Fisheries Supply Co

As a sailor, they've got everything I need. From bulbs to ballast. If I'm not sure what I need, they have the subject mater experts there to help steer me in the right direction and product to use. If they don't have it in, they'll help me get it (quickly). It's really hard to ask for more than that.

If you patronize the major national chain for boating supplies you may have overlooked this local favorite on Northlake Way. Fishers has about everything you could imagine and more for boaters. You can browser this store for hours (and I often do) for everything from clothing, to nuts and bolts (much better selection that hardware stores by the way) to paints and cleaning supplies and a full sailing area.

In fact, the sailing area was recently expanded and includes some very experienced boaters ready to help. The store has many examples of equipment and how to install or deploy them. The paint area's customer service employes incredibly experienced experts that have saved me time and money when doing boat repairs.

The only things that bug me about this store are the weird pricing scheme, where "account holders" get a discount (and it's not trivial to get an account it seems) and the fact that service is sometimes hard to get because the experienced employees are so busy. But every good thing is worth waiting for.

PROS: The most experienced group of experts in a boatting store around
CONS: Prices a bit higher