Explain this to me...

dwna1a

dwna1a

Well-Known Member
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Apr 23, 2012
5,980
James River
Boat Info
88 Weekender 300 "Seahorse"
Engines
Twins 350
someone please explain to me why Westerbeke parts are so damn expensive!

My governor failed over the weekend. Front seal and bearing went bad and all the oil came out. Then it chewed up all the seals.

Now I'm very lucky and have some great boat neighbors. He has the unit and is rebuilding the thing. Hint to Westerebeke, sell a rebuild kit! The bearing and seals are common parts but come from different vendors. Four parts, four vendors. These seals fail often on these units. Several members have or are having the same issue. Many times when the do fail the shaft is ruined. I got lucky there.

A new governor just short of $2000.00 a used unit $675.00. Parts to rebuild $20.00. So please explain why?
 
we have had other threads on this.......its the only way they make money......i believe hansen marine had to step in and buy part of the company at some point to keep them afloat.....westerbeke buys the parts and de-identifies them and reboxes.......and raises the price by 200%.......ive figured out most of the stuff on mine and source things from the aftermarket.....but when you do need a westerbeke part, it stings
 
Ididntdoit said:
we have had other threads on this.......its the only way they make money......i believe hansen marine had to step in and buy part of the company at some point to keep them afloat.....westerbeke buys the parts and de-identifies them and reboxes.......and raises the price by 200%.......ive figured out most of the stuff on mine and source things from the aftermarket.....but when you do need a westerbeke part, it stings
Click to expand...


Can you share some of those sources?
 
I'd also like to see some sources other than Westerbeke if you could post them. Particularly routine maintenance stuff.
 
When it comes to seals, bearings, gears and the like, I always take my old ones to Applied Industrial and have them figure out what size they are and get new ones from them, much cheaper than OEM and they usually have them since there is a distribution center located in our area.
 
Could you please provide a point of contact for Applied General? Thanks
 
Figured out the cross to a wix filter - matched up the belts so I can get them at an autoparts store - source relays online (common automotive type) - carb directly from the manufacturer - always takes detective work and internet searches - my powerhead is a tohatsu outboard so it helps to know that to get engine specific parts - recently had to rebuild my water pump and got parts from Johnson Pump - matched up the impeller too and direct it is 1/3rd the cost......if I need specific parts that westerbeke has manufactured I find the cheapest place is CARP in Grant, Fla
 
+1 on Carp (carpcoastalmarine) I purchase westerbeke parts from them.
 
Ididntdoit said:
Figured out the cross to a wix filter - matched up the belts so I can get them at an autoparts store - source relays online (common automotive type) - carb directly from the manufacturer - always takes detective work and internet searches - my powerhead is a tohatsu outboard so it helps to know that to get engine specific parts - recently had to rebuild my water pump and got parts from Johnson Pump - matched up the impeller too and direct it is 1/3rd the cost......if I need specific parts that westerbeke has manufactured I find the cheapest place is CARP in Grant, Fla
Click to expand...
+2 on CARP. With ethanol in the gas, you can expect to replace the fuel pump every few years. They are a Facet, painted red. The only "Westerbeke" parts I have had to buy direct were the exhaust manifold (find that post and see what happened), and the line from the fuel pump to the carb inlet. Even that is just bent fuel tubing, but I was too lazy to do it myself. About the only affordable thing on that genset from Westerbeke is the zinc anode in the heat exchanger.
 
May be we should all get together and post parts and where we find them.

As soon as I get the governor back I will post the replacement bearing number and the seal number. I also have the oil filter and belt numbers in my log book.

The governor is a very easy rebuild as long as the shaft is good. So don't spend your boat dollars on something like this. Check the oil often!
 
I'd like to thank you for the CarpMarine source. I've gotten the old governor back and on but found that the distributer cap is shot and that I could use some new points. So a good tuneup is in order.
 
I've got a new one on the raw water pump, and the pully, should you ever need one. Mine moved a bit on the shaft, and is NOT coming off the old pump, even with my super-human determination. I am not going to post it until I have installed and proven it to be a correct replacement, but let's say 700+ for a pump vs 300, and 300 for a pully vs 12 bucks. Westerbeke=Lexus. That would be Toyota parts at Bently prices. Shame on you. We ain't that dumb.
 
OK, my replacement water pump and pulley is doing just fine. The title to this thread is not descriptive of what we are talking about here, so I am going to start another one under Electrical Stuff specifically titled for Westerbeke "after market" sources.
 
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