The Boat Survey

Buying a boat is thrilling, but don't forget to put serious thought into planning and preparing for survey day.

Surveys, the boat version of a home inspection and appraisal, are an integral step in the boat-buying process. But there are so many moving parts to survey day that it’s easy to miss something. First, remember that a surveyor works for you – not the seller, broker, or even your lender. You choose the surveyor based on your own research, you pay the surveyor, and the surveyor provides you

with a completely unbiased report of what they find, which you can provide to your financing and insurance companies, and use as a tool to educate yourself about the boat and possibly further negotiate. The surveyor’s report is your possession.

Choosing A Surveyor

As soon as your offer on a boat is accepted, get the survey process rolling. Feel free to lean on your broker, if using one, for recommendations of local surveyors and for help coordinating logistics between you, the seller, the surveyor, and the boatyard.

Check with your insurance and finance companies to see what they require of a surveyor’s professional affiliations. The two main associations are SAMS (Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors) and NAMS (National Association of Marine Surveyors). Some insurance companies will only work with one or the other. Both associations have websites where you can ensure the surveyor you’re interested in is a member. Use the sites to find surveyors in your area, and ask for recommendations on online forums or at marinas and yacht clubs. Nearly everyone who’s bought or sold a boat has had experience with a surveyor, and previous customers can speak to rapport, a factor frequently overlooked.

Narrow down your list to three or four and call all of them. Don’t just communicate by text or email – you’re about to spend a lot of money on their services, so make sure you trust them. A good surveyor will be your teacher and will let you follow them around and ask questions as they go through the boat. Survey day is your chance to learn more about that boat than you will in a year of ownership.

Ask for a sample of one of their reports, and check it for thoroughness and clarity. Survey reports can be tedious – a typical report for a prepurchase survey may be as long as 30 pages – but they should be clearly organized and understandable.

The Big Day

Once you’ve decided on a surveyor, be prepared to pay a deposit and sign a work order or contract. Three things, at a minimum, need to happen on survey day for most standard prepurchase surveys: an in-the-water survey, a haulout for an out-of-the-water survey, and a trial run, not necessarily in that order. The seller will either run the boat themselves to and from the yard and for the trial run, or they will hire a captain to run the boat on their behalf. You and your broker are responsible for coordinating everything else.

No matter what your survey day looks like, it’s likely to be a long day. Write down any questions ahead of time, take notes, record video on your phone – whatever you need to do to help remember what you’ll learn.

Deal-Breaker Issues

A surveyor will usually check for the big-ticket issues first, such as water intrusion. Problems like structural rot on bulkheads or stringers, separation of the hull-to-deck joint, or fiberglass delamination are all major concerns that a surveyor should examine first. If there is an issue that may cost you a lot more money to fix than your budget allows, the surveyor may give you the option to walk away and cancel the rest of the survey and expensive haulout. While this is unusual and certainly a disappointment, it’s one of the main reasons you hire a surveyor.

Sometimes these “deal-breakers” are things that, while they may seem insurmountable, you might be able to live with and use to renegotiate if you’re an ambitious DIY-er or willing to pay for professional repair. If the surveyor is advising you to walk away from the boat but you believe the repairs are something you could handle, tell the surveyor to continue. Even brand-new boats have issues, so if a surveyor doesn’t come up with any findings, then they probably didn’t conduct a thorough enough survey.

System Checks

Once the surveyor checks for large flaws, they’ll go through the rest of the boat systematically. For a prepurchase survey, the rule of thumb is that everything attached to the boat must be catalogued in the report. Part of the surveyor’s job is to assign a value to the boat without the influence of the broker or seller and including all accessories. If the surveyor’s valuation varies greatly from the number you’ve offered, you may be able to renegotiate. The surveyor has access to the same tools a broker does, but the surveyor is also well versed in the value of each piece of equipment to offer an objective appraisal.

It’s the seller’s responsibility to ensure that systems are accessible and the boat isn’t too cluttered. The surveyor needs to open every compartment and view every bit of bilge where it’s accessible. They’ll look at batteries and wiring; start up all electronics and appliances; confirm that fire extinguishers, flares, and noise-making devices are current; and more.

A surveyor’s job is not to troubleshoot or repair, however. It can be tempting to dive into things if the surveyor finds something that isn’t working properly, and some surveyors will spend more time than others on this. But remember, the surveyor has many items to review and usually only one day to review them. It’s perfectly appropriate, however, to ask a surveyor how they might approach repairing an item or what an approximate replacement cost would be.

The Trial Run

The trial run is not the same as a sea trial (when a boat is put under stress and tested in heavy seas). The trial run is simply a short trip away from the dock so the surveyor can check the engine and running gear. Sails may be deployed if safe to do so. The boat is still owned by the seller at this point, so prudent seamanship on the seller’s part needs to be respected.

The surveyor will want to see the engine exhaust the moment the engine is started to make sure there’s no excess smoke. Ideally, engines should not be run for 24 hours prior to the survey to ensure a “cold start.” The engine will be run to its full capacity to make sure it doesn’t overheat or show signs of strain. The surveyor will spend a good portion of the trial run in the engine compartment taking temperature and RPM measurements, and checking for leaks or other issues that may not be apparent while the vessel is docked.

Ask the captain or seller if you can take the helm for a few minutes to get a feel for the boat, but this is not a “test drive.” Neither the buyer nor the buyer’s broker should run the boat for any amount of time due to liability, especially when leaving or returning to the dock.

The Short Haul

Like the trial run, the haulout part of the survey is usually quick and efficient. Boatyards will generally block an hour or less for what they call a “quick haul” or “short haul.” The boat is driven into the slings of a lift and hoisted from the water so the surveyor can examine everything below the waterline.

The surveyor looks for water intrusion, delamination, and blisters. Most modern production boats are fiberglass, so it’s smart to hire a specialized surveyor if purchasing a metal or wooden boat, which are vulnerable to different issues. Surveyors also check the condition of props and anodes, thrusters and trim tabs, rudders and struts, and anything else below the waterline.

Engine Diagnostics

There are a few optional items that you may or may not decide to include in your process. If you’re buying a powerboat, especially one on which the engines make up a major portion of the boat’s value, hire a mechanic trained in that particular type of engine to perform a mechanical survey. A general surveyor is knowledgeable about many things, but most are not qualified to run in-depth diagnostic testing on engines. Expect an engine survey to cost you about $500 per engine (at the time of this writing).

For newer engines, a technician can use computer diagnostics. For older engines, one of the most valuable diagnostic tools is an oil sample. A small amount of oil is collected from each engine (and can also be collected from each transmission case) and sent to a lab for testing. The oil is analyzed for metals, water, and mineral deposits that might indicate a problem. This can only be conducted by specialized labs, and the reports typically need to be reviewed and explained by a mechanic. A regular surveyor can take oil samples as well but may not be able to communicate the results to you as well as a specialist. Compression tests are another specialized part of an engine inspection, and can be particularly useful on older engines as they determine whether seals need to be replaced or if there are issues with cylinders and pistons.

You can get diagnostics for outboard engines, too. Call a local dealership that sells the type of engine you’d like inspected and ask if they have certified mechanics on staff. A survey on a smaller powerboat with outboard engines will likely be a simpler process and will probably take about half the time, especially if the boat is kept on a trailer.

Sailboat Rig Inspections

Hire a professional rigger to perform a sailboat rigging inspection. Going up the mast isn’t something most general surveyors are willing or able to do as part of the standard survey, which is kept at deck level. But the rig is not only very expensive to replace, it’s also one of the most important systems on the boat.

Riggers do not have any specific certification or licensure. The best way to find a good one is to ask around. It’s a very specialized trade, and there are often only a few people in any port who are experienced and insured. As of this writing, a rigging survey will generally cost between $400 and $600.

A rigging survey takes an hour or so, and the rigger will use their own equipment to climb the mast. They’ll check all attachment points and take photos. They’ll inspect the condition of the mast, boom, spreaders, stays and shrouds, turnbuckles, and chainplates if accessible. Mostly, they’re looking for rust and crevice corrosion, which cause tiny cracks, often invisible to the untrained eye, that can cause catastrophic failure. Riggers can perform a “dye test,” where dye is applied to the metal; if there are any cracks the dye will seep into them and become visible.

After The Survey

Ideally, even if you’re having three types of surveys plus a haulout performed, the process can still happen in one day because rigging and engine surveyors can work simultaneously with the general surveyor. Other times the process may have to be completed over two or more days. This is why it’s so important to start planning for the survey process the moment your offer is accepted and your deposit hits the bank. In addition to the schedules of the surveyors, owner, captain, and brokers, there is tide and weather to consider as well as the boat yard’s schedule. If you have one, lean on your broker, who can be a tremendous help.

If you choose to have all the different types of surveys performed, you may be looking at a $3,000 day. Once reports are submitted to you, call to ask questions about anything you don’t understand.

Writing a report is time-consuming, and it’s normal for it to take three to four days to be written and sent to you. For this reason, the acceptance date on your purchase and sale agreement should be stretched to at least a week after the survey to give you time to review reports, ask questions, and renegotiate, if desired.

Survey days are some of the most exciting of the boat-buying process. You get to spend the day on your potential new boat, surrounded by experts there both to evaluate the boat and teach you about it. Don’t miss this valuable experience.