Updated: 5/15/2025

General tips

Buying sailing gear can get expensive, but there are a few ways to avoid paying more than you need. Here are a few of our learnings:

Most sailing gear is best purchased online. Sailing gear is fairly specialized and not available in retail stores (e.g. dry suits, life jackets/PFDs, gloves, helmets, rigging, blocks, bailers) so online stores are usually best.

Wetsuits and booties are the exception (not gloves). A good general purpose wetsuit will work for sailing and you can usually buy locally - beware that diving and other water activity neoprene gloves will not hold-up well.

It pays-off to buy all at once. Online stores charge for shipping (e.g. gloves are $30 but shipping may be $15). Most stores offer free shipping at $100, so it's best to buy your gear in one shot or work with other partners to place a group order.

Gear swaps at regattas are great. At major regattas parents will bring their gear to sell. It's a great opportunity to buy used sailing specific gear at great prices.

Online stores usually show up at USODA regattas. West Cost Sailing, McLaughlin, and Simmons Boat Works usually bring a mobile store to major USODA events. You can order ahead and pick-up at the event if you plan with time. It's a good way to avoid shipping charges.

Not in a rush.

If you are not in a rush, it will be cheaper and you will have a lot more options. The best places to buy are online stores. Here is a good list that we have had good experiences with.

Company	Gear	Notes
West Coast Sailing	PFDs, Blocks, Line, Wind indicators, Airbags, Watches, Blades, Spars, Sails	They specialize in Dinghy sailing (frequently sponsor our regattas); they also own Zim Boats. They are based in Portland, Oregon, with an online store. If you are in Portland, it's a good way to avoid shipping.
Watersportsoutlet.com	Wetsuits, Drysuits, PFDs	Based in the UK, but they have US operations and an Amazon store. I usually buy all our wetsuits and dry suits from them. They are great with returns, repairs, and exchanges.
Landfall Navigation	Wetsuits, Drysuits, PFDs, Blocks, Line, Wind indicators, Airbags, Watches, Blades, Spars, Sails	Based on the East Coast with an online store. They have a great dinghy selection, including Opti parts and gear. They carry some Opti replacement parts.
US One Design (formerly Optiparts)	Bailers, Line, Wind Indicators, Replacement Parts, Airbags, Blades, Spars, Sails, Specialized Blocks	Formerly Optiparts by McLaughlin, they specialize in all one-design dinghies. A bit more expensive, but they have everything that goes into an Opti or ILCA.
Simmons Boat Works	They sell all ILCA and Opti parts and more. Bailers, Line, Wind Indicators, Replacement Parts, Airbags, Blades, Spars, Sails, Specialized Blocks, and charters	Simmons is the official IODA boat charter company for North America and the exclusive distributor of Winner boats. They are great to work with, and they usually have everything you need.
Doyle	Boat covers	Great place to buy boat covers and not break the bank.

In a rush.

If you need something quickly, there are not a lot of options and the selection is more limited. However, there are three places in the Seattle area that you can try.

Company	Gear	Directions	Notes
Fisheries Supply	Blocks, Line, Wind indicators, Hardware, Fiberglass repair	Freemont Area	They don't specialize in dinghy sailing, but they do have a lot of marine supplies. We frequently use them to buy Dyneema sail ties, main sheet line, sprit halyard line, and shackles. They tend to be less expensive than other options.
West Marine	Wetsuits, Drysuits, PFDs, Blocks, Line, Wind indicators, Hardware, Fiberglass repair, Tiller extensions	Ballard Area	It's the best place to buy line. Ashley runs the rigging shop and can make anything you need. She is a well-known sailor who knows lasers and optis very well. If you need help figuring something out, I recommend going to see them. A bit more expensive than online options, but you get to see it first.
Seattle Sailing Club	Wetsuits, Drysuits, Gloves, Booties	Ballard Area	They have a great selection of gear, and they are right on Shilshole Bay. Most people don't realize they sell gear. I bought from them a great pair of very warm Gill sailing gloves that I would have had to buy online otherwise. They lend some of their boats to our Youth Sailing Keelboat program, so we also like supporting them.