The Joys of Marine Swap Meets

In the good old days, marine swap meets were the best way for sailors to pick up good used gear on the cheap. People would travel hundreds of miles to attend some of the bigger ones, arriving at oh-dark-thirty for the privilege of being the first to paw through the offerings. Get there too late and all the ‘good stuff’ would be gone.

Then boaters discovered the joys of eBay and Craigslist. No longer did they have to wake up before the roosters to find the gear they needed, and when the time came to sell, they could demand (slightly) higher prices. But at what cost?

Marine swap meets have always been about more than just buying and selling. They offer a unique opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones. Take a stroll through a local swap meet and you’re likely to see a couple of old salts reminiscing about their sailing adventures over a box of ratty, well-used charts, or wanna-be cruisers picking the brains of those who’ve been there, done that. Need some advice on a refit? There’s no shortage of experts (some real ones, too!) who are more than willing to offer their advice. And you just never who you will find prowling the displays. Once we ran into Commodore Tompkins at the old Anderson’s swap meet in Sausalito — his first ever — and Lin and Larry Pardey at Marina Village’s Gate 11 swap meet in Alameda. None of this is possible through an eBay listing.

So this year, when you’re cleaning out your lazarettes and dock boxes, consider signing up for your local yacht club or marina’s swap meet. We guarantee you’ll get the ‘good stuff’ — even if you don’t buy or sell a single thing.

Upcoming Swap Meets: