Boat Builder Central Competitors

Founded in 1968, West Marine has grown from a small rope business in California into the nation’s leading retailer of core marine parts and accessories for boating, fishing, and sailing enthusiasts and marine industry service professionals. With approximately 100 brick and mortar stores and a strong online presence at westmarine.com, West Marine serves everyone from first-time boaters to seasoned mariners and marine professionals. West Marine offers an extensive selection of products, including marine electronics, safety gear, maintenance supplies, and more – everything needed for life on the water. More than just a retailer, West Marine is deeply invested in the boating community, championing education, environmental stewardship, and strategic partnerships that encourage safe, responsible, and enjoyable boating for all. West Marine also supports marine professionals through West Marine Pro, offering competitive pricing, dedicated account support, convenient fulfillment options and access to the products they need to keep their businesses moving. Download the West Marine Pro app or visit pro.westmarine.com to learn more. Our Crew shares a passion for life on the water and helping others enjoy it. Whether in our stores, behind the scenes or out in our communities, we work together to serve boaters and the marine industry every day.

Defender provides quality marine supplies, inflatable boats and outboard motors. We offer competitive prices on the brands you trust, we have them in stock and we are an authorized dealer for everything we carry. Defender is a marine outfitter staffed by passionate boaters who understand your language and your projects. We have a knowledgeable, in-house sales staff ready to answer your questions and to help you make the right purchase. That’s how we continue to earn the trust of mariners worldwide — as we have since 1938. Based in Waterford, Conn., Defender is a family-owned company, started by Sheldon Lance. Mr. Lance wanted to make boating accessible to more people and “disrupted” the marine supply industry, which at the time catered to “yachtsmen.” Mr. Lance started buying surplus products from the government and manufacturers so he could sell boating supplies at affordable prices, and he ended up earning the respect of quality marine manufacturers worldwide. Today, Defender is an authorized dealer for 85,000 products from every major marine manufacturer. Now under the leadership of Mr. Lance’s son, Stephan, Defender has grown to become the largest independent marine supply firm in the U.S.

The Company WoodenBoat Publications, Inc. is independently owned and was founded (with WoodenBoat Magazine) in 1974. Currently, the company publishes magazines (WoodenBoat, Professional BoatBuilder), books, monographs, and plans. Additionally, the company includes The WoodenBoat School, the WoodenBoat Store, the WoodenBoat Show, the International Boatbuilders’ Exhibition & Conference [IBEX], several sites on the Internet, and a variety of other projects and events. The company is dedicated, entirely, to the marine industry. Editorial Profile Our mission is to continue to serve and inspire our core audience while attracting ever younger enthusiasts into this community of engaged readers by making boating and boatbuilding accessible to all. Throughout the evolution of WoodenBoat, we have focused on the raw materials, the techniques and processes, the historical appreciation, the pioneers and practitioners, and the current and future trends of boating and boatbuilding. We bring this information to our readers in each and every issue. To describe the average WoodenBoat reader as “passionate” is a given. He or she is committed to the world of wooden boats and boating, whether as a builder or simply an appreciator of the craft. Nearly 90% of WoodenBoat’s 75,000 readers own one or more boats, while 83% work on their own boats every year. What makes WoodenBoat readers so unparalleled is that they build their own boats: 70% of WoodenBoat readers have built or helped build a boat, and, on average, subscribers have built 4.7 boats. That’s putting passion into practice!