About Us
About Seafarer
While we do not SELL BOATS.....We do make the BOATS YOU BUY BETTER! During our 36 years of business here in the Pinellas County area we have played an active role in making boating more fun for the consumer. Many of the local BOAT BUILDER/MANUFACTURERS rely on our "KNOW HOW" on a regular basis to install the GENERATOR you have; or the AIR CONDITIONING that you enjoy at anchor or dockside or perhaps the BOW THRUSTER that makes boat handling a pleasure. Never mind that all important "favorite dockside beverage" kept cold by your SEAFROST REFRIGERATION SYSTEM, which leads us into SEALAND/VACUFLUSH SYSTEM, the most important system on the boat.
Most of our customers do not realize that the builders do not know "HOW THINGS WORK" until they are questioned by the consumer or need service on that particular system.....that is when you will meet SEAFARER MARINE SUPPLY, INC. Many of our customers still enjoy the boat that they own and choose to RE-POWER rather than buy a new boat; in the long run, it is less expensive! We offer a wide range of re-power options from the reliable YANMAR DIESEL from 15-900 HP, for sailboats, trawlers, or your sport fishing yacht. We also provide repower packages for MERCRUISER, CRUSADER, and MARINE POWER. Along with our other capabilities, we offer "DOCKSIDE SERVICE" and "IN HOUSE REPAIRS' of some refrigeration and sanitation systems. Please feel free to search our web site for other services/products that we provide.
History
About the owner
It’s 1979 and I can’t find exactly the parts I need for my boats. It seems that when I need a Perko cleat, the local marine supply stocks only Attwood or Wilcox Crittenden. Special orders are not an option even when paid in full in advance. Frustrated, I spent the year researching the world of marine supplies. Having owned boats since 1961, living on the water since 1960, and even attending a college surrounded by water, I figured why not turn a lifelong passion into a business. Puttering with 3 ½ horsepower and 5 ½ horsepower Evinrude outboards and a homebuilt plywood boat in the early 60s was a far stretch to the complex repowers that we perform in today’s market. College meant 4 years literally on the water almost daily. SUNY Maritime College Ft Schuyler is the oldest maritime school in the United States. A military college that turns out mates and engineers with bachelor’s degrees coupled with military training for the Navy, Coast Guard, Reserves or Merchant Marine. A 4 year B.E. in Naval Architecture, a 3rd Assistant Engineer’s License Unlimited Horse Power, (issued by the U.S. Coast Guard), and a Commission in the Naval Reserve packed into 4 years seemed like a whirlwind education. Add in wrestling with some of the best in college wrestling, sailing with heavy hitters including Gary Jobson of “America’s Cup” fame. Rowing, glee club, and working numerous jobs to lessen the college loans rapidly accumulating, it was a hectic 4 years. Traveling to Europe every summer on the Training Ship Empire State IV provided much valued experience actually operating an 8,500 horsepower ship while visiting countries both in the Mediterranean and North Sea. Although with jobs and the heavy course load it didn’t always seem so, but what a wonderful experience. Add in a year of Watch Engineer and college teaching afterwards and a number of years sailing as a 3rd Assistant Engineer then as a 2nd Assistant Engineer and finally as a 1st Assistant Engineer, I gained valuable experience and knowledge much prized by the manufacturers that used that knowledge and learned ability when we became factory service for the many manufacturers we represent today many years later.
About the company
About the company Seafarer started out in 1981 with sales of marine parts, but rapidly entered the service side of the industry after being approached by various marine manufacturers selling complex equipment to local boat builders. Holding plate refrigeration for example requires special tools, training, and licensing to install. We met with Sea Frost and began a journey of factory installations with some of the local boat builders such as Endeavour Yachts, Gulfstar, Watkins Yachts, Irwin Yachts, Morgan Yachts, Catalina Yachts, and many other smaller manufacturers. Refrigeration grew into generators, air conditioning, water makers, VacuFlush, Inverters, custom electric distribution panels, electronics, water systems, bow thrusters, diesel, and gas engine installations, the list goes on and on. As the local boat builders, dealers, and boat owners learned of the vast wealth of knowledge available at Seafarer Marine Supply the business grew from a small 800-square-foot store as part of a strip mall to a major factor in today’s market with a 3600 square foot retail and office complex attached to a 4800 square foot shop on over 3 acres of land situated on Pinellas County’s most traveled east-west thoroughfare, State Road 688 (AKA Ulmerton Road, Walsingham Road). Boats with Seafarer-installed equipment travel the world's oceans with the knowledge that the equipment was carefully chosen and Installed by one of the industry’s leaders in Marine equipment installation and repair. Over the years we have been very fortunate to have had many great mechanics and store personnel. We look specifically for boat owners to work at Seafarer, because only a boat owner will realize that a boat is very different than a car parked in the driveway. We have over 100 years of boating experience accumulated by our current personnel resulting in better knowledge and service when you call. Give us a try, with over 100,000 parts in stock and knowledgeable sales staff we can greatly enhance your boating experience. Camille can find almost any part available and on occasion those parts no longer manufactured. Mike has been here for almost 20 years and has taken our website to a new level with online help during working hours and same or next-day shipping almost anywhere you might need parts, he also specializes in Kohler and Yanmar parts. Rob has been with us for over 2 decades and is still in huge demand by customers who realize he’s way smarter and more experienced than most other service technicians. Factory trained by Seafarer, he is a much appreciated, great employee. We look forward to many more years of smiles brought to the faces of customers finding the perfect gift, part, or needed service to make their boating days better than ever. Tom Tomalo - Owner
We are now located at 12553 Ulmerton Rd in Largo Thanks for reading my ramblings; if you mention this history on your next visit we have a small gift for you. One per family, please.
Tom Tomalo - Owner
Services
Ship Store
Gasoline fuel injector service
Dockside Minor Engine Repairs & Preventative Maintenance
Dockside Marine Generator Minor Repairs & Preventative Maintenance
Dockside Service only
No boat service available at our location
Propeller Repair and Sales
Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
Installation and service of Marine Air, Dometic, Waco, NorCold, U-Line, and more.
Sanitation - Dometic, SeaLand, Jabsco, Raritan, Thetford, Tecma
Re-manufactured Transmissions and Outdrives
Factory authorized repair for YANMAR, CRUSADER, KOHLER, WESTERBEKE, MASPOWER, FISCHER PANDA, DOMETIC, SEAFROST.
Dockside Marine Generator Minor Repairs & Preventative Maintenance
Gasoline & Diesel Inboard and I/O Sales