At what point should I get a survey?

[PhillM]

I am in the process of refitting my 1961 MAB. Over the previous winter and this one we will have done a considerable amount of work. Most of it done by professionals and even the stuff I have done myself has been supervised by qualified trades. I am confident that the boat is sea worthy for the sort of sailing she is designed for.

My insurance does not require a survey, but the cover offered limits me with a long lay-up period and time / mileage restrictions on single handing. At some stage I will want to change insurer and my guess is I will need a survey.
Boat is currently out of the water but there is all sorts happening to her – so now is clearly not the time to get a survey done.

I guess I could get the hull inspected just before she goes back in, but the mast won’t go up until after she is in and it will take a few weeks to get all the lights / electrics, standing and running rigging etc completed. I am assuming that a surveyor will want to see everything working as it should.

Another alternative would be to do the survey next winter, after everything is completed and she is out for her annual work. However, my insurance renews in August so that would commit me to another season with the same firm.

Also, how much will the surveyer want to know about the work done? Should I be explaining what has been done and how or just leave them to inspect the boat and see for themselves?


Suggestions, please.

 

[maxi77]

I would suspect that the more info the surveyor has about your boat the more value you will get from the survey. As for timing I would suggest selecting a couple of local guys with a good reputation and discuss what you need with them. If there is no time pressure they may well be happy to fit your work over other visits to your area. Mind you one survey I had that was used by the insurer was carried out out of the water only, but the mast was up, mind you mast down may be OK for the surveyor as he can se bits noy visible from the deck with the mast up.

 

[sarabande]

Surveyors tend to add disclaimers for parts of the boat they cannot see, so it might be worth phtogrpahing all your maintenance and repairs, and keeping a written record of everything you have changed or fixed. Service recordso fthat sort go down well with surveyors and insurance people.

 

[Tranona]

Don't think the restrictions you mention will be connected to the lack of a survey - they are fairly common to many policies but can usually be changed after discussion with the insurer. The suggestion to make contact with a surveyor beforehand is a good idea. When I did a major refit I did just that and the surveyor looked in a couple of times as work progressed then did the survey and report just before launch.

 

[rob2]

I agree, there's no link between the survey and the conditions currently imposed. I'm not entirely convinced how close the link between the content of the survey and the insurance cover is, but when I bought my boat the insurers picked up on every item in it and wanted it all "put right" immediately even though the surveyor's conclusion was that the boat was in excellent condition and completely seaworthy.

I attended the survey and for a number of items I had to show the guy how to get at the parts as he was going to list them as inaccessible - so if you can get a local guy to do it he may like to take a look whilst everything is exposed. But, make sure he sees the hull and interior in a finished state when it comes to quoting a value, or your insurers may use it to their advantage should the worst come to the worst and you have a total loss claim. If the mast is up during survey, nothing is likely to get looked at, very few will climb it. With it down the only comment that he can make is that the lights were not tested - but he can look for damage and wear. It's rather the same with the engine, as when ashore a surveyor will not run it and anyway there is little he can really judge by doing so, whether ashor or afloat. I've known rusty engines that were completely reliable and others that would look at home in a showroom that would be of more use there.

If you have been keeping a record of your repairs and renovations, then make up a scrapbook to show him.

It might help to look at other people's survey reports to help you decide how to achieve the best result. Sometimes they are available on-line when a boat is for sale. I can email a couple of examples to you if you PM me with your email address (keep it secure).

Rob.

 

[Woodlouse]

A survey for insurance is little more than a look over the boat to ensure it isn't going to sink of it's own accord any time soon. That is all the insurers really care about, any restrictions they put on your policy will be open to negotiation, but will probably start costing you more if they deem it to increase their risk.

 

[chinita]

A survey for insurance is little more than a look over the boat to ensure it isn't going to sink of it's own accord any time soon. That is all the insurers really care about, any restrictions they put on your policy will be open to negotiation, but will probably start costing you more if they deem it to increase their risk.

+1

Plus, no survey is going to negate any insurance company restrictions on singlehanding.

The survey may say that you have the most seaworthy boat ever constructed but the insurance company are not going to turn round and say you can sail wherever you want, on your own, 24 hours a day.

You are clearly happy with the work you have done and presumably do not require any sort of rubber stamp from a surveyor. I would be inclined to leave any insurance survey for the time being and only commission one when you need it.

BTW, I got sick of all the restrictions placed on my MAB with comprehensive insurance. I switched to third party which requires no survey and has no restrictions.

I am prepared to accept the risks.

 

[Nick Vass]

A survey for insurance is little more than a look over the boat to ensure it isn't going to sink of it's own accord any time soon. That is all the insurers really care about, any restrictions they put on your policy will be open to negotiation, but will probably start costing you more if they deem it to increase their risk.

An insurance survey. Insurance companies ask for a 'condition and valuation report'. This is a report on the condition of the vessel together with its equipment plus a valuation. There is little difference between a condition survey for insuarnce purposes and a pre-purchase survey. Both reports comment on all aspects of the yacht, both can be used to get insurance and both should have a valuation.

However, cosmetic issues feature less on a pre-purchase survey and the surveyor could be a little more lenient over some issues of less importance.

Insurance surveys have to be complete and comprehensive as the surveyor would know that the report might be passed onto other if the boat is put up for sale. The report becomes the surveyors shop window display and has to be thorough and comprehensive or else it would come back to bite them.