useless marine surveyors

[keelbolts9]

What is the point of marine surveyors if they fail to spot a major fault such as a loose keel? My recent experience in Cardiff produced the response from the surveyor that he could not be held responsible for having missed it! Has anyone else had a similar experience?

 

[Stemar]

I know someone whose surveyor insisted that he reinforce the forestay attachment on his Snapdragon in spite of it being in good condition and the same as a on few hundred other Snappies, not one of which has ever had any problems.

His insurance company said, "if the surveyor says it, we want it."

I think I'd have taken the attitude that the surveyor's proven his incompetence to survey Snapdragons and I want my money back, but he made up a strip of stainless that looked the biz, but did nothing useful, and the surveyor (and insurer) was happy.

I'm sure there are exceptions, but most of the surveys I've seen have provided a couple of pages of stuff I could see for myself and a dozen pages of ar$e covering.

 

[Tranona]

What is the point of marine surveyors if they fail to spot a major fault such as a loose keel? My recent experience in Cardiff produced the response from the surveyor that he could not be held responsible for having missed it! Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Welcome to the forum

Not sure what point you are trying to make.

If you relied on his professional advice and suffered a loss as a result, you are entitled to claim against him.

If you are dissatisfied with his professional services, make a complaint to his professional body.

One liners like your post are rather meaningless.

 

[Ubergeekian]

What is the point of marine surveyors if they fail to spot a major fault such as a loose keel? My recent experience in Cardiff produced the response from the surveyor that he could not be held responsible for having missed it! Has anyone else had a similar experience?

If the boat was sitting on its keel when surveyed, it might be impossible for the surveyor to spot it.

 

[SimbaDog]

Probably a Bavaria so the surveyor accepted it as the norm

 

[jonjo]

How do you know the keel is loose? What design of yacht?

Was the surveyor a member of a recognized industry body

 

[fireball]

Probably a Bavaria so the surveyor accepted it as the norm

No ... loose isn't right ... wobbly or not there at all ..

 

[jonjo]

Probably a Bavaria so the surveyor accepted it as the norm

ha ha, despite the jokes a Bavaria keel is difficult to prise off in the workshop even with the keel stud nuts loosened. Modern structural adhesive is remarkable stuff.

 

[Ubergeekian]

ha ha, despite the jokes a Bavaria keel is difficult to prise off in the workshop even with the keel stud nuts loosened. Modern structural adhesive is remarkable stuff.

That's just making things too complicated. If sticky pads were good enough for Westerly they should be good enough for Bavaria.

 

[Athene V30]

What is the point of marine surveyors if they fail to spot a major fault such as a loose keel? My recent experience in Cardiff produced the response from the surveyor that he could not be held responsible for having missed it! Has anyone else had a similar experience?

The survey of my previous boat failed to notice the internal strengthening was missing on the port side so resulted in the keel becoming floppy and also failed to notice the mast support (on deck stepped mast) was not actually under the mast but slightly offset.

When these problems became obvious I tried to contact the surveyor - he ignored all contact and I subsequently found out he did not have liability insurance anyway.

Fortunately my Insurance Company took the view that I had done what was expected and paid up. I subsequently sold the boat for a very small sum and am delighted that her new owner has had her fixed and is shortly off to the Canaries in her.

Lesson learnt - When looking for a Marine Surveyor make sure he/she has indemnity insurance.

 

[capnsensible]

I've had a fair few dealings with various surveyors over the years and I must say, have always been impressed with the attitude and professionalism (if not the bill!) from them all.

However, everyone has an 'off' day. I was coding a motor boat some years ago and things had gone very well until:

You need a radar reflector.

What for?

Says it on the list.

How does it work then? leading question...

Bits of Aluminium in a tube to reflect back a radar signal.

Oh, (knock knock with knuckles on radar arch on flybridge) er, isnt this a 47 foot aluminium motor boat actually??

Well, yes, but you need a radar reflector.

Mmmm.

Apart from that, only good things to report!!

 

[chewi]

Mine made an appointment that he failed to keep and told me 4 hours late that he couldn't be there.
When he eventually came I could not be there so he surveyed it alone.

3 weeks later when I pressed him for the report he sent it

He told me I had good teak decks (they're GRP). He also said I had a mizzen boom in good condition (I have a sloop). He also said I needed a fire blanket (It was 2 feet from the stove). He checked the fuel hose , cracked it to prove it was brittle, then plugged it back onto the engine (without a clip). He surveyed the mast as far as could be done from the deck. It was laid flat on the deck. But for one tiny detail I doubted he had even surveyed the right boat....
I read about the fuel hose, and found all my diesel in the newly painted bilge .

He's got all the letters after his name as well, and I still had to do all he said, just to suit the insurance, but I wont let him near my boat again, nor will any of my club members.

 

[Searush]

I don't suppose it would be that hard to write your own survey & then get a pal to sign it (any name would probably do). Add a few pointless letters behind the name & send it to your insurers.

They can either accept it or ask for another survey. I don't think they would know enough to ask for another survey - do you?

 

[actionoptics]

Surveyors

As a relative novice when it came to buying a boat and about to spend
a significant amount of money, I employed a well known surveyor who,
I subsequently discovered, missed the fact that all but one of the rigging bottle screws
had their split pins missing.

 

[glashen]

I don't suppose it would be that hard to write your own survey & then get a pal to sign it (any name would probably do). Add a few pointless letters behind the name & send it to your insurers.

They can either accept it or ask for another survey. I don't think they would know enough to ask for another survey - do you?

My insurer certainly insist the surveyor has professional indemnity insurance.

I suspect treading the line between being finicky and unreasonable or missing highlighting something that could actually endanger the boat can be tricky.

 

[Pye_End]

I don't suppose it would be that hard to write your own survey & then get a pal to sign it (any name would probably do). Add a few pointless letters behind the name & send it to your insurers.

They can either accept it or ask for another survey. I don't think they would know enough to ask for another survey - do you?

Suspect if caught you would be looking at fraud. Maybe it depends how you present the surveyor in the report - ie if letters after the name they should be genuine, even if not a surveyor's qualification.

Your pal may not want to sign such a document because of the problem of liability insurance. If it all went wrong the surveyor could be sued for liability. At worst this could be the total cost of the vessel; recovering the wreck; legal costs etc.etc.

 

[DevonMark]

Had a survey done (Hamble) and the surveyor found moisture in the balsa core. That saved us £15-20,000 (which was the amount the boat was reduced by subsequently). Didn't buy that boat. Had another survey done (East Scotland) and bought that boat. Two years later I have discovered nothing wrong that the surveyor missed. Maybe I have been lucky, but so far only good words to say on surveyors!

 

[chinita]

Lesson learnt - When looking for a Marine Surveyor make sure he/she has indemnity insurance.

The key to this is making sure that your surveyor is a Member of the YBDSA (at any level). If the YBDSA does nothing else, it requires all members to have PI Insurance.

Some 'independent' surveyors will cop out of Insurance because of the cost and, most importantly, the 6 year statute of limitations which means that the surveyor only has to do one survey but must keep up his premiums for the next 6 years in the event of a claim.

Like everything else, you get what you pay for.

 

[keelbolts9]

Useless marine surveyors

Is the YDSA a regulatory body or simply a membership association? Can the YDSA 'strike off' the incompetent marine surveyor who failed to spot the loose keel on the boat in Cardiff I subsequently purchased, or would they not be interested in professional standards? The surveyor in question denies any responsibility.

 

[BlueChip]

What is the point of marine surveyors if they fail to spot a major fault such as a loose keel? My recent experience in Cardiff produced the response from the surveyor that he could not be held responsible for having missed it! Has anyone else had a similar experience?

On one boat some years ago after a survey by a prominent S Coast surveyor, I was doing a visual inspection priot to handing over my cheque. I touched the roller reefing and a number of screws fell out and I then saw the drum was cracked. I complained to the surveyor and he said that he couldnt be expected to find faults with that type of roller reefing as it was the first time he had see one! It was a Harken!
Fortunately the previous owner did the decent thing and replaced the drum prior to completion.
I dont have any faith in surveyors.