The Ship’s Store for Boaters

is a hardware store for boats. Chock full of odds and end, the place is funky and unpretentious. Halfway up Panay Way surrounded by slips fore and aft, the store is very convenient. It’s perfect for any boater in the middle of a job who unexpectedly has to replace a part.

The store opened in the late sixties and has been a fixture in Marina del Rey ever since. Its bulletin board is a snapshot of life in the marina. The postings range from items for sale to sailors offering to race or crew.

Tim Kannard of Ship’s Store explained why the place has lasted.

“We’re boaters ourselves with hands on experience that you won’t find elsewhere. We know our products,” he said.

As a long time sailor, I’ve often done maintenance myself and have had to rely on the expertise of boat store workers to choose the right product to make a repair.

I know someone who had to replace a bow pulpit and needed sealant for the deck holes. He walked into the late but not lamented Boater’s World because the place had the best prices around.  He only found black sealant, but was told by the clerk that it was the sole color made. So he bought and applied it.

Later he learned that the product does come in white which better matches a deck. He never shopped at Boater’s World again. To this day, there’s a sloop in A basin with sealant circles like black eyes where the pulpit is bolted to the off-white deck.

Kannard laughed when I told him the story. “If you get some information that ruins what you bought, that’s a big drawback to ever going back to a place.”

Bob McDonald is the skipper of an Erickson 32.

“I came here for year for years and years whenever I worked on my boat, which was right outside. They have a very diverse inventory, from screws to lines and hats. I had to move to San Pedro for a while, but now I’m back and I’m thrilled,” he said.

McDonald appreciates the quality of Ship’s Store’s product line.

“I sometimes want some fittings that were not made in China.  I come in here and they have Chicago fittings and accessories. Yeah, they’re more expensive, but they hold up," McDonald said.

A day sailor can readily replace a faulty part without severe consequence, but McDonald is a cruiser.

“The last boat I sailed to Mexico to the Sea of Cortez and lived there for about a year. I was glad that I had spent a little bit more for certain things," he said.

Having reliable anchors was critical for him.

“I bought my ground tackle here and it held up well,” he said.

He particularly appreciates the store's helpful staff.

“If they don’t have it, they’ll order it for you. They fixed my stove when I couldn’t find parts. They got out the catalog and ordered what I needed," he said.

McDonald knows boats. He’s just started working on another one. He finds the pretension that sometimes surrounds yachting to be amusing.

“This is kind of a boaters’ hang out, not for boaters in blue blazers, but those dressed like me," he said. "Those are real boaters to me, sailors or power boaters. That’s why I come here."