How to Find Boat Parts by Make & Year
If a part breaks on your boat, you probably want to replace it before boating season begins. If boating season is already in full swing, you might even want to replace it more quickly than that. Finding replacement parts for a boat can be undertaken with no more information than the make, and the model year of the boat, but manufacturers sometimes change parts or systems midway through a model year, meaning that a pump that fits in boats made in June of a given year may not fit in boats made in July of the same year. Here are the steps to avoid that trap and others.
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Instructions
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Check all the documents related to your boat and read your boat's Operating Manuals; the manuals will have a parts list, unless the parts list was a separate document. If you bought the boat used, or if the Operator's Manuals are missing, the Manufacturer's Data Plate (usually located on the transom of the boat) will list the hull identification number and other data. The first three letters of the Hull Identification Number are the Manufacturer's Identification Code and can be used to find the name of the manufacturer, the full date that the boat was built and other information through the U.S. Coast Guard.
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Find and record the name and part number of the part you're looking for and take note of the year and model of the boat, from the Operator's Guide or other information source. Remember that, as the years pass and designs change, a part number may also change, so be sure to have a complete description of the part.
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Contact the boat manufacturer's customer service department and tell the representative what you need. Manufacturers will have a stock of common parts at all times; for less common parts, they may need some extra time to determine whether or not they still have the part in stock and how long it will take to ship it.
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Contact the local dealer for your boat. One advantage of this is that the dealer may have parts on hand that the manufacturer no longer carries in stock. Many times, the local dealer will find the part in the dealer network database and can have the part shipped to them by another dealer.
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If the local dealer and the manufacturer are unable to provide the part you want, your other option is to go to after-market parts. Russel Nilson, with iBoats, one of the country's largest and most comprehensive dealers in after-market boat parts, said that iBoats carries after-market parts that can replace parts for boats "built as long ago as the 1940s and 1950s."
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Check the parts before accepting delivery, whether they come from the manufacturer, the local dealer or a parts house like iBoats or West Marine. The part you ordered might be Part Number 123456, a small water valve for the year and make of your boat, but part numbers and descriptions might have changed; Part Number 123456 might now be a "small water valve" that's big enough to work on the USS Missouri.
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Tips & Warnings
If a part has to shipped in, and payment up front is required, pay by credit card. If the part is not the correct part, it can be returned and you get your money back, even if the merchant insists the part is correct.
If the part is shipped to your home, open the packing box before the delivery driver leaves; check the part for obvious damage and obvious discrepancies between what you ordered and what you received.
