Marine Surveyor. How?

[syd]

Hi all,
Could anyone tell me the criteria for becoming a marine surveyor please, i.e. Qualifications, experience etc.
Where do I start??
Cheers
Syd

 

[oldsalt]

...just buy some headed note-paper...

 

[syd]

Very helpfull Oldsalt, thankyou

 

[brianrunyard]

He's correct, anybody can set themselves up as a marine surveyor.

 

[charlie]

Get Professional indemnity insurance, thats the only thing the insurance and finance houses seemed concerned about!!

Charlie

 

[charlie]

Re2: Marine Surveyor. How?

Get Professional indemnity insurance, thats the only thing the insurance and finance houses seemed concerned about!!

Charlie

 

[Guest]

Syd,
There are no formal qualifications required to become a surveyor, however I wouldn't advise just surveying boats, as the legal situation if you make a mistake could be very expensive! The normal route is a degree in naval architecture or yacht and powercraft design (the sort of degree involving maths and physics, not drawing pretty pictures of boats). Then work in a yard for a few years designing/repairing boats, preferably on a Chartered Engineer training scheme (contact the Royal Institution Of Naval Architects for details, www.rina.org.uk) get a feel for structural design on a range of materials, and then work with a surveyor to build up experience and knowledge. Although you could avoid all this and just set up in business, various laws regarding the provision of services mean that if you sell your skills as a surveyor you should have reasonable skills to offer that the average yachtsman would not have. There are many surveyors around today who have come into surveying through boatbuilding and experience gained over a lifetime. This is a good way of doing it, but these days the decline of traditional vocational apprentice based training makes it difficult to know you're being taught properly. You also need a thick skin, as most yachtsmen regard surveyors as morons with moisture metres who charge a fortune for nothing, rather than as a well qualified professional doing a job!

 

[Guest]

As a Marine Surveyor myself and Senior Manager in one of the Worlds largest organisations, I can advise that the postings regarding .... Buy Headed Letter Paper, take out Insurance etc..... are correct.

Anyone can set themselves up and many have. There are well known names banded about that have no formal qualification whatsoever, apart from belonging to a self-regulated, self appointed non qualified 'professional association'.
Basically at the end of the day, the biggest factor in all of this is :
1. If you want the services of a surveyor ..... Check around and take advise from as many people local to you as possible. Referral is the best way to get a good deal on price and service. DON'T believe the hype and rubbish that some try to advertise.
2. If you want to become one yourself .... my advise is do it as a second line of work, as unless you are willing to put up with a hard slog and little reward / thanks you will be disalusioned. Take up working in a repair yard part time, doing all the absolute dirty jobs getting into every nook and cranny etc. LISTEN and LEARN from the guys around you and build up that knowledge base. But there is also one factor that a lot never learn ...... when looking over that boat for the client ... listen to the client, understand why you are there. He will often along with the broker / seller if available give so much information and leads to look into that you'll become detective, diagnostics and cause 'evaluator'. Many a time a comment has led to my looking at something closer than I would normally - finding a fault ot other point that could so easily be missed.

Remember it is fine having some Diploma / piece of paper, but mine has been built up from childhood through to later years 'messing around' boatbuilders, repairers, my own and fathers / friends boats, experience, open eyes and ears, reading, studying and above all else never assuming that I know all the answers ......

I wish you luck, but consider very carefully before making the plunge !

Cheers
Nigel C. Luther
nluther@solent-life.co.uk