Dexter Filming Locations: The Boating Store

             

The location: The Boating Store.


Q. What is it supposed to be on the show?

    A. A boating / sporting goods store.


Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show?

    A. Somewhere in Miami.


Q. When did we see it on the show?

    A. In Episode 8 (of season 3), "The Damage a Man Can Do".

    Miguel Prado has discovered Dexter's dark secret, and is eager to get in on the action. A reluctant Dexter takes the seemingly friendly Prado under his wing, and tutors him in the fine points of killing.

    In this scene, Dexter takes him to a boating store, where they go on a shopping spree for tools to be used in the upcoming killing of one Billy Fleeter.

    As they push a shopping cart through the small, blue & white shop, Prado is like a kid in a candy store, eagerly suggesting items for the cart.  But he seems a bit miffed when Dexter ignores his suggestions and shows him the tools they will really need, including duct tape and a large knife...

    Or as Dexter says: "I'm going to put together a starter kit for you."


Q. What is it actually in real life?

    A. An actual boating store - but not in Miami.


Q. Where can I find it in real life?

    A. In real life, it is the West Marine store at 4750 Admiralty Way, in Marina Del Rey, CA.

    You'll find it at the west/northwest corner of Admiralty Way & Fiji Way, about a half mile east of Fisherman's Village, and about a half mile of Burton Chase Park (where you'll find several other Dexter locations, including Dexter & Rita's wedding, and Mario's stakeout).

    It is in the southwest corner of an upscale Mediterranean-style shopping center called "Waterside".


    I shot the photos below in 2009

    Here is an aerial photo of the store. And here is a map link.



Q. How the heck did you figure out where it was?

    A.  This one took a lot of legwork - or perhaps I should say, a lot of gasoline.

    At first, I thought it might be an easy one.  I spotted a sign on one of the store shelves that said "West Marine", and when I checked the Yellow Pages, sure enough, West Marine was the name of a boating store chain with outlets in the L.A. area.

    That is where the problem arose. They had several stores in the local area: Long Beach, San Pedro, Hermosa Beach, Huntington Beach, Marina del Rey... most of them areas where Dexter has filmed before.

    So I studied the aerial photos.  Unfortunately, most of the stores looked alike, and the only thing I had to go on were interior shots of the store, and one brief glance out the windows (that didn't reveal much).

    My first guess was San Pedro, so I grabbed my camera and headed down there. But once in the store, even though the interior looked a great deal the store in the question, I couldn't match the exact signs and aisles seen in the episode.

    So, I moved on to the West Marine store in Long Beach, some 15 miles to the east. But once inside, the interior still didn't quite match.

    Back at home, I studied the scene in greater detail and noticed some columns outside, through the store windows. Studying the aerial photos, my next best guess was Marina del Rey - a 30-mile drive from the Long Beach store. And this time, it paid off.  Once inside, the interior matched perfectly, so I shot some matching photos (above) to prove it.



 
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