Sailboats USA 🇺🇸 🇨🇦

Marine-Grade SS Sources

• Suncor Stainless — Canton, MA — 316 SS hardware, swage fittings, chain, wire, shackles; excellent selection; ships direct; strong marine focus
• Marine Grade Metals — stainless bar stock, sheet, tubing; cut to size; good for fabrication projects
• Online Metals — stainless, aluminum, bronze bar and plate cut to size; fast shipping; good prices
• Metal Supermarkets — walk-in locations nationwide; 316 SS in stock; cut to your dimensions
• McMaster-Carr — enormous selection of 316 and 304 SS fasteners, rod, tube, bar; online ordering; fast shipping; non-marine focus but excellent quality
• Bolt Depot — 316 SS screws, bolts, nuts, washers by the bag or box; excellent value; great selection of A4 (316) marine fasteners

316 vs 304 Stainless — The Critical Difference

• 316 SS: Contains 2–3% molybdenum; significantly better corrosion resistance in salt water; the ONLY acceptable grade for below-deck, submerged, or high-humidity marine applications
• 304 SS: The common "stainless" you find at hardware stores; NO molybdenum; will corrode in salt water within months; NOT acceptable for marine use outside of completely dry interior applications
• Always verify you are ordering 316 (also called A4 in metric, or 18-8 with Mo) — never assume "stainless" means 316
• Passivation: 316 SS should be passivated (acid-cleaned to restore the chromium oxide layer) after cutting or drilling

When Stainless Fails

• Crevice corrosion: The most common SS failure mode on sailboats; occurs under fittings, inside swaged terminals, under rubber seals, and anywhere oxygen is excluded; looks like pitting or brownish deposits hidden from view
• Stress corrosion cracking (SCC): Sudden brittle fracture under load in the presence of chlorides; affects highly loaded rigging hardware most severely; inspect shroud chainplates and toggles carefully
• Warning signs: Brown/rust staining around fittings; pitting; discoloration at terminal ends; any "spongy" feel when pressing a fitting
• Never rely on visual inspection alone for loaded rigging hardware — inspect with a magnifying glass and replace on schedule regardless of appearance

Alternatives to Stainless

• Silicon bronze: Excellent corrosion resistance; used for seacocks, through-hulls, cleats; machines beautifully; no crevice corrosion issues; heavier than SS
• Marelon (glass-filled polymer): Used for seacocks and through-hulls; no electrolysis; lighter than metal; ABYC-approved; used widely in production boats
• Titanium: Better corrosion resistance than 316 SS; used in high-performance applications where weight and corrosion are critical; very expensive

Quality Hardware Brands

• Harken — Pewaukee, WI — blocks, cleats, travelers, cars, turning blocks; industry standard; made in USA; excellent load ratings
• Lewmar — hatches, portlights, windlasses, winches, clutches; widely available parts; good value
• Ronstan — deck hardware, shackles, snap hooks; popular in racing market; Australian brand, widely distributed in US
• Schaefer Marine — Wareham, MA — made in USA; mid-boom sheeting, traveler systems, deck hardware
• Wichard — French; shackles, snap shackles, hooks, pelican hooks; exceptional quality; marine-grade stainless throughout; used by offshore racing programs
• Perko — Miami, FL — marine hardware since 1895; navigation lights, vents, ladders, hatches
• Beckson — ports, hatches, hand pumps; good value; widely available

Properly Bedding Deck Hardware

• Almost all deck leaks trace back to improperly bedded hardware — not to cracked gelcoat or structural failure
• Use butyl tape (easiest, most forgiving) or 3M 4200 for most deck fittings
• DO NOT use 3M 5200 for anything you might ever need to remove (cleats, stanchions, turning blocks)
• Back all through-deck bolts with large backing plates to distribute load — particularly for cleats, stanchions, and chainplates
• Teak backing blocks are traditional but rot when wet — use G10 fiberglass, StarBoard, or aluminum instead
• Inspect all deck hardware bedding every 3–5 years; a leaking chainplate is an emergency

Seacock Manufacturers

• GROCO — Annapolis, MD — the gold standard for bronze seacocks and through-hulls; made in USA since 1919; if you are going to spend money on one thing on your boat, spend it on GROCO seacocks
• Perko — Miami, FL — bronze through-hulls and fittings; good quality; widely available
• Forespar Marelon — glass-reinforced polymer seacocks; ABYC and ISO certified; no electrolytic corrosion possible; lighter than bronze; good choice for FRP hull boats
• Trudesign — New Zealand; composite seacocks; excellent corrosion resistance; growing US market presence

Seacock Maintenance

• Exercise every seacock at least twice per season — seacocks that are never operated will seize; a seized seacock is useless in an emergency
• Grease the spindle with waterproof grease annually; Teflon-based or Lanocote are appropriate
• Replace seacocks older than 10 years regardless of apparent condition — bronze work-hardens and fatigues
• Every through-hull MUST have a seacock mounted directly to the hull fitting — a gate valve on a hose nipple is NOT a seacock and is not acceptable

Through-Hull Standards (ABYC)

• All through-hulls below the waterline or within 10″ of the waterline must have a seacock or shutoff valve mounted directly at the through-hull
• Through-hull fittings should be double-clamped with marine-grade stainless clamps on both hose barbs
• Hose should be USCG Type A1 or A2 (fire-resistant) for all through-hull connections below the waterline
• Seacocks must be accessible at all times — do not permanently block access with storage
• Label every seacock clearly with its function — what it controls and which way is closed
• Keep wooden bungs tied to each through-hull for emergency use if the hose fails

Hose Clamps

• Use only all-316-SS worm-drive clamps (Ideal Tridon Marine or ABA) for below-waterline hose connections
• Most hardware-store clamps have a zinc-plated band — these will rust completely within one season in salt water
• Double-clamp all below-waterline and engine raw-water hose connections
• Suncor Stainless and Bolt Depot both stock marine-grade 316 SS clamps

Online Chandleries (Best Price / Selection)

• Defender — Waterbury, CT — one of the best online marine chandleries; excellent prices; large stock; fast shipping; service-oriented staff who understand boats
• Jamestown Distributors — Bristol, RI — outstanding selection of tools, supplies, hardware; exceptional how-to tutorial library; prices excellent for materials; ordering staff are boat people
• APS (Atlantic Pursuit Sailing) — sailing-specific; running rigging, hardware, accessories; good prices; sailing-focused staff
• TotalBoat — epoxy, gelcoat, bottom paint, fillers; excellent direct-to-consumer prices; strong DIY community and support
• West Marine — nationwide retail and online; convenient; generally the most expensive; best used for urgent needs when you can't wait for shipping

Regional Specialty Chandleries

• Fisheries Supply — Seattle, WA — the best full-service chandlery in the Pacific Northwest; commercial and recreational; outstanding stock; fair prices
• Blue Sea Systems — Bellingham, WA — marine electrical panels, breakers, bus bars, battery management; made in USA; the go-to for 12V electrical systems
• Catalina Direct — parts specifically for Catalina sailboats; if you own a Catalina, bookmark this first; OEM and aftermarket for all Catalina models
• Rig Rite — custom rigging; swaged terminals; wire and rod
• Ancor Marine — tinned marine wire, connectors, heat shrink; the standard for marine electrical wiring

• Catalina Direct — OEM and aftermarket parts for all Catalina models (22, 25, 27, 30, 36, 42, etc.); by far the best-organized brand-specific parts supplier for any US production sailboat; still fully operational despite Catalina Yachts closing in late 2025
• Hunter Owners Parts Store — OEM and aftermarket parts for Hunter models by hull number; canvas, hardware, rigging
• O'Day Owners Parts Store — canvas, rigging, hardware for O'Day models
• D&R Marine — 35+ years supplying original replacement parts for Pearson and O'Day sailboats; excellent reputation; New England-based
• Pearson Yachts Parts Resources — official parts supplier list by model; includes PDF parts catalogs

• Sailboat Parts (sailboatparts.com) — model-specific parts for Ericson, Cape Dory, Tartan, Sabre, Islander, Morgan, Cal, and more; good for older production boats
• Mass Marine Parts — masts, booms, and major components for Hunter, Pearson, O'Day, and others
• Ericson Yachts Owner Exchange — community resource and parts leads for Ericson owners
• Irwin Yacht Owners Group — parts leads and community for Irwin owners
• For any older production boat: Search "boat name owners association" — most popular boats from the 1970s–1990s have active owner communities with parts swap boards and NOS (new old stock) finds

Specialty Used Marine Stores

• Longship Marine — Poulsbo, WA — consignment on the waterfront; accessible by boat; winches, blocks, anchors, engine parts, vintage hardware; inventory online
• Sailors Exchange — St. Augustine, FL — large buy/sell bazaar of new and used boat parts; walk to the marina
• Bacon Sails & Marine — Annapolis, MD — used sails and a large parts warehouse
• Salvage Marine Network — new, used, and NOS parts; large eBay presence

Online Marketplaces

• eBay — Sailing Hardware — huge selection; search by brand (Harken, Lewmar, Schaefer)
• Sailing Anarchy Classifieds — active; knowledgeable sellers; good for quality hardware
• Cruisers Forum Classifieds — worldwide; large volume
• Buy used without hesitation: Harken, Lewmar, Schaefer, Ronstan, and Wichard hardware is built to last decades. A used Harken winch from 1995 is often a better buy than an inexpensive new knockoff.