Surveys

Cap'n Creosote

Cap'n Creosote

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18 May 2008
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115
Location
Near. Conwy, North Wales
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I've been looking for a 26/28ft bilge keeled yacht in the lower range of the market, £10 - £12,000.
But the cost of craning one out, a few weeks storage ashore, and crane back in, is not an insignificant percentage of the cost of the boat. Especially if I am forced to reject that boat and go through the whole thing again with another boat.

Now I trust my own judgement on most things but I would definitely want a surveyor to check the structural integrity of the GRP hull and keels.

So my question is.

Would a surveyor be able to gather any meaningful information between tides. Or has the boat got to dry out ashore for a while before being subjected to tests.
 
Any defects the survey reveals need fixing so the boat needs to be out, a good time for thorough anti foul, most faults which need doing should reflect in the reduction in price, some yards will do a 'lift hold launch' which is a bit cheaper and can give the surveyor a chance to to examine keels,shaft,prop,cutlass bearings, anodes etc. Alternative is only buy a boat that comes out each winter /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Credit crunch is hitting everything badly. Why not pay for a months charter of the boat that you want to buy, include a lift out in the time with a decent survey-perhaps on the Sealift in Cowes or any other firm doing a cheap lift and scrub deal. Then you get a decent opinion on the boat, if it rubbish then you'll have had a good go on the boat, and if it's all ok then insist on having that charter period deducted from the sale price. At the end of the day, it is a buyers market-capitalise on it!!
At the end of the day, these are defo not the times for a costly mistake!!!!!

Good luck!

www.medinamonarch.co.uk
 
To add a little more information.

The 30 year old boat I have in mind has had a survey 18months ago. From which it emerged with glowing credentials.

But I would want a more up to date survey before buying her. As she is a bilge keeler, she could stand on the hard foreshore for a day or two. So would be accessible.

But would a surveyors damp meter be able to take readings of the hull in this situation? afloat at each high tide, and only a few hours to dry off surface moisture.
 
I have been in your situation having bought a boat with a "current" glowing survey from a "cheap" surveyor under a year before I purchased it to discover it was really only fit for the breakers yard
Any 30 year old boat will need serious ongoing maintenence and to find one that doesnt have some form of GRP degeneration will be a very rare beast indeed.If the funds being used to purchase this craft are not disposable I believe that monies spent on slipping for a reputable survey would be well spent.
 
Provided the surveyor notes that this is the limits of a survey there is no reason why an inspection cannot be done between tides. Why dont you call a surveyor to discuss the pros and cons of this method am sure you will get straight answers.
 
[ QUOTE ]
But would a surveyors damp meter be able to take readings of the hull in this situation? afloat at each high tide, and only a few hours to dry off surface moisture.

[/ QUOTE ]

Personally, I doubt that you could draw any useful conclusions from moisture readings in that situation:

If they are low, then all well and good;

If they are high, then it might be a real indicator of a problem, or it might just be that the anti-foul, etc. hasn't had a chance to dry out.

Doing it this way would give you a good chance of seeing any blistering, etc. present. Mind you, if it hasn't blistered in 30 years, why should it start now?

I would have thought that enough could be done to complete an 'insurance' survey between tides.

I was planning to do the same thing with a Tempest we were looking at, but in the end we bought a boat that was already on the hard. (I reckon N. Wales must be about the dearest place in the UK for boat craneage, so I can understand where you're coming from - probably cost you £400+ to be lifted out, washed, placed ashore for a week & lifted back in /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif)

Have you chosen your surveyor yet? Might be worth discussing the score with them.

0.02p

Andy
 
Do get it done though.

I found a Centaur that looked great: well equiped with lots of new kit, almost new engine, tidy etc etc. Obviously not a recent "tart up for sale". A previous owner had spend lots on it. I asked the current owner about osmosis & the state of the bottom & got a positive reply. I made an offer & went for a test sail. Everying looked good but to be safe I arranged a survey.

It was in the Hamble so even a lift out & hold for survey cost a packet. I decided to be there as the guy could show me anything he found. Within 10 minutes of starting the surveyor called me over. The bottom was covered with large blisters & had extensive well established osmosis.

The owner just shrugged it off. He knew all the time & was hoping for a sale anyway. I spotted the boat still for sale again a year later with a reduced asking price.
 
Damp meters will read high, but blisters will be obvious as others have noted. If its been in the water nearly 12 months and there are no blisters, it's probably ok on the osmosis front. but if you sell it in a few years, you could still end up bitten.
there are lots of other potential faults for a surveyor to check for. Many of these are of more interest to insurance companies etc. as they are more likely to affect the outcome of a claim.
 
Thanks to everyone for their input.

Grajan1 has made a point that some surveys may be "dodgy". I hadn't considered that.
The copy of a survey I have been shown, has a name on it that Google has never heard of! Also there is only a mobile tel. number and a P.O.Box address in Chester. But to be fair, I had no intention of relying on that survey anyway.
I only really wanted to know if the boat had to be lifted or if it could be surveyed on the shore.

I will have a word with a surveyor first and probably pay to have it lifted out, to be on the safe side.

John
 
[ QUOTE ]
I will have a word with a surveyor first and probably pay to have it lifted out, to be on the safe side.

John

[/ QUOTE ]

Do you mean lifted & put on the hard for a while, or just "lift & hold" for the survey?

If the latter, then I (personally) don't think this puts you in any better position than drying out, apart from the facility to get the hull washed off. In which case:

I've never done it, but I believe it's possible to get the use of a pressure washer from the Harbour Master (Tony Mead) for a modest charge (£12 ??) if you dry out at the town quay (opposite the lifeboat house). Can anyone confirm this? Maybe worth giving him a ring.

Andy
 
Hello I am a surveyor - feels a bit like admiting to being an AA Member!
The moisture readings in the case you describe would be a waste of time, the antifoul and indeed to hull would be wet, but if she is an old girl what else would you expect. However wet boats are not the problem, wet blisters are. So with enough time you could get a hull survey completed.
Your insurance company may well accept the older survey some will let you go back up to 4 years. But remember the survey in law was produced for the original owner not you.
Many surveys are undertaken from Marinas when the boat is held in slings, so drying out between tides is possible. Just remember there is more to a boat than its hull wet or otherwise, they don't sink from blisters, but they sure do through faulty hull fittings stern tubes etc.
Good Luck
 
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