What kind of marine survey?

J

Jack Voltrades

New member
Hi Team,

Over and over, the advice when shopping for a boat is, “get a survey!”

Trying to understand what type/ level of survey is being recommended as I shop for a 22’ cruiser. A quick google search shows 3 common types of survey available, in descending order of complexity, it seems:

Condition and Value Survey (C&V)
Insurance Survey
Appraisal Survey

Here are a couple links that discuss these:

https://boattest.com/article/types-mari ... difference

https://www.discoverboating.com/resourc ... -surveyors

So, at what level are you ordering the survey?
As complete as possible?
Including haul out and sea trial?
Would the C&V survey cover the needs of the other 2 levels?
Any particular areas you would call out for a C-Dory?

How are you choosing the surveyor?
- industry affiliation/credential?
- reference from a local?
- a surveyor familiar with the C-Dory and its potential issues?

Finally, what prices are you seeing for that survey in your area?

(If any of you do your own survey, it would be interesting to hear your checklist.)

Thanks for your input!
 
just be cautious who you get. i had a survey done that was a complete joke - it seems the surveyor i got felt all i wanted was something that would keep lender and insurer happy, even though i told him i was paying cash (no lender) and i wanted to know the condition of the boat and attachments so i knew what i was getting - to hell with the lenders and insurers. my survey was a total waste of money
 
I had some what turned out to be superficial fiberglass damage in the stern outboard well area that I wanted confirmation it was only superficial and it was. The survey guy found a few small items that needed addressing I had overlooked that helped get the purchase price down a few thousand so the $$$ saved and piece of mind was worth it to me.
 
You want "Condition" (and Value) survey. You are asking the surveyor to find any problems with the boat. I would include haul out if the boat is in the water and always the sea trial.

You are looking for any defects in equipment, Most important is core rot, deck or hull delimitation, and transom condition. Many will get a separate mechanics survey on the motor. Things to look for there are cooling passages, corrosion and any evidence of problems in the engine. For example some Honda 150's had excessive end play in the thrust bearings.

I prefer a surveyor who has NAMS survey status, over SAMS, some have both. I feel that NAMS has higher standard. You want some one who is familiar with ABYC standards and probably one with certification in several areas.

The cost will vary. Generally I would be expecting $18 to $20 a foot. Ask around. Don't take a referral of a boat broker, they can be in cahoots with a surveyor. Also places like "The Hull Truth" will often give you some good surveyors in an area.
 
There are good surveyors and there are good doctors. And then there are those who are, well, not. So that is one issue to consider - the value of the evaluator.

Next is the craft. Admittedly I have a boat compulsion and have owned at least 30-40 boats in the last 12 years. Maybe even more - I stopped counting. In that process I learned a lot about boats - how to work on them, how to fix common problems. I know a lot more about boats now than I knew then. So, there have been boats given to me all the way up to boats being a significant cost - the more the value of the boat the more it makes sense to understand the value.

Next is the buyer. If you need to pay someone to tell you if a boat is worth the price, then you should pay someone to do that.

The conclusion, in my humble opinion. First and foremost you should educate yourself. You don't need to pay someone to tell you if there is a fire extinguisher on the boat. But still, some of us would rather pay an expert rather than become one, and that isn't necessarily a bad plan. After you've educated yourself as much as you can, consider the value of the vessel in relation to what you can afford. Does the value represent a significant savings on your part or is it simply a toy? The higher the value naturally the more of an expert opinion you want on that vessel. Lastly, generally speaking, the motor, especially on the cdory, represent a significant portion of the value. Surveyors typically don't evaluate motors. Most any mechanic however can do that. Second to the motor would be the systems and hull integrity. Generally speaking the surveyor will confirm whether something is operational or not and that is about it. You can also do that yourself. And regarding core issues and fiberglass issues on the cdory, walking the boat barefoot oftentimes will indicate flex which is an indication of water in the core.

So, if the rule of spending 10% a year of the boats value in maintenance is true (and I believe ball park it is), then paying 2% of the boat's value to have a surveyor done could be a good investment, and starting place, if you are unsure of your own expertise, but only if the surveyor knows their stuff and has your best interest in mind.
 
The above posts are excellent. The first question I'd ask is what do you know about C-Dory boats....I'm serious. Some of these folks, at least up here, have zero experience with the brand and are a complete joke.
 
T.R. Bauer":23s64ef5 said:
... The first question I'd ask is what do you know about C-Dory boats....I'm serious. Some of these folks, at least up here, have zero experience with the brand and are a complete joke.
Click to expand...

Problem is that in a lot of areas of the country C-Dory boats are very uncommon and finding a surveyor that has seen even one previously is going to be difficult.
 
Water infiltration into transom and particularly rear half of hull are the big boat things. Mechanics view of motor/controls is the other big one. About everything else on a C-Dory is a relatively easy or not too expensive thing. Check out the electronics, but most of that is, compared to the value of a good hull and motor almost trivial.
 
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