The Survey
By now we hope you’ve spent some quality time looking through the listings on BoatsforBoaters and found a boat you really want to buy. You arrange to look at it and see that it’s more complicated than you imagined. How will you make an objective assessment of its condition and decide whether to buy it or not?
Boats can be complex depending on their size and intended use. Even a typical center-console fishing boat in the 20-foot range is a fairly sophisticated marine machine these days. It’s always a good idea to have a professional look at a boat with you to find the things that you won’t. When that glassy-eyed "I gotta have it" look comes over a boat buyer’s face, that’s when it’s time to get an objective opinion—a marine survey.
A marine survey is simply a careful, methodical inspection of every aspect of a boat—from its hull construction—to engines and propulsion—to the rigging—and on down to the galley stove. A good marine survey will discover as much as is discoverable about a boat without physically taking it apart. A survey will cost you a fee up front, but could conceivably save you big dollars down the road, either in avoided costs or by serving as a negotiating tool.
Surveys come in several versions depending on the purpose of the inspection. Surveyors will perform a pre-purchase inspection for buyers looking at a boat for sale. They will also perform inspections for financing institutions on new construction, and for insurance companies on repaired, restored or damaged boats. But for your purposes in acquiring a new boat, the pre-purchase inspection is the tool you’ll need.
A boat needs to be seen in three different settings; hauled out and set on stands (or sometimes left in the travel-lift slings); in the water at the dock; and underway. With smaller boats this can usually be accomplished in one day, but larger boats will take longer due to scheduling haul-out and launch, and factoring in the weather. And, with freshly launched wooden boats it’s important that they "soak up" sufficiently before being inspected.
Ideally the inspection will start on dry land and end with the sea-trial, but it may not always go that way. The important thing is that the surveyor is able to access all parts of the boat and see it underway.
Your job in advance is to arrange, with the seller or thru the broker, to have the boat hauled out and the bottom cleaned as necessary, have available paperwork ready for inspection—including manuals for engines, electronics etc., and to have those items that will come with the boat be onboard or available. Also, make sure the various areas of the boat are physically accessible—have someone move that spare anchor below the deck and clean out the locker under the galley sink—examples of areas that will need to be seen. Finally, if you have questions about the boat, get them to the surveyor ahead of the inspection.
You should attend the inspection. The surveyor will point out items of note as she goes through the various structural details and systems of the boat. There’s no need to take notes since a full report should be issued to you as part of the inspection fee. Survey etiquette suggests that you avoid hovering over the surveyor but be present and ready to step in if they have something to show you.
What should you expect from a survey? The surveyor will usually give you a verbal assessment as he progresses through the inspection, but once the entire process is completed you should receive a thorough report that systematically reviews each aspect of the boat. The survey report should be clear, easy to read, present photographs as needed and include an inventory of equipment included with the boat. It may offer specific recommendations as appropriate and may, in some cases, offer an opinion of value. The surveyor should also list his/her qualifications in the report. The report will not as a rule offer an opinion on whether the buyer should or should not purchase the boat—that will ultimately be up to you.
A proper survey will discover the good, the bad and the indifferent in a boat, offering you—the buyer—the chance to assess whether the boat fits your goals and budget. When you are ready to look at a boat, consider the benefits of getting a marine survey.
For information about finding a surveyor, see our companion article Finding A Qualified Surveyor.