Why a Survey?

[SeaDooSam]

I hope this won't start a forum war, but why whenever anyone is looking at a boat do they say get a survey? I am not interested in buying a boat right now but I was just curious. Why a survey? If you are fairly mechanically inclined, why can't you do it yourself? I have bought 3 boats so far without a survey and have had pretty good luck (knocking on wood) as far as repairs.
Why spend the money if the boat you are dealing with is under 10k to begin with?

 

[airshot]

I am an experienced boater with more than 50 yrs on the water, bought and sold many different boats and have always did my own repair and maintenance work, so I would never use an outside survey. With that said many newer boaters are not familiar with the workings of a boat and to protect themselves a survey would be recommended. If you not an experienced boat owner and have the capability of doing your own maintaining and repair then I would definitely recommend a survey. A lot of sin can be covered up by an owner and passed on to inexperienced boat buyers. Most marine surveyors offer some type of warranty with their service at least they do in my area.

 

[Grub54891]

Mechanically, Maybe you can. Are you knowledgeable about marine wiring to ABYC standards? Are you good with boat water systems? Do you have the equipment, moisture meters for checking for wet wood/rot under the fiberglass? I'm not a surveyor, but that's just a few of the things they check for.

 

[jbcurt00]

For many even $500 spent on a full marine survey is well worth it on a 5K plus boat. Some are shopping remotely via the internet, 500 vs a half days 1way drive to see a boat beong considered is also well worth it.

 

[SeaDooSam]

I am an experienced boater with more than 50 yrs on the water, bought and sold many different boats and have always did my own repair and maintenance work, so I would never use an outside survey. With that said many newer boaters are not familiar with the workings of a boat and to protect themselves a survey would be recommended. If you not an experienced boat owner and have the capability of doing your own maintaining and repair then I would definitely recommend a survey. A lot of sin can be covered up by an owner and passed on to inexperienced boat buyers. Most marine surveyors offer some type of warranty with their service at least they do in my area.

Good point I didn't think of the newbies!

 

[mr 88]

Many insurance company's require a survey. There has been a ton of post on here about rotted out transoms,stringers,wiring issues and so forth that probably would of been caught beforehand with a survey. I have never had one done on a boat under 21' and being sold for less than 6 grand. Over that in size and cost had me using that service. As noted above,when buying a boat that is quite a distance from your location it saves a lot of headaches and also gives a peace of mind when they value your boat a lot more than the negotiated price along with a clean bill of health.

 

[SeaDooSam]

Many insurance company's require a survey. There has been a ton of post on here about rotted out transoms,stringers,wiring issues and so forth that probably would of been caught beforehand with a survey. I have never had one done on a boat under 21' and being sold for less than 6 grand. Over that in size and cost had me using that service. As noted above,when buying a boat that is quite a distance from your location it saves a lot of headaches and also gives a peace of mind when they value your boat a lot more than the negotiated price along with a clean bill of health.

So I guess it would make sense that I didn't get a survey because I haven't bought anything over 5k.

 

[Scott Danforth]

The surveyors around here use FLIR cameras in addition to moisure meters and can not only tell you how much moisture, however where it's coming from, which wire has a bad connection, etc.

I look at it this way. You buy a house, you get it inspected first unless you pay cash and intend to rehab it. Same with a boat

 

[mr 88]

So I guess it would make sense that I didn't get a survey because I haven't bought anything over 5k.

Correct even if your post sounds sarcastic.. Most boats under 5k are in the 16-21' range and usually lack bulkheads/110 systems/hot water/galley/radar-array of electronics/fire suppression system/multiple pumps/battery chargers/cored hulls / large wiring system/heads and related macerators, holding tanks etc. Generally a 5k boat is not a wallet breaker and can be repaired or parts out a lot easier than a 10-30k boat if you ended up with a bad structural issue. Nothing wrong with a survey on a boat less than 5k, just seems to me most people don't do it at that price point along with a few things I pointed out.

 

[SeaDooSam]

Correct even if your post sounds sarcastic.. Most boats under 5k are in the 16-21' range and usually lack bulkheads/110 systems/hot water/galley/radar-array of electronics/fire suppression system/multiple pumps/battery chargers/cored hulls / large wiring system/heads and related macerators, holding tanks etc. Generally a 5k boat is not a wallet breaker and can be repaired or parts out a lot easier than a 10-30k boat if you ended up with a bad structural issue. Nothing wrong with a survey on a boat less than 5k, just seems to me most people don't do it at that price point along with a few things I pointed out.

Not meant to be sarcastic. Well said and thanks!

 

[jkust]

I've got a bit of first hand knowledge on this...as you may recall, my previous but newer than my current Chaparral was stored outside, bow down, uncovered for about 7 months by the storage facility when they ran out of space when it was supposed to be stored indoors. The decided not to tell me about it and of course I quickly realized it after I picked it up and the whole boat was filled with water after a full fall, winter and spring of collecting precipitation. Long story short, the shop/storage place denied it of course, and so I had to fight my way through insurance as the boat was waterlogged but still looked like a brand new boat in all respects aside from a bit of sun fading in a few places from sitting out so long. It sat way low in the water, overloaded the trailer and of course was now slow and rode poorly but looked great on the trailer.
I ended up having a $2,000 survey performed on it by one of I believe only three surveyors who service my state so they charge a full arm and most of a leg. As he surveyed it on my garage, and I happened to be there, he had completed the outside survey with all of the mallets and moisture detectors and visual methods that a 30 year surveyor utilizes. I checked on him and he said that he can't find anything wrong with it to which I couldn't believe. It was only after careful analysis of the interior that he came to the conclusion that it was waterlogged. My point I suppose is that even a 30 year surveyor came to an early conclusion until he performed the full survey. Two thousand dollars was an outrageous price for a survey of a boat under 20 feet but was the differencemaker.

The boat ended up getting auctioned off and I have to think the buyer must have thought he got the deal of a lifetime...until he launched it.

 

[drrpm]

I have purchase 2 homes and had the required inspections. In each case there were some issues that should have been obvious to a competent inspector that were missed. Several were fixable for a few hundred dollars but the moisture problem in the crawl space of my current house ended up costing a couple thousand dollars. The fine print on the contract with the inspector generally limits their liability to the cost of the inspection so their value is less than they would like you to believe.
As far as boats go, its probably hard to find a marine surveyor away from the coast and even then its probably unusual for a surveyor to inspect a routine runabout, etc. Getting a bigger boat with a head, galley, cabins etc. surveyed would be a good idea though.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I now have enough marine knowledge since buying my 19' StarCraft just enough to be dangerous. I didn't know how to winterize it now I do that for friends. I cringe now looking back and now realizing what I didn't know what to look for 8 years ago when I bought my baby. All I did know was it was a 1995 and looked to be in showroom condition. It was obvious the seller was anal, he actually kept every receipt from cleaners and waxes to all fluids to prove how he babied it. I got lucky. If I were to buy anything larger with an I/O and more complicated systems of which I know not much I would certainly get a survey regardless of price other than at a give away price.

 

[Silvertip]

It doesn't matter if one is new to boating or have been boating for decades. There are people across the spectrum that have no idea what's under the cover of their engine or what makes the thing work. If they turn the key and nothing happens, just like with their car, they are forced to call a tow truck or Sea Tow in case of the boat. Those folks need a surveyor whether they get their money's worth or not. It at least gives them a fighting chance for a happy boating experience. The only exception I see is those that have very deep pockets and simply write a check or display a card regardless of the cost of repair.

 

[Leardriver]

I have owned 20 boats and never had a survey. I expect to spend $1-2000 on any used boat or car to bring it up to my standards, and am pleasantly surprised if I don't have to.
It is a peace of mind thing.

 

[SeaDooSam]

I have owned 20 boats and never had a survey. I expect to spend $1-2000 on any used boat or car to bring it up to my standards, and am pleasantly surprised if I don't have to.
It is a peace of mind thing.

That is my attitude

 

[roffey]

Cars I can do that with but boats seem to have me stumped. I'm getting better and I guess experience is everything.

 

[glust]

For the same reason you make the seller pay for an inspection when buying a home. There are things you just don't always see. My girlfriend just recently sold her home and I was bitching about having to pay for a home inspection until I read the very, very extensive report from the inspection. Things I never even thought to look for. as an added plus some surveys, like home inspectors will stand behind their inspection in case something comes up later that they missed. Almost like a home warranty to some degree. If I was spending big money on a boat, I'd spring for the insurance of a survey. 5K for a fixer upper? I'd just roll the dice.. Good question though.

 

[pullin]

"The smartest man in the room is the one who admits his own ignorance."

I've owned boats, airplanes, RVs... have a couple of degrees with the word "Engineering" on them, and even do a lot of my own maintenance on them. But when I upgraded from trailerable-size boats to a cabin cruiser I decided to hire some expert advice. I think there's a world of difference between a DD ski boat stored on a trailer, and an outdrive-driven cabin cruiser that lives (permanently) in the water.

For me it was a chance to quiz the surveyor for advice, and his presence set a minimum standard that the boat must meet before the purchase went thru. The owner was quite honest and likable, but made several repairs unasked when informed of the impending survey (bellows, shift seals, steering gimbal, and gimbal bearing). It took almost an entire day, starting with the detailed exam of the hull (in the yard) and concluding with a thorough sea trial (idle, shifting, planing, WOT rpm, and various measurements of the engine while at cruise.. surveyor spent half the time head-down in the bilge). The surveyor was also VERY familiar with the local repair yards and was able to evaluate most of the maintenance records based on accumulated local knowledge. He was able to assure me the boat had had good maintenance throughout its life, and had been regularly used*. At the conclusion, he presented his findings and quietly said: "If you don't buy it, I might. It's in better shape than 99% of what I usually see."

*I was looking at boats 10-15 years old. He strongly advised against low-time boats in that age. Too little use was worse than too much, according to him.

 

[RGrew176]

I think that the question should be, Why not a survey. You are buying a boat with your hard earned money so spend a few dollars extra get a survey and some peace of mind.