surveys.. is there a piont you would question needing one

S

symondo

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 Sep 2013
Messages
542
Location
Highlands of Scotland
Visit site
Just curious on this matter

I can understand the peace of mind from a thumbs up from a professonal especially on larger craft

But at what point near the lower end of the scale do you say 'is it necessary'

The reason I ask, I'm still learning and reading with the intention of buying later this year.

The only factors I can see from my families efforts on previous surveys were any issues highlighted in outdrive, engine and hull. Obviously all potentially costly.

But I'm curious as to what extra insight a survey could give opposed to contacts with knowledge in these areas but not a surveyor? Especially on a smaller boat.

Is there more to a survey in terms of insurance?
 
symondo said:
Just curious on this matter

I can understand the peace of mind from a thumbs up from a professonal especially on larger craft

But at what point near the lower end of the scale do you say 'is it necessary'

The reason I ask, I'm still learning and reading with the intention of buying later this year.

The only factors I can see from my families efforts on previous surveys were any issues highlighted in outdrive, engine and hull. Obviously all potentially costly.

But I'm curious as to what extra insight a survey could give opposed to contacts with knowledge in these areas but not a surveyor? Especially on a smaller boat.

Is there more to a survey in terms of insurance?
Click to expand...

well we insured our boat in june and had her out in may for af etc ,so in june they said they wanted it surveyed inc lift out ,but after discusions they accepted a three year old survey when we bought it so saved us at least a grand
 
I didnt bother with a survey when I bought my current boat (A windy 25 that was at the time 7 years old), partly because its not as complex as a larger boat, but mainly because a friend of mine had owned it from new, so I knew its history.

I think you can decide its not necessary for a survey when you feel confident that you can spot any issues yourself, or be confident that any issues that do come to light after the purchase can either be ignored, fixed without breaking the bank, or you just write the boat off and the financial loss of doing this is not a big deal to you.

Maybe the real test of whether a survey is justified is when the cost of the survey exceeds a percentage of the purchase price of the boat? I have no idea what the percentage threshold could be, maybe 10%?

Maybe its similar to buying houses, people dont always bother getting a potential house purchase surveyed, maybe the same logic should apply to boats?
 
julians said:
I didnt bother with a survey when I bought my current boat (A windy 25 that was at the time 7 years old), partly because its not as complex as a larger boat, but mainly because a friend of mine had owned it from new, so I knew its history.

I think you can decide its not necessary for a survey when you feel confident that you can spot any issues yourself, or be confident that any issues that do come to light after the purchase can either be ignored, fixed without breaking the bank, or you just write the boat off and the financial loss of doing this is not a big deal to you.

Maybe the real test of whether a survey is justified is when the cost of the survey exceeds a percentage of the purchase price of the boat? I have no idea what the percentage threshold could be, maybe 10%?

Maybe its similar to buying houses, people dont always bother getting a potential house purchase surveyed, maybe the same logic should apply to boats?
Click to expand...

I guess cost wise it is a factor for me. I would like to think i could spot mechanical defects, and have plenty of friends with mechanical knowledge that can assist in spotting issues or even repairing.

The only things that seem to ring a bell in my mind are possible osmosis or out drive issues.

But i did wonder if it was a requirement of insurance just to ensure you arent insuring a tub fill of holes.

The boats im looking at are about the 10-15k mark, 23ft and ideally trailored. Im looking at using it in freshwater inland lochs in scotland
 
A survey would not normally cover engines, drives, transmissions, unless there were glaringly obvious issues like oil/fuel leaks. Surveyor will focus on the hull and cosmetics. You will need a technician to check out the engines/drives, on a sea trial.
 
£500 or so for a survey of a £15k boat seems a worthwhile investment, particularly as it won't cost anything to get it out of the water, (assuming trailerable).
 
If you have a good knowledge yourself I would say the money for a survey is peace of mind. Your not going to instruct it until you are happy there is nothing wrong, £500 then could save you a few quid but in the most part for a small boat the surveyor will not be able to access a lot of what you would want him to report on.
As already stated most surveyors will give you little more than"couldn't see a leak and they seemed to work" for the mechanicals although some will, such as Ian Lumley marine surveys, who I would very much recommend.

Depending on your insurance company you will probably need a survey for older boats. Age varies but somewhere between 15 and 25 years will normally bring this into play.
 
I bought ours with no survey and zero knowledge of anything nautical at all.
Its only a small boat and as Im a mech I wasnt to bothered if it had any issues.
I did have the 2 yr old survey and that mentioned slightly rusty jubilee clip on the sink outlet, obviously very important!
 
Based on my own experience, for my 30ft boat that was 20 years old when I bought it, I should have a spent the money on a mechanic familiar with the engines concerned rather than the survey.
There isn't a lot on the boat that cant be fixed for a few hundred quid..........except the engines and drives.
Having previously had nothing bigger than 25ft, this was the first survey.
 
I had a survey on my first boat which was 9 years old and cost £40K as I knew very little about motor boats. Subsequently I had various problems none of which were picked up by the survey a couple of which should have been. Six years later, feeling far more knowledgeable I bought my current boat, 5 years old for £95K and decided to do my own survey. I met the previous owner, he took time to show me everything, he took me out on a sea trial before I agreed to buy the boat and I could see that he was a careful owner who would get anything fixed if it needed it and I was convinced he was was not hiding anything. Since owning the boat I have not regretted my decision not to have a survey.
 
Last edited:
I paid around 18k for my current boat, it cost me around £400 for a survey. Would I pay it again for another boat............yes I would. Apart from moisture tests on the hull and other things I wouldn't of been able to test he also picked up on other things that more than paid his fee. The trim tabs had an intermittent fault, they worked whilst it was trailered but didn't work when he took it out to sea, the fuel gauge didn't work, it was stuck on quarter full and he advised of what fire and safety I would need for the insurance.
 
(this ended up on the wrong thread. Must have been a Boo Radley moment)

I would survey anything costing more than I could afford to loose. The surveyor certainly isn't the last word in a boat's health and they are limited in what they can check without stripping back AF and pulling decking or otherwise potentially damaging the boat etc. But their experience and knowlege in what to look out for in peace of mind is great. I told my surveyor what I was looking for, what I'd use it for and where I'd use it, and he guided me in my prospective purchase, helping me turn down a boat albeit it "passed" survey in favour of the one I have now. Strictly not the surveyors job, but when they start enthusing about one boat over other(s) it gave great peace of mind. Mind you, paying him a couple of times got a bit expensive but I am quite happy with the result.
 
First boat was a 3 year old trailerbased 18ft bowrider. Did not bother with full survey as boat was clearly new and shiny. We went for an engine survey which was not worth the paper it was written on as it said everything was fine but in fact the TKS (Turn Key Start - choke) was not working and the starter solenoid was intermittent.

Second boat we knew the previous owner so did not bother.
 
It is also up to you what is inspected,so you can just say the hull if you are confident that you can test tricky things like the light switches !
 
I have never had a survey on my boat either before or after buying it. It is not a very valuable boat being only 28 foot long and wooden. It has some problems associated with it being over half a century old. I have taken it home to a shed, stripped it bare and put it back together including checking keel bolts. There is not an inch of her that my hand has not touched. I think I know far more about her, her flaws and her foibles than any surveyor ever would. My insurance company has never required a survey, I presume because of her low value. I buy insurance so that if I injure someone else, either bodily or their property, I will be convered. It is also a requirement for my marina. I am sure I am an unusual example however!
 
I would guess the value (and risk) on that type of boat and price range is the engine and leg, a good pile of receipts showing proper maintenance is probably more valuable than a survey that doesn't check mechanical bits anyway.
If you are going petrol would an outboard not make more sense than inboard with leg?
 
gordmac said:
I would guess the value (and risk) on that type of boat and price range is the engine and leg, a good pile of receipts showing proper maintenance is probably more valuable than a survey that doesn't check mechanical bits anyway.
If you are going petrol would an outboard not make more sense than inboard with leg?
Click to expand...

in an ideal world - id prefer diesel.

Looking about for what i 'want' in terms of a shortlist of requirements, i ended up ruling out a boat with an outboard. Most ive found seem to be petrol too, handful of diesel ones but seem to have a more premium price tag which i can understand.

I have always been 1 to look for actual history of maintenence over paying someone to take a peek and say 'looks ok' i think it says a lot more about how things have been looked after with a firm record of maintenence.
 
I wouldn't go for a diesel outboard but if you are going petrol to me there is less risk in an outboard than in a petrol inboard and outdrive. Have you had a look at some of the boats the fishing guys use?
 
mlines said:
Second boat we knew the previous owner so did not bother.
Click to expand...

...an ex-motor trade, commercial property dealing accountant! I don't think you can combine three less reputable (at the moment) careers - would you buy a used boat from this man?!?!?!


Regarding the OP's question, though, I think DPB summed it up quite well. If you are looking at a trailable sportsboat with no antifouling, there is probably not much in the hull that you can't inspect yourself (damage should be evident and a boat kept on a trailer shouldn't have a high moisture meter reading). However, antifoul can hide damage and will indicate that the boat has been kept on the water, so the hull's moisture content may be a concern - in that case, a surveyor's report may be more useful.

Whether or not you decide to engage a surveyor, as DPB says, the biggest issue is likely to be the mechanicals - these will be by far the more likely to cause trouble and will be by far the most expensive to rectify and will almost certainly be outside the scope of a standard survey. Ideally, get a proper mechanical agent (Volvo, Mercruiser etc) to look over the engine and drive, preferably with an on-water sea trial and an out-of-water inspection. Factor the cost of this into your buying decision - it is good insurance and any faults found can be deducted from the agreed sale price, so the inspection may pay for itself!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top