---

Has anyone ever had luck contacting marine part depot? I can’t get them to return calls or emails. This is my last resort.
I purchased a Boston whaler bow light (MPD_8128L) from marinepartdepot.com a couple of years ago & the lens has been a constant problem. The one it came with faded till the colors hardly showed by the end of the season. Last spring I purchased a replacement lens (MPD_8128a) from them & that faded by the end of the season as well. Is this a common problem? Funny thing is I keep a mooring cover on my whaler most of the season so I can’t see how this is happening so quickly to the plastic lens. I’m hesitant to just purchase a new lens each season & I'm frustrated since the light fixture itself cost 100.00 when I bought it. I’ve tried calling but nobody ever answers....... anyone else frustrated by marinepartdepot.com?

---

It has been reported the quality of their offerings are less than desirable. Have you attempted to restore the lens by wet sanding/polishing?

For OEM parts I recommend

Sue Lodel, Parts Manger @ Twin Cities Marine,
www.beacontcm.com

OR

Nauset Marine http://www.nausetmarine.com/light-ass...ssemblies/

FWIW - The OEM bow light fixture is ~$500 and still available.

---

They never reply to anything. Email or phone call.

---

Some of these Google search companies are "one shot Charlies".....you paid $100 and Phil posted $500 OE. You get what you pay for. I would NEVER buy electronics non local.

---

I did not get what I paid for gchuba. I paid for a working light. I did not pay for a lens that fades in the sun ...over just three months ...twice. Anyway, since I know they sell Boston whaler parts & I read about them first here on this site I wanted to tell you all that you will not get what you pay for from marinepartdepot.com. Some stuff is just fine, like a cleat, but others are not like my light & they will not respond to calls & emails. It’s as if they don’t exist. I just want that shared. BTW, I had great service from specialty marine. Had A little trouble with one item & they were wonderful & made sure I was happy in the end. Also, sue at Twin Cities is amazingly helpful.

---

Does your Lens look like this available from Specialty Marine?
You don't mention what Boat or what Model, or What year you have?
So we have absolutely no idea what boat you are referring too.

http://www.specialtymarine.com/BOSTON...-p130.html

http://www.specialtymarine.com/BOSTON...-p148.html

Please tell us what model boat you have in the future when asking questions.
Just like all of us do when ordering or asking about a part for an Automobile.
Model, Year, Length, etc.

Whaler Central has nothing to do with Marine Parts Depot so I have no idea what their products or quality is like.

Here are our Sponsors and Advertisers.
http://www.whalercentral.com/viewpage...age_id=127
Whaler Central is very particular in who we recommend for Whaler Parts.

---

Jkunze......on occasion I have had bad experiences with aftermarket on the internet. Sometimes good. An example was some push/pull Cole-Hersee switches. I forget the brand but I ordered some that were 1/2 the price of Cole-Hersee. Total junk, cheap plastic knob and the backing was cardboard coming apart. Looked pretty nice by the pictures. The threads were not compatible with my original knobs. Internet purchases are a crap shoot. Sometimes you hit, sometimes not. I have had pretty decent luck finding odds and ends at "greatlakesskipper". They handle a lot old stock of O.E. from different manufacturers. I was making a salmon gutting tray and saw some stainless straps/hooks for rail mounting the tray. Not the same gauge as the one pictured in the ad.

---

When something is priced at a very low price, and it turns out to be poorly made, us old guys say "you get what you pay for". Most of the imported Chinese boat parts are junk, whether made from wood, metal, or plastic. Americans seem to have become willing to except these products, and are unwilling to pay a fair price for the quality they really want. Those who know me probably are thinking "sour grapes", and you would be right. We use to make great things in this country, now we buy other countries junk, and they are laughing all the way to their banks. At least we have a president who is making an attempt to fix this ugly mess-

When I was a young boy, Japan was the junk maker, how things have changed. Now, if you want something really good, you might have to look to them, as in the case my outboard motor. We as a country, can do better.

---

I purchased the exact same bow light from Marine Part Depot, like you zero response from phone/email but I purchased through amazon and paid by paypal to get some buyer protection. living in the UK parts are VERY hard to come by and I was staying with family in the states and this was the only option I could find at the time.
I sold the 13' but still see it stored by the new owner and noticed immediately that the front lens has faded and this was within 12 months from new. I am not sure how well the chinese "stainless" has held up but i would not buy again and try and find yourself an OEM one.

---

Walter..........who are you calling an "....old guy.....". You are right on about pricing. I got sticker shock recently purchasing some documented/stamped fire hose fittings. With the recent fires in CA I installed a series of fire hose hook ups for a client at different locations around the house (for his self contained Department of Forestry pump). 90 psi at 80 gallons/minute. I am looking at 9 pieces of 1" sized fittings/adapters with a $453 invoice. Guess what.......these pieces won't snap or breaker when the owner needs them most.

---

Joe, Thank you very Much. I clicked on the link you gave me for specialty marine & looked again at the light they sell. I compared it to mine that I purchased from MPD.
I had always thought they were they same item & Specialty sells it for much more. Truth be told I did make the choice between the two when I bought 2 years ago & chose the cheaper. But in my defense look at the two & both look to be the same aftermarket part.
I looked closer this time & ca see the castings are slightly different, coupled with the price difference, $106.00 to $192.00 I believe I bought the cheaper version knockoff. There, the laughs on me Gchuba, ;). I got what I paid for. I just had no idea they weren't the same & who would think the plastic lens would degrade so quickly. I knew that I was not finding the OEM though.
I ordered the replacement lens from specialty this time. Even the lens is two bucks more at specialty marine so I now say it must be the better aftermarket to MPD's cheap knockoff. LOL.
I had also contacted Sue at Twin cities the other day & she told me she can get me the OEM light from Boston Whaler for about 350.00. I will do that later this year, as long as I can determine the bolt patterns match up at the bollards. I would have bought from her then had I found that she had the OEM, even at the premium price.
I had just bought the whaler when I purchased this light & at the time did not know what I know now. (Cliché) I will tell you that I was so excited to finally have the boat I'd wanted so long that I decided the first part I would buy for it was the Bow light I thought it needed to have & was missing. I joked at the time that the first thing I bought for my new boat was a hood ornament. I really did get what I paid for!

BTW & sorry for the omission earlier Joe,
1967 16' Nauset custom
2018 90 HP Yamaha
Loads of fun!

Here's a picture of mine showing the faded lens.

---

One last thing, the entire point of my post was to alert you all to not purchase from Marine Part Depot expecting any kind of service should you have a problem. Not gonna happen.
We all take chances, make choices, learn lessons. this was mine to share with the BW community.
I think aftermarket can be fine in many ways & Specialty Marine does have good stuff. They answer the phone & discuss their products.
I bought cushions & a Mahogany console from them, among a few other items. I'm pleased with everything & the one item I had any trouble with they accepted a return on, paid postage & made me very happy.
There you go Specialty, a shoutout!

---

If you do wish to take a chance with Marine Part Depot be sure to pay via PayPal so you have an opportunity to get your money back, if you get screwed,

---

Sound advice but will that help after four or five months?

---

I can't comment on the quality of their plastic items including lenses, but I have purchased many stainless items from them over the years and found the quality of the stainless, polish, and precision to be great. Items include rod holders, latches, anchors, and cleats. The 8" cleats are used on my dock on saltwater and after 5 years, look like new. Fast delivery and free shipping.
WRT to getting them to respond, I have never had them answer the phone or emails, so what you see is what you get....
Sorry to be the contrarian, but my experience has shown them to provide quality stainless items.

---

---

More bad reviews for marineparttdepot.com. Stay away from them.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.rese...Part_Depot

---

Have you seen our OEM Parts info and photos section for a replacement Lens?
http://www.whalercentral.com/photogal...hoto_id=18

---

I have always thought that Specialty Marine and Marine Parts Depot are related business operations. There are just too many similar product offerings. This is only an OPINION of mine, nothing else.

Since Specialty is an advertiser here, if this is not so, maybe Specialty can post here and indicate they are NOT connected to each other in some way or another, use completely different manufacturers, etc. This would be good news.

I have also noticed that the bow light lense used in Specialty's LED bow light is washed out in color, both the red and the green halves.

---

Thank you Joe, That post was very helpful. In the end I got one from Amanda at Specialty & it is definitely not the same lens sold by MPD. Side by side you can see they are different shaped castings. See pic below. MPD's is not a true dome, while specialty's is. Definitely different castings, so hopefully a different manufacturer & a better plastic mix. Inside the new one is smooth, while the MPD one has sharp casting edges inside the dome.
Specialty's looks good to me, I'm going fishing with it! Honestly I don't believe that the replacement I foolishly got from MPD last year was as dark on either side as this one from Specialty. Wish me luck, I'll report back around the end of the season though. LOL, place your bets.
BTW & IMO, Specialty has always sold me good stuff & Amanda has always picked up the phone to help if I had any trouble (once,...small) I think the new lens is a winner. fingers crossed.

---

Thanks for the comparison photos of those bow lights.

Looks like a huge difference and hopefully the new one will last for years.
Good news is that is just under $15 from Specialty Marine.

---

That's what I thought when I got screwed by RNR marine sales.PayPal wouldn't do anything to help me return an item that was the wrong size.