someone else's survey

[russ]

Still on my hunt for a boat and now found another.
The question is that the boat has already had a survey by what seems a very reputable surveyor and having paid out on a previous survey on another boat I am keen not keep paying out.
The broker for my latest purchase attempt has told me that the boat has had a recent full survey and that the previous buyer couldn't raise the funds and therefore has pulled out of the deal.
Should i try to do a deal with the surveyor or get another from a different surveyor?

 

[Tranona]

Your problem is that the surveyor is not yours so if you subsequently found he had made a mistake he is not responsible to you.

You can, of course just accept the findings of his survey and carry the risk yourself - to save the cost of a new survey! Your call - and it depends on how true you think the report is and how important it is to save the money!

 

[carlton]

Your problem is that the surveyor is not yours so if you subsequently found he had made a mistake he is not responsible to you.

You can, of course just accept the findings of his survey and carry the risk yourself - to save the cost of a new survey! Your call - and it depends on how true you think the report is and how important it is to save the money!

Not clear whether or not russ has actually seen said survey - or indeed whether or not that is a possibility.

If I've understood correctly, he's talking about contacting the surveyor and offering him a smaller sum for the exisiting survey as the surveyor may not need to revisit the boat in question, thus saving time/effort.

If so, I'd have thought he's going to charge almost the same amount on the basis that, as russ sees this as an opportunity to save some money, the surveyor will see it as an opportunity to make some money. But I could be wrong...

 

[gjgm]

Well, the surveyor might be a bit on the ropes here. You hope he will just make you a copy of the previous report, which was a contract with the previous potential buyer?
So, taking things to a silly extreme.. what if the boat has sprung leak and is now half submerged? Are you going to be happy with a survey that doesnt notice that, or do you expect the surveyor to take the risk for you to save you a few bob? Maybe he will sell you a copy on a no risk basis, but I m not sure how that is in his interests.
But ask the surveyor; since he is taking on a professional risk in providing you with a survey, I would think he wants to be fairly reimbursed, and will want to check the boat is as he first inspected it.

 

[Anthony]

So, taking things to a silly extreme.. what if the boat has sprung leak and is now half submerged?

It's a fair point that the condition of the boat may have chagned since the survey, but then thats always a risk as the survey isn't done the day you complete on the sale.

If a surveyor sells a copy of the survey then it would be on the basis that was the condition the boat was on on the date it was surveyed, and the report will be dated accordingly.

And yes he will want a resonable sum of money for it as although he wouldn't be visiting the boiat again, he is taking on a resposnibility to provide a correct opionion, which if incorrect could cost him or his insurers money.

Would be worth finding out how long ago the survey was and also the type of survey it was. If it is the type you want and recent, then yes there could be some money to be saved by purchasing a copy.

Ants

 

[Imperial One]

Still on my hunt for a boat and now found another.
The question is that the boat has already had a survey by what seems a very reputable surveyor and having paid out on a previous survey on another boat I am keen not keep paying out.
The broker for my latest purchase attempt has told me that the boat has had a recent full survey and that the previous buyer couldn't raise the funds and therefore has pulled out of the deal.
Should i try to do a deal with the surveyor or get another from a different surveyor?

Russ,

If you know who the surveyor is call him, he will probably say the survey is the property of the chap who commissioned it but he could then ask that chap to sell it to you at a reduced rate - but only bother if it is recent.

Otherwise get another one.

 

[benjenbav]

In commercial deals it's fairly normal practice to ask an expert who has provided a specialist report to company A to give a duty of care letter to company B so that company B can rely (in terms of contractual liability) on the specialist report to the same extent as company A. This is often done when there isn't time to commission a new report or where, as may be the case for you, the report is sufficiently recent and robust to make it inefficient to commission a new report.

The main limitation on this is - as others have said - that the survey will be as at its original date and so any change in condition since then will be your risk.

I would certainly expect to pay something for a duty of care obligation. After all, the surveyor doesn't have to provide it. But I would certainly expect to pay less than for the survey to be carried out from scratch.

 

[coliholic]

Still on my hunt for a boat and now found another.
The question is that the boat has already had a survey by what seems a very reputable surveyor ...........the broker has told me that the boat has had a recent full survey and that the previous buyer couldn't raise the funds and therefore has pulled out of the deal.
QUOTE]

So why don't you ask the broker for the phone number of the buyer and ask/buy for a nominal sum a copy of the survey off him? It might well show that all's not well and that's why the buyer suddenly couldn't raise the money. If the survey highlights serious problems then walk away, but if not then maybe look at having your own done. Even if the buyer won't let you have a copy, and I can't think why he wouldn't try to recoup some of his expenditure, you could at least probe him as to the overall condition of the boat.

 

[russ]

Broker has said he has a copy of the survey which was done in November.
I will contact the surveyor and see a copy of the survey when i view the boat at the brokerage.

 

[icepatrol]

old survey

Russ
take it from me and our bad experiance.
get your own survey and get a full one. we had a situ not unlike your own and thinking of saving money cost us in repairs to the tune of 30k.
of course if the boat is quite young and not much history and you feel a survye not worth it then go for it. but if there is the smallest doubt........
the vendor might seem ok etc and probably is...but at the end of the day your the one who carries the can.....not even the surveyor.
survey can seem expensive outlays, especially if the boat proves to be a bummer.
but if you get a full survey of your own (including engine) you do have some recall if it goes tits up.
i am only taking from our bad experiance and hindsight........hah !!!
good luck.

 

[Jaytac]

The broker for my latest purchase attempt has told me that the boat has had a recent full survey and that the previous buyer couldn't raise the funds and therefore has pulled out of the deal.

I would try and see a copy of this survey for free (if seller or broker had wits about them would have blagged a copy from the last intended buyer). You can't of course rely on it - but should be very informative nonetheless and IMO well worth seeing before you inspect further / make an offer / survey.

If the sums are large enough to hurt if you buy a lemon or you are unsure if you could spot one then I would go for a survey, but with a different surveyor simply for the additional viewpoint. I doubt if more than a couple of hundred quid between new Surveyor and old one simply updating his previous survey. Probably a negligible amount of money compared to the deal.........or buying an unknown problem or 2.

Your last survey appears to have been money well spent as it seems to have stopped you buying some bills that make no sense £££ wise There is a lesson there...........

 

[Searush]

I have in the past bought houses on the basis of a previous purchaser's survey supplied by the vendor, plus a dose of personal commonsense. It is a risk, but it is your call. Always remember that the surveyor can miss stuff too.

I would start by asking the broker & vendor if they have a copy they can let you see. If their story is true, it should be in their interests to do so as it will show no major problems. Then take it with you to the boat & check it out yourself. If you have any doubts, get a second surveyor to vet it - or walk away.

 

[russ]

I've just returned from a 350 mile round trip to see the boat. She looked pretty good cruised the broads nicely.

The broker did give me a copy of the survey and also a check list of all the items picked up on the survey and then repaired and also items he would not do.
One being the drive needed cleaning and damaged paint needed re-coating for the drive protected from corrosion.

I noticed a few battle scar scratches on the blue hull but I guess that's common on a boat used on the river ?

Other points that I did notice were that after I ran the engine for 10 minutes and then turned it off, it would not restart or did I do something wrong?

The bilge pump connection wasn't tight and therefore spraying water and another pipe on the side of the engine was leaking. He did say they are probably left lose during the winter to prevent engine damage?

The last one being the petrol fume detector kept coming on. He has tried repairing it but with no luck,any ideas.

 

[Jaytac]

I would get the engine / installation inspected by a Marine Engineer - compared to a Surveyor cheap as chips............of course he doesn't have x-ray specs, so can't tell if the engine is good for 5 more minutes or 5 years, but can spot what is not right now or is badly installed and will cause problems. (DIY maintanence can lead to "novel" solutions )..........given the potential damage to wallet a duff engine can do, out of a choice between Surveyor or Engineer I would more happily dispense with the surveyor.

 

[Searush]

It would be VERY unusual for pipes to be "slacked off for winter". If the boat was left in the water & the pipes froze & pulled off, they may well cause the boat to sink when the ice plug in them thatws out. I know of a sea boat that sank due to cockpit drains freezing & popping off on a mooring.

Don't ever accept what a broker says at face value. Restarting hot may be different from a cold start - ask the broker to demonstrate how it's done. But I suspect it is more likely to be a tuning issue. You could deduct the cost of a full engine service from the price - but, as suggested an engineers' report sounds a good investment if you are serious about this one.

 

[Imperial One]

I've just returned from a 350 mile round trip to see the boat. She looked pretty good cruised the broads nicely.

The broker did give me a copy of the survey and also a check list of all the items picked up on the survey and then repaired and also items he would not do.
One being the drive needed cleaning and damaged paint needed re-coating for the drive protected from corrosion.

I noticed a few battle scar scratches on the blue hull but I guess that's common on a boat used on the river ?

Other points that I did notice were that after I ran the engine for 10 minutes and then turned it off, it would not restart or did I do something wrong?

The bilge pump connection wasn't tight and therefore spraying water and another pipe on the side of the engine was leaking. He did say they are probably left lose during the winter to prevent engine damage?

The last one being the petrol fume detector kept coming on. He has tried repairing it but with no luck,any ideas.

Russ ,

My advice is to get a proper engineers report on the engine. Ask him to do an oil sample diagnostic check as well, because this will tell you - with a fair degree of accuracy - what the inside of the engine is behaving like. It's a bit like a blood sample being analysed, it tells you about all sorts of things you had no idea were wrong

Mike.