Stretch Your Boat Bucks

Have Hamilton Marine repair your boat for cheap.

The old saw that boats are nothing more than “holes in the water into which you throw money” has a certain amount of truth to it, but most sailors will nonetheless admit that spending money (mariners call them “boat bucks”) on boats is somehow less painful than, say, spending it on orthodontics or auto repair. But all sailors like a bargain, which is why they’re so pleased that Wayne Hamilton decided to open up a chandlery back in 1977.

When a back injury caused him to stop lobster fishing, Hamilton decided to start selling fishing supplies out of his garage in Searsport. Thirty years later he’s still providing nets, buoys, and life jackets for fishermen. He’s also selling global-positioning systems, two-part epoxy paints, and every other gadget the cruising yachtie might want to spend his or her hard-earned money on. In recent years Hamilton Marine (800-639-2715) has expanded well beyond its headquarters at the top of Penobscot Bay, opening stores in Rockland, Southwest Harbor, and Portland. Frugal Maine skippers who pore over every sale catalog that mail-order giant West Marine sends their way swear that in the end, Hamilton’s can beat pretty much any deal.

Which just might leave boaters with a little money left over for the less essential items in life — like food, for instance.

 

Views expressed in blogs such as Media Mutt and others published on Down East.com reflect neither Down East's editorial stance nor the views of Down East Enterprise.

Reader Comments: 
Log In Post anonymously
Add your comment:
Create an account, or please log in if you have an account. Anonymous comments are enabled.
Email address (not displayed publicly)  Password
 
Enter your comments below:
   
Verification Question:
What is 3 + 9 ?     This is so we know you are a human and not a spam robot.



MAINE DIRECTORY!

Down East Editors' Choices
& Down East Readers' Favorites...


Add your own favorites. Click on any directory and select "Add free listings" or email favorites to online@downeast.com.

Upcoming Events

Rufus Porter Museum Cultural Heritage Series 2008
05.11.2008

The Third annual Cultural Heritage Series is scheduled for July 8 - 12, 2008 in Bridgton, Maine. The series is highlighted by a 3-day class Rufus...

Cabinet of Curiosities: The Museum, Science Collections, and You
05.11.2008

This exhibit, curated by the museum’s co-chief scientists, Paula Work and David Work, shows the many facets of the museum’s science...

Journeys West: The David and Peggy Rockefeller American Indian Art Collection
05.11.2008

This exhibition features Pueblo paintings, Navajo blankets and silverwork, embroidered Dakota leatherwork, Nez Perce weavings, basketry from...

Journeys West: The David and Peggy Rockefeller American Indian Art Collection
05.11.2008

This exhibition features Pueblo paintings, Navajo blankets and silverwork, embroidered Dakota leatherwork, Nez Perce weavings, basketry from...

Recent Acquisitions & Contemporary Works from the Permanent Collection
05.11.2008

Among the recent additions to the museum’s permanent collection are works by Joanne Baldinger, Jeffrey Becton, Bob Brooks, Rudy Burckhardt, David...

Recent Acquisitions & Contemporary Works from the Permanent Collection
05.11.2008

Among the recent additions to the museum’s permanent collection are works by Joanne Baldinger, Jeffrey Becton, Bob Brooks, Rudy Burckhardt, David...

Progressive Gourmet Dinner
05.11.2008

Weekend inclueds tours of three historic Freeport B&B's and the entree catered by the Azure Cafe'.

Taking Different Trails: The Artists’ Journey to Katahdin Lake.
05.11.2008

This exhibition features the work of twenty contemporary artists and their views of and from Katahdin Lake in Township 3, Range 8. All of the...

Show all events »