The sweet siren song of West Marine now falls upon deaf ears...........

Thirty years ago when my fascination with sailboats was in its infancy, most of my disposable income was spent in marine chandleries. Oh the joy of laying out $12 for a tube of MARINE caulk.....what a pleasure it was to spend $1.00 for one #12 MARINIZED stainless steel, self-tapping, flat head screw.....oh! the thrill of paying $30.00 for a quart of Interlux topsides paint.....ah the ecstasy of giving up 7 hard earned dollars for an official, genuine, TRANSPAC proven MARINIZED boat sponge.........you'all get the idea here I think   ...What a RIP this stuff is!!! A while ago, my cheekblocks needed refinishing and this time no more varnish. Painting them was in order. So a quick trip to West Marine for a look-see for the proper primer and paint. Well the Interlux Marine Primer was about $20 for a pint and the their paint was another $32 per quart. Oh crap-here we go again! Just as my debit card was almost outta my wallet , it dawned on me PORCH PAINT!! Have you ever been on a painted porch on an old country house? Can you think anything that gets more wear and tear? I've been on many a painted porch where the paint still looked good 10-15-20 years after painting.......so, back on the shelf with the official  MARINE Interlux products and off to Sherwin Williams...to make a long story short...ONE GALLON of their best epoxy based porch paint in the color that I needed was $21-the primer was $6....the cheekblocks look great two years later..matter of fact, they look as good today as the day they were painted! My bowsprit needed a  rebuild because it was delaminating in a couple of places-did you know that ACE hardware sells for $8 the exact equivilant only in a larger amount of Git-ROT which sells for $19 for in the marine stores? Genuine MARINE non-skid granules are $9.00 in a little pint sized can at the marine stores vs. about $3 for 5 times as much at the hardware stores. 30 year exterior window caulk found at any hardware store for $4 or $45a tube is everybit as good as Boatlife that cost 3 or 4 times as much at the You Know Where! Most every hardware store sells stainless fasteners at 1/10 the price found in.....YKW! Those of you that check in on this blog every now and then know that a seahood rebuild is in progress.... well the wood has been treated with the ACE GitRot equivalent...next week the top insert will be faricated, glassed then finished off with porch paint impregnated with the non skid granules from Sherwin Williams just like my beautiful rebuilt bowsprit! You all take care and peace to you and yours........."Success is following the pattern of life one enjoys most"-Al Capp