SURVEYS

[zaphod]

Can anyone reccomend a reliable (and cheapish) surveyor to do a pre-purchase survey on a yacht afloat in the solent area.

Also - is it the norm to lift the boat out for the survey and who pays for that - vendor or buyer ?

As you can tell I'm new to this lark so any advice on buying woudl be gratefully recived!

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[Twister_Ken]

Usual to lift boat so that surveyor can check underwater areas for soundness, water penetration. If the vendor is serious about selling then he/she should be prepared to pay for lifting & storage ashore.

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[Steve_Jones]

Hi There!

Welcome to mad house... I am pretty (very!) new to this as well, bought my first boat last season, it's a steep learning curve but well worth it. I'm based down in Gosport and used a surveyor by the name of Christopher Berry, call him on 01454 413556 or e-mail chrisberry.marinesurvey@virgin.net.

He did a comprehensive job for me, I would be interested to hear if anyone else has used him? I am fairly sure that it is usual for the purchaser to pay for the lift-out, I beleive most surveyors will almost insist on getting the boat out of the water to carry out a pre-purchase. Chris arranged a brief 'lift-and-hold' for my survey, not too expensive.

If you need any further info, PM me.

Cheers, enjoy!

PS. Where are you going to be based?

Steve

<hr width=100% size=1>"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."

 

[boatless]

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<hr width=100% size=1>my opinion is complete rubbish, probably.

 

[whisper]

Yes, welcome to the fount of all knowledge. I also think that the buyer is responsible for the cost of lift out for the survey.
Enjoy yourself.

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[jonjo]

Re: Meet on the yacht

It is worthwhile taking time off work to meet the surveyor on the boat. A surveyor will say a lot more during an informal face to face chat than he will commit to in writing.

Also be aware surveyors are busy at the moment so confirm who will be doing the whole survey otherwise you might become a victim of some devious sub contracting to less well known junior practitioner.

Finally find the threaded I started here about 3 weeks ago re. the relative merits of the two main professional associations.

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[discoduck]

Re: Meet on the yacht

Hi
You pay for the lift out .You do not say how old the boat is. You need to see the hull yourself with the surveyor. Adam Branchor did mine ane saved me £4300. Tel02392789022 mb 07816164845 He charged me £275 for a 8 metre yacht. He lives in Southsea. Best of luck but do have the survey done.

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[jamesjermain]

You may be right, Ken, if the vendor is very keen. But it's usually accepted that the costs of the survey are born by the buyer, and this included the cost of haul out and/or launch.

<hr width=100% size=1>JJ

 

[Twister_Ken]

IMHO if the vendor wants to sell, he'll have the boat out of the water and in tip top condition. Every potential buyer is going to want to see what state she's in underwater. If not, is he a serious seller?

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[jonjo]

> if the vendor wants to sell, he'll have the boat out of the water and
> in tip top condition

I am sure the average forumite would but the sad truth is that a majority of older yachts for sale fall well below this standard of presentation.

I viewed a Contessa 32 in February with a brand new engine and new full osmosis job. The bilges were full of water and the water was above the cabin sole at the aft end. It is quite common to see yachts on the market where the owner obviously walked away after a routine sail and never returned.

There are some arguments for keeping a yacht for sale in the water particularly where a test sail might convince a buyer about the good handling characteristics of an obscure design. Another example is a scruffy yacht that is still seaworthy, again a test sail will emphasise the fun of ownership whereas in a cradle the buyer will focus on the refit list.

The biggest problem with boats for sale in the water is that they might not be seriously for sale. The internet has reduced the cost of marketing a yacht to a point where there is no downside to continually punting a yacht at a silly price in the hope that someone might bite. I viewed a yacht that had been for sale for ever on the Rival owners web site and left concluding it was only for sale, at its unrealistic price, to placate the owners wife.

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[cliff]

Generally buyer pays for the lift out for the survey. As you are paying for the survey the report belongs to you not to the owner. I would not accept a survey paid for by the owner. Get your own survey done and if at all possible be there when the surveyis being done. I am not sure but normally you have to put down a minimum 10% deposit then you can go ahead with arranging the survey including the lift out for a hull check below the waterline. Most marinas have a special rate for a lift and hold for a survey - they don't have to move the boat anywhere and chock it up.

As for wet or dry selling my choice is go for buying a boat afloat. You can usually arrange a test sail to see how she handles, run the engine (difficult to supply cooling water if the boat is "on the hard".

Once you have the survey you can decide either to try to negotiate the price down, pay the balance of the asking price or walk away and lose the cost of the lift and the survey.

Most insurance companies require a "recent" survey report on any boat over about 20K before they will offer insurance. What they mean by "recent" I am not sure.

If you are buying the boat through a broker do not expect to be told who the previous owner was/is.


PS: there is supposed to be a mythical animal called a "Cheap Surveyor" but I have yet to find one: Start thinking around £275~300 for a 30' and keep going UP!
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