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Bill, not sure this will help you as a point of reference, as I shop almost exclusively online for everything, including boat stuff.

For general parts such as cordage and electrical supplies, I go to defender.com. Prices are good and they typically get the order to me within 24 hours.
For Yamaha motor parts I go to simyamaha.com, which has an extensive inventory.

I do buy oil and other fluids locally, typically at WalMart.

The few times I have been to local marine supply stores, it has been for a maintenance part that I needed in a hurry - one example is when I found a mechanic had crossthreaded the fuel filter cup on my F200. I felt very lucky to find that part in a marine supply store that carried a good Yamaha inventory - that store has since closed.

The other thing I can think of that might be useful at a local marine store is various brands and models of GPS units, so potential customers could try them out for look and feel. However, that would require a large inventory for a small shop.

Hope any of that helps!

Tim