West Marine CEO Paulee Day shares her first boat on a Maine lake and her advice for your next boat journey.
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What today's boater needsCrew members at every stageWest Marine Pro and the industryThe new West MarineAdvice for your next boat journeyA Next Boat Journey conversation with West Marine President and CEO Paulee Day, recorded at IBEX 2026. Premieres Thursday, October 15 at 5 PM ET on Dock Side Live Radio, with encores Saturday and Sunday at 5 PM ET.
West Marine President and CEO Paulee Day can't remember a time before boats. Her first memories on the water come from a family boat on a lake in Maine: a 15-foot MFG with an 85-horsepower Evinrude. "Those are some of my earliest memories of being on the water and my earliest memories in life," she told Dock Side Live Radio. "I've continued to boat my entire life since."
Today she leads West Marine, a company of almost 60 years that has just come through a major restructuring. At IBEX, she sat down with Dock Side Live Radio for Next Boat Journey, the Dock Side Live Radio series for new boat owners and owners getting ready to trade up.
What today's boater needs
Boating has become more complex and more costly, Paulee said, and that changes what owners want. "What boaters need these days is quick, efficient resolutions to problems they have."
West Marine sees two kinds of owners. The do-it-yourself boater walks into a store, gets advice on a repair or project, and does the work. "Everyone's being scrappy these days with economic challenges," she said. The do-it-for-me boater has a job that is too big to tackle alone but doesn't want a boat sitting at a dealer for weeks.
West Marine connects that owner with a local pro: mobile technicians and dealers who are West Marine customers themselves. "In essence, we link the two customers together through West Marine," she said.
Crew members at every stage
Everyone at West Marine is called a crew member, and Paulee calls them the company's greatest asset. Most are avid boaters or anglers who want to be around the water every day.
A new boater doesn't yet know what they need. Crew members help them choose the right life jacket, the right flares, and learn when that gear expires. As owners gain experience, they take on projects, pick up new hobbies, or buy a bigger boat. "Then it starts all over again, right?" she said. A new boat needs to be outfitted properly, and the crew is there for that too.
West Marine Pro and the industry
West Marine Pro has grown tremendously, Paulee said, and she expects that growth to continue. Service dealers and technicians need parts fast to meet deadlines, often in case-pack and job quantities. They can buy online, pick up in store, or walk in.
She sees the pro and the boater as part of the same goal. "If boaters boat, we all benefit in the industry," she said. West Marine's number one value, she added, is that customers come first.
The new West Marine
After decades of growth, the company carried what Paulee calls "legacy burdens," including leases on stores no longer in the best locations. The restructuring was a chance to examine the whole footprint. West Marine closed stores that were poorly placed or overlapped with another West Marine in the same market, and kept 100 stores in the best locations for boaters and pros.
The company is now focused on being a true omni-channel retailer. That means the 100 stores, about 70 pro representatives meeting with pro customers in the field every day, and its websites. Online, an AI tool called Skipper gives shoppers advice that imitates the in-store experience. Orders can ship to a marina, a boatyard, or a customer's home, or be picked up in store through westmarine.com and westmarinepro.com.
"The new West Marine, the transformed restructured West Marine, is a financially healthy company with the ability to serve our partners and be that reliable partner to our customers," she said. "West Marine has it covered."
Advice for your next boat journey
Dock Side Live Radio closed by asking what advice she'd give someone starting their next boat journey. Paulee's answer went back to that lake in Maine: focus on the passion.
"The greatest natural resource we have is the water," she said. Take family, friends, or just yourself, make memories, and enjoy the peace and tranquility of being out there. West Marine's job, she said, is to handle the rest: "All the right products, right place, right time, fairly priced, so you can get what you need and get out in that water."
Hear the full conversation on Next Boat Journey, Thursday, October 15 at 5 PM ET, with encores Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18 at 5 PM ET. Listen free on the Dock Side Live Radio app or at DockSideLive.com. Where the music meets the water.
Next Boat Journey is brought to you by our supporters Big Bumper Company, SOS Boat Screens, Sirius Signal, Dockmate and Florida Mariner. Thank you for helping boaters get out on the water.
