Marine Surveys
by Captain Tom Martin
Surveying a boat is something done by a professional, certified, Marine Surveyor to determine the value and condition of a vessel.
What is a Survey?
A survey places a value on the vessel and within given restraints, examines and inventories the entire vessel. The surveyor should not be drilling holes or removing bulkheads or causing damage to do his job. Yet that fact may restrain a surveyor from finding some types of faults. Most experienced surveyors will see telltale signs that might suggest the need for further and closer examination of a problem. They will then put that observation in the survey. If the buyer, owner and/or the bank feels further investigation is necessary it can then be undertaken.
Any surveyor your bank or insurance company will accept will qualify, but usually they will need to be National Association of Marine Surveyors (NAMS) www.namsurveyors.org, or Society Accredited Marine Surveyors (SAMS) www.marinesurvey.org members. These are the two national professional organizations that qualify surveyors. You can go to their website and get a list of their members for the area of interest.
Each of these sites has a number of good articles and FAQs that will also help you in picking a Surveyor and what you should look for in the reporting. The SAMS site in one FAQ mentions:
"Surveyors should provide you with a professionally prepared report that can be accepted by your bank and/or insurance company. Talk with prospective surveyors and ask questions! What does the survey include and what type of reporting format is used? Do they use ABYC, NFPA and USCG standards in their surveys? How much will the inspection cost? How long will the on-board inspection take?"
Part of any survey is conducted out of the water so a lot can be done while the boat is still in dry dock. If at that point you make an offer, you would make it contingent upon it passing a sea trial. As the buyer this would be at your expense not the owner's.
Diesel engines can be tested in a dry dock when water is available to cool it, a hookup must be established. Aside from a physical condition assessment, a compression test can be done once a diesel is warm. Some surveyors include a compression test and oil sample as part of the survey, others make it optional for a fee. It does take extra time to do both plus a sample must be sent off for evaluation by a lab at some cost.
|
|
When choosing a surveyor you will want to discuss the items I mentioned and some of the following:
Have you done this specific type of vessel before? Their experience and familiarity with the type of boat is important.
Do they work with the broker involved much? Sometimes a relationship between a broker and surveyor might raise some ethical questions, you be the judge. Other times it may be based on some very positive trust on how good a job the surveyor is doing. Again you will have to make that determination. To avoid any compromise it may be best that you choose the surveyor from a national list versus from a broker referral. Or see if the broker has a list of local surveyors. Interview until you find someone you think can do the job.
When interviewing a surveyor, find out if they have any work experience in boat building and boat maintenance. I would suggest those that have hands on experience might have a better grasp of the practical side of boating when compared to engineering theory from a book. Ask for local references.
Ask a surveyor what their basic approach is when they do a survey? They may look at you blankly, because they have never thought about it, but there are many different approaches. Some may see it as purely mechanical, others operational, many work merely as appraisers. An experienced surveyor with a nautical background will combine a combination of all three, which is what you want.
One final note, the surveyor should look at every aspect of the vessel and the survey should reflect it. You might ask to see a survey of another boat they did in the past or if they can show you one of their check lists or survey forms.
For additional questions you can leave a message on the Yacht Club Forum at LyndaleIsland.com
|
