OEM or after market in your boat repairs

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Many here bought their Grady new and many bought them used. I have had my current boat since 2009 when I bought her new. This past season I have had a number of things needing replaced. There are a few schools of thought I have. I can go OEM and order Grady parts through a dealer or I can go after market

For the most part I try to order OEM as much as possible. I know it's more expensive but I also want the replacement part to last. I also tend to think that keeping the boat maintained with OEM parts will appeal to who ever buys it the day I go to sell.

A couple seasons ago I was tired of my dome light mounted under the overhead e box not working and the switches being intermittent. I shopped around at various Marine places and wasn't satisfied. Then when I was repowering my boat at the Grady dealer I hopped aboard a Marlin and saw the new LED light Grady uses. So, I ordered it and paid a pretty penny. It's reliable and it draws much less current and no bulbs to burn out. Plus it controls my spreaders. This is just one example.

I know Grady discontinued a lot of their WAs from 24 to 29 feet and getting OEM cushions and other parts is no longer available. I do wonder though for those with boats still in production but are 10-15 -20 years old, what do you do to keep your boat maintained?

 

[Bloodweiser]

For me it's based on how critical a part it is. Motor.. Yamaha part all the way. Everything else based on that same theory..

 

[Ky Grady]

Yamaha motor,,,, Yamaha parts,,,,, even as old as mine is. Some things Grady dealer specific, like my deck drains and that same LED light that Smoky has. Redoing cushions,,,,a reputable shop that can duplicate correctly. Bilge pumps and such,,,purchase myself with a little research as to what original part was used and find it aftermarket,,, same thing my dealer would do if I was to lazy to take the time to figure it out and charge a dealer markup. Grady-White builds boats, not bilge pumps, they buy parts and pieces from other manufacturers to build their boats. Really boils down to, is it Grady specific or can it be sourced elsewhere?

 

[Summertop511]

For me I like the boat to be as if grady did it. So don’t care what it costs. Like when I did the so called bang plate I got it from Grady and paid the $44 to ship it and the crazy expensive Grady color caulk. Didn’t end up using the caulk but now have it. The cushions in the back this winter I’m sure I’ll order the exact cushion that was there. They did clean up pretty good tho today. I’m with you on the spreader dome light. If I start to have problems with it I’ll put on the expensive lumitec dome light. My F150 I wanted black wheels so I got factory black wheels and headlights from ford. Don’t care what it costs. Now for my quad it’s all aftermarket lol

 

[drbatts]

For the engines, I use Yamaha parts for everything. For other items like my enclosures, cushion repair, covers and soft goods I have used a local upholstery shop or a seamstress. For the majority of other stuff i.e. pumps, switches, deck plates, rod holders etc. I will use a quality aftermarket part. Some specific Grady parts like the pulls for the seacocks and vent panels I have ordered directly from my local dealer or taylor marine. Grady white customer service is also pretty good at providing part numbers and manufactures for most items which you can source yourself.

 

[Rustygaff]

Outside of the hull, most of the components on ours boats are out-sourced by GW. If the manufacturer of these components can be identified, the parts may be had directly from the maker or 2nd party vendor substantially cheaper than the dealer. So its either pay the dealer premium or do a little work and figure out where the part came from and go from there.

 

[RussGW270]

I am trying SO hard to keep it all OEM... but just cannot find all the stuff for a 16yr old boat. That being said... eh, right now, get her going. Next year, like they said above.... my financial status changes dramatically in about a month or two.. and at that point, only the best OEM stuff if I can get. I mean, these boats are solid....only reason I have kept my sanity this long lol...so, to do anything cheap would be to go against the grain of what made it so solid in the first place.

That being said, I do not snub my nose at folks that use aftermarket parts, we all gotta do what we gotta do to get it done.

Lucky for me, I can fabricate a part, to some extent, on some stuff.. and one day, I will spend a wad of useless cash (lol) and get oem decals fabricated... maybe.. lol

I just love classic... but some times ya just gotta enjoy what ya can.

R

 

[seasick]

For me it's a quality issue and not an OEM one. It also depends on what the part is. I am less concerned about a cabin light than I am about an internal motor part. For example, I can buy knock off gas filter cartridges for my Yami for less than half of the OEW cost and they come with the o-rings. Would I buy them? Absolutely not. Fuel pumps? Again ,, no. Water pumps kits? No again, too risky.
A lot of the common replacement parts, non oem, are made offshore and quality control is a big issue for me.

Thermostats? Yes basically because I have had issues with the OEM t-stats on my Mercs.

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

I run a single and never go cheap on any motor components. So, I replaced my fuel fill hoses and Sea Star Helm. I bought MPI because it's what Grady uses and not Seirra or West Marine brand hoses. It's that kind of stuff I am suggesting here. I tried to find a good folding LED mast light that was taller than my radome from Perko. Nope, they don't make one, so I went with Hella Marine.

I read on the webs where folks buy a nice boat and when things break just take the cheap way out.. I sometimes wonder if that impacts the value down the road. It's an interesting thiught.

 

[Sdfish]

I'll buy all OEM Yamaha parts and get it serviced by Yamaha dealer until my warranty expires (I guess the exception was the Lowarance NMEA cable to the motor...).
My boat is 20 years old, I will but the best components I can find for it.
Take the bang plate, alot of folks do not go back to Grady to address that, they glass it over - a much better option for long term.
For lights, bilge pumps, hoses, thru hulls etc - I'll get the best I can find.

 

[Holokai]

Criticality is the first criteria. OEM if possible/reasonable but do research if it’s something that the factory outsourced to find an equivalent or better option.

Ease of replacement is big here in Hawaii as there are significantly less vendors than on the Continental US. Shipping lead time and cost can make a good deal online actually cost more than buying direct from an OEM dealer on island.

Also factor in use/necessity; i.e. I deleted most of the factory cushions instead of replacing as my boat is primarily fished and they’re not necessary/end up being another maintenance item.

I also ask my friends who own boats for recommendations as they often have leads in manufacturers/resources I was unaware of.

 

[Fishtales]

Outside of the hull, most of the components on ours boats are out-sourced by GW. If the manufacturer of these components can be identified, the parts may be had directly from the maker or 2nd party vendor substantially cheaper than the dealer. So its either pay the dealer premium or do a little work and figure out where the part came from and go from there.

Agree. You can usually find the manufacturer and get the parts direct. For cushions go to a good marine fabric shop. They get the same materials and can do a great job. For enclosures go to A&J Canvas in Vanceboro NC. Motor, just get the Yamaha parts.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Motor parts OEM.

I don't think you need Yamaha Fuel/water separators when Racor or Sierra have exactly the same 10 micron 90gph spec.
I don't drink the Yamaha Koolaid...or Suzuki either....
Oil, Fuel treatment...If it meets the recommended spec at half the price, it meets the recommended spec. YAMAHA DOESN"T MAKE OIL.

Anything else usually I look for a quality part at a good value or buy the thing on the shelf at West Marine because I need it now.
Sometimes I buy really cheap LED lights because I don't get "$200 angry" when they fail just as fast as "$20 ah, who cares"

Lots of guys redo their dash panel and electronics box. I don't think it hurts resale value.
A Grady is not a '65 Mustang and its not a '30s ChrisCraft. I'm not afraid to cut a hole and put in a rodholder that doesn't say "GW".
I'm not going to replace the "in the $hitank" macerator with another Groco just because Grady put it there in 2000.
Someday I'm going to replace those crappy "oval euro" switches with something better.
Vinyl, Canvas...local shop.

Its a 20 year old boat. Its MY boat. F 'em