996 when I ran it from Sarasota to its home here in Tampa Bay. And from the 13th month (the third day of that thirteenth month to be exact) it's needed parts. Unfortunately, I quickly found out just how much a twelve ounce part or two can cost. Forget the labor -- that's a known and I do not shop cheap for hourly mechanic rates. That's like price-shopping with cut-out coupons for a heart-surgeon in my mind. I'm talking parts.
Parts are something that -- as a boat owner -- you just have to deal with. If you have what my long-gone older brother (a master mechanic) called "the grease monkey gene", you actually open the top of your outboard (or crawl into the compartment containing your inboard/outboard, or IO) and
- know what engine parts you're even looking at under the slime, and perhaps even...
- begin to remove things like carbs on a Merc (the thought of which makes my 'soul twinge').
I've had boats all my life. I've never done a single serious job myself without help, but have participated in changing everything from the lower unit to the carburetor. Not easy work, and -- in my humble opinion largely based on blood loss -- best left to the experts. The issue you face though -- whether you're the one with the hands only a wife can love or the guy that actually can make my engine run again -- is getting the parts you need and not paying the highest possible price for them just because you are told there's supposedly only one place within 900 miles that has them. OEM engine parts aren't in the fishing department at Walmart. If they are, they're behind the SpiderMan tackle.
The deeper you look into the company's site, the more you realize how 'easy' it is for them to boast an inventory exceeding $6 million in all-things boat. Their role in the engine parts industry has propelled Boats.net into the nation's leading player in their space - and with little wonder. This is online database management at its finest, all the front-end of a physical dealer leading the nation in sales for five of the world's leading engine manufacturers.
The Engine Parts we All Need: Sources Traditional and Sources Modern
I use "Ten Years Ago" as the barometer by which I judge social and environmental changes. Ten years ago there was no Facebook. If you think about it, in 2001 a lot of things on the Internet were new or not even invented yet. If you want to get an idea of what life was really like 10 years ago, check the price of Apple stock. The blogs were saying there was a chance it would close at $19. At the time when the Outdoor Network bought the struggling Yamaha dealership, and gave birth to a company that would ultimately be top ranked with both Google and with the best engine manufacturers on the planet, you either shopped at a store close to you that provided engine parts, or whoever was going to work on your boat would procure the parts for you. Parts were picked up or delivered to where the boat was, and installed. You did it yourself or somebody did it for you. (Apple stock was $80 by then).
What? You need a propeller? From the man behind the propellers to the men and women in the offices to thousands and thousands of very, very satisfied clients, the entire scope and reach of the company -- and how they do it online -- has changed the way boat and engine parts move around our nation.
Judging the success of a company can be done in a lot of different ways. Clients and how they're handled is the most important, and the only thing that lasts in a world of change. The difference Boats.net brings to the table is that they have the right parts, from the right manufacturers, they deliver them at incredible pricing and they do it all online. This article became more-and-more interesting to write as I did it; so very many factors came together in the creation of Boats.net that it is little wonder they're successful. This company’s handling of data is unlike any I've personally ever seen (both from a standpoint of being 'found' as well as from the standpoint of your ability to find things). That data handling is something critical to them and is unlike anything you could imagine just looking at their site (regardless of its elegance); it is a tool used to manage a $6 million dollar inventory!
It's with no misgivings whatsoever that Captain David Rieumont, myself, and the other people behind the scenes at TheOnlineFisherman.com strongly suggest you visit their site, and keep them in your address book. Did I mention that you’ll be needing them at some point already?
The OEM Model: Third-party vs. Original Equipment Manufacturer
Despite the widespread and continuing growth of kayak fishing, the world of sportfishing is, and will likely remain dominated by Center Console boats. To the best of our ability, we track our readers' likes and dislikes. It's why sites like this change; feedback comes directly from the visitors, readers, users and contributors. The overwhelming majority of money spent on sportfishing is done on outboard-equipped fishing craft. Next to that are Inboard/Outboards, and the engines in those boats aren't all that different than the Outboards that we run. The same major manufacturers make both styles.
Original Equipment Manufacturers
OEM is short for Original Equipment Manufacturer. OEM Dealers are "sources" for the same parts by the same manufacturer as the engine you're running. So they're providing the same part that was originally factory installed but now needs to be replaced. The question is whether or not OEM parts perform better, are more reliable, and safer than your other option for engine parts. The answer is that in general, OEM parts are almost always the preferable option for replacement parts because they were created by the original manufacturer to the exact specifications required to achieve complete synchronicity with all the other connecting OEM produced parts. You know, as in a good sounding and smooth running engine. The statement that OEM parts are preferable in any repair situation is relatively unquestioned but what causes people to look at options is the cost. OEM parts usually cost more than after market parts. I said usually. Boats.net has changed the game and that is why you are reading about them now.
The connection between your laptop, desktop, or smart device and the multi-million dollar inventory at Boats.net is partially-based on insight and mastery of the Internet -- and the science of "Search Engine Optimization" like we've never seen from a traditional equipment provider. The company is fun to see and an honor to work with.
After-Market or Third Party Parts
The second option available to you or your mechanic is third party or After-market parts. Simply put, they are parts that are NOT manufactured by Yamaha or Mercury. They may be “just as good” or they may not be quite as good. It depends. The question in the past has been one of cost vs. benefit. Of course everyone would prefer to install OEM parts every time if all factors including price were equal. But in a cost conscious world, if you compare apples-to-apples (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price, or MSRP) between the cost of OEM vs. After-Market parts, the AM parts win hands down. At MSRP that is. Not so now that you know about Boats.net. Just doing a quick check of their claims for incredible pricing, I found five items at random whose cost from Boats.net -- for the real thing -- were lower than after-market parts. Rather then give you a meaningless list of parts I happened to find, we strongly suggest you do the same thing we did: compare prices on the next part you need, or the last one you needed and bought. The pricing at Boats.net will blow you away -- and you will know why it's a no-brainer for us to recommend these guys to you.
The Best Online Parts and Engine Dealer in the Country
When David and I started this site in 2010, we did it for a lot of reasons. To tell you the truth, we're still coming up with reasons. But it's becoming very successful, and that's for one reason and one reason only: we're a community. We always have been; there's not many people on this site, reading this article, or participating in any way who doesn't know one, ten, or one-hundred other people that know us. We trust each other for good reason.
Sometimes bad things happen that require quick parts sent to weird places. There isn't a single boat owner that hasn't needed (or at some point won’t need) parts for their engine. Again, you are either going to know what they are, get them and install them yourself, or you're going to have a pro make those decisions for you.
What makes a company like Boats.net good? Lots of things -- but most of all the people behind the scenes. Whether it's making sure your inventory is in place, or it's moving properly on its way from your laptop keyboard to the marina where you keep your boat, parts are only part of the beauty of the company.
A good percentage of Boats.net's clients are, in fact, professional mechanics. In some cases they're also retail stores whose buying power simply will never come close to Boats.net's, so they take advantage of the pricing (and dealer-relationships with the people at Boats.net) to stock their own shelves. Why not buy needed parts easily and inexpensively from the same place your mechanic or local dealer likely would? There is no reason not to save yourself some $ once the needed parts are identified so get active in the process.
Boats.net additionally stands ready willing and very able to help you in any way necessary via their outstanding customer service and support. If you have any questions about where to find what you’re looking for or what the options are, you can simply pick up the phone or click a chat link and discuss these questions with someone who absolutely qualifies as an expert regarding the manufacturer of your particular motor.
Six million dollars in inventory -- from the tiniest of parts to the boats you're dreaming of owning and the engines that run them -- can be found at the company's incredible warehouse.
Overall, this company stands out for reasons of primary importance to serious amateurs and professional sports fishers like you:
- The most incredible pricing the web offers
- Number 1 status with five of the top manufacturers in the world -- for good reason.
- Over $6 million dollars in inventory
- An outstanding and proven customer service department that knows their clients' needs
- A web site that makes it easy to find exactly what you need with a minimal of hassle
- A commitment to the boating community
- Sound business practices and marketing expertise ensuring their importance -- and influence on -- the people that make our engines and boats.
Unbeatable pricing, an incredible inventory and fantastic customer service/support are the exact reasons that Boats.net has one of the most important site addresses and phone numbers that the fishing community can save to favorites and keep on its smartphones.
More next month...
Next month we're going to be talking about other things the company brings to our community; like prices on new and used boats and engines that will amaze you. Ever think the day would come when you could get online, and within days step onto the brand-new fishing boat of your dreams. That journey to your waters begins when you click the "Buy Now" button :)
