Frangipani
Active Member
Survey fees vary enormously: I’ve seen charges from £8 per foot of length to a calculation of Length x Beam x 1.5 + VAT. For the Legend 340 you mention (LOA 33’6”, beam 11’9”), this means anything from £268 to £693.
Make sure the surveyor you engage carries full Professional Indemnity Insurance, and is a member of a reputable trade organisation such as the International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS) or Yacht Designers and Surveyors Association (YDSA). I would suggest that anybody charging less than £10 per foot for a pre-purchase survey is unlikely to be a full professional. Many surveyors will supply an example survey on request: from this you can see how thorough they are, and you can make your own mind up.
Sometimes an owner or broker will say that there is a recent survey: this is almost always an insurance survey. These do not cover all the aspects of a full pre-purchase survey, and are written so that the insurance company can assess whether she is an insurable risk, not whether she is suitable for your purposes. Also, the liability of the surveyor is only to the person commissioning the survey: so if you subsequently find a defect, you have no right of redress. The bottom line is, don’t get seduced by previous surveys.
Also, beware additional costs:
1. As the prospective purchaser, you will need to pay to have the vessel hoisted out of the water and scrubbed clean, if it isn’t already.
2. If you are concerned about the engine, factor in the cost of an engine survey by a specialist on that particular make/manufacturer.
As for equipment, the brokerage spec will give a list of equipment which will come with the boat: this will vary widely. But as a general pointer, no matter how well-equipped the boat is, expect expect that any flares and fire extinguishers will be out of date, and that a new chart folio will be needed.
Make sure the surveyor you engage carries full Professional Indemnity Insurance, and is a member of a reputable trade organisation such as the International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS) or Yacht Designers and Surveyors Association (YDSA). I would suggest that anybody charging less than £10 per foot for a pre-purchase survey is unlikely to be a full professional. Many surveyors will supply an example survey on request: from this you can see how thorough they are, and you can make your own mind up.
Sometimes an owner or broker will say that there is a recent survey: this is almost always an insurance survey. These do not cover all the aspects of a full pre-purchase survey, and are written so that the insurance company can assess whether she is an insurable risk, not whether she is suitable for your purposes. Also, the liability of the surveyor is only to the person commissioning the survey: so if you subsequently find a defect, you have no right of redress. The bottom line is, don’t get seduced by previous surveys.
Also, beware additional costs:
1. As the prospective purchaser, you will need to pay to have the vessel hoisted out of the water and scrubbed clean, if it isn’t already.
2. If you are concerned about the engine, factor in the cost of an engine survey by a specialist on that particular make/manufacturer.
As for equipment, the brokerage spec will give a list of equipment which will come with the boat: this will vary widely. But as a general pointer, no matter how well-equipped the boat is, expect expect that any flares and fire extinguishers will be out of date, and that a new chart folio will be needed.