To Survey or not to Survey

[stephenmartin]

I've seen a 42ft steel boat that I like and have made an offer which was accepted....I am going to have another look at the weekend....before I splash out on a survey is there anything that I can look at or be aware of to help me decide if the boat is or isn't worth the hassle....

I am hoping to do a bit of diving on the boat so I am quite happy to get in the water and look over the hull....If I only knew what I was looking for....Can anybody help

Thanks

Steve

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[sailorman]

SURVEY SURVEY SURVEY
unless u can afford to write-off the cost of 42ft of steel

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[capsco]

I would have thought that if you have made an unconditional offer that has been accepted, it is now yours, people that make offers and then want to look for reasons to back out are complete time wasters.

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[Rowana]

That's why you ALWAYS make your offer "subject to survey". That gives you the get-out if it goes pear shaped.

If you have just made an offer which has been accepted, then you are in a legally binding contract as far as I'm aware.

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[nordic_ranger]

Hope your offer was made 'subject to survey'. With steel boats the main concern is the hull thickness which can vary depending on a number of factors. This can only be obtained by a ping test or ultra sound so choose your Surveyor carefully and ask what experience they have on steel hull surveys and if they have the equipment to do the job.

Jim.

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[sailorman]

condensation = rust
a new owner some 20 yrs ago bought a fantastic looking Fleur -de _Leyes (sorry for spelling) had a survey.
on refitting found her to be a rust bucket & not worth repairing. he took the surveyor to court & lost ( to the best of my memory)

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[Mudplugger]

Assuming you WILL have a survey prior to purchase, I suspect you are asking whether there are any guidelines prior to splashing out the cash on a surveyor?.
If you are happy with the general state of the vessel, clean, tidy, smells sweet, clean bilges, Engine runs with good oil pressure, Check the header tank for any oil residue, check exhaust smoke, dip sump and check oil on fingers for any gritty feeling, check batteries levels & Charge, Check state of sails, Warps, Running & Standing Rigging, Match inventory to whats on the boat, does it all work?,check
Shroud plates, Bulkheads fastenings to Hull, etc, etc. If you are happy with what you see, then you won't be wasting cash on a good surveyor....If you are serious about purchasing then, the surveyor will normally more than cover his costs in the purchase price negotiated after survey.. TW

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[stephenmartin]

Thanks for the excellent advice gentlemen....Indeed I am not looking for excuses to back out of any deal...moreover I am looking for good reasons to justify a surveyor, or if, on my initial findings based on the kind advice offered suggest that the boat is just not worth buying......then I won't part with any cash

As allways the good advice is most welcome.....

Thank You

Steve Martin

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[ashanta]

Had you had a survey you may have been in a position to pay less than the amount you have offered. Now you are not in that position of strength and you may be buying a boat that has hidden costs.

Regards.

Peter.

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[PeterGibbs]

Have a survey but make it structural otherwise you will get a long boring inventory which is not worth the paper it's written on.

Look for blisters anywhere on the hull - inside or out - below the waterline. Re-negotiate hard if you do - the cost of making sound will not be inconsiderable.

All the other gear you can inspect yourself. Most surveyors will give no opinion on the motor itself -but the beds etc, yes. The reason is clear - the motor may pack up the second you take delivery from causes only an interior inspection of the engine could reveal, and surveyors do not dismantle engines.

Generally, a trustworthy vendor (assuming you deal direct) who keeps a clean ship will take pride in her and not try to swing known defects on a purchasor. Try the line " you will be good for anything I find over the next month or so, won't you?" If the reply is less than satisfactory, you know you are onto something!

Good luck!

PWG

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[stephenmartin]

The boat was up for £32k I suggested £24k and they countered with £25k.....if my findings based on the previous good advice are sound then we go to Survey....in any event I will haggle even further.....but so far the price isn't too bad

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[capsco]

I think you are missing the point, according to your initial post you now own the boat and have left it too late to ask for advice, you now say you might not part with any dosh as I said a complete time waster.

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[AlanPound]

Advice...

... is what you seek, when you know the answer, but wish you didn't ...

(also, typically, free advice is oft considered worth exactly what you paid for it...)

Cynic? Moi?

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[claudio]

If I were buying a 41ft steel boat at 25k, I would consider it a project

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[poggy]

Capsco,

It is very common to negotiate a price so you know where you are starting from before spending lots of time looking into everything. As he said he made an offer and they didn't accept but came back with a counter offer, but he didn't say that he said a definite yes.

Before you abuse people about being time wasters, get the background rather than just abuse them. He may not have known that common practice is to make an offer subject to survey. Your post is hardly constructive either, not sure why you bothered to make it.

Poggy

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by poggy on 22/01/2004 22:35 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Joe_Cole]

I agree!

If I were selling my boat I would expect the buyer to want to carry out a survey, or to want to visit the boat again to check things out. I wouldn't bother about the "small print" of what was said or not said.

It looks as if he is going about this in a perfectly fair way. There's nothing wrong with having another look before he commits himself to the cost of a survey.
If a seller objected to me doing this I would be very suspicious and regard him as wasting MY time!

Joe

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[AndrewB]

Agree.

This yacht is probably 20+ years old, and both rust and electrolysis will have taken their toll. Both can be well hidden by a good clean-up and lick of paint. A surveyor who knows steel is absolutely essential, as is an ultra-sound test of the hull. The beauty of steel though is that provided you do view it as a project, anything is fixable.

A steel yacht this age is likely to require constant maintenance to keep corrosion at bay: the alternative is to grit-blast and re-epoxy the steel from scratch both inside and out, but this is a massive task involving gutting all fittings.

Incidentally, though it hasn't been mentioned yet, insurers will almost certainly demand a survey, so really there isn't much choice about the matter.

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[claudio]

I'd check the condition of the hull internally. Check the bilges for corrosion, bubbly or flaky paint. Most steel boats corrode from the inside, if panels are easily removable for inspection it is more likely that the hull has been maintained. If the hull has been lined with spray foam it probably won't have been touched.
Have a real good look, mostly in accessible areas. Bring a powerful torch with you.






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[whisper]

Nicely put. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[mickshep]

Wrong side of bed this morning?

<hr width=100% size=1>"Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me."