Pay a surveyor to survey the boat!!!!

rick1954 · Post by **rick1954** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 8:17 am

Pay a surveyor to survey the boat!!!!
Here we go I wasnâ€™t going to say anything about this subject because I usually get people mad at me but here we go: A Surveyor is a necessary evil just like a union, when you are in courtship with the purchase of a new boat, you may over look many of potential problems the Surveyor would not. For the most part, boat owners should know what there is to know about boats in general and should pick up on problems, However, on the other hand many of boat owners should never set foot on a boat, these are the ones that use bubble gum, tape, and bail wire to fix everything. Again, this is something a Surveyor would pick up on. I personally donâ€™t believe in the use of a Surveyor. I was never one to just kick the tire and bounce the shock and say this is good. Last word, If you are one that cant find or just donâ€™t know what a potential problem on your boat is , than you should just dry dock it. On the other hand, You cant get good insurance without a survey done on your boat for $$$ per foot, hum go figure!!!!!

Mac32 · Post by **Mac32** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 8:44 am

One thing to add is never ever use the sellers surveyor. I was dumb enough to think he was doing me a favor and for only 300 bucks........

Now I am replacing stringers that I know were rotted way before I ever owned the boat. Unfortunatly this is years later and I have no recourse.

When buying the boat I even asked why the fiberglass covering the top of the stringers where the engine mounts were had a 1/2" gap between the wood and glass, they both told me thats just how those old boats were. Boy dont I feel stupid........My gut said problem but brain said oooooh shiney boat, gotta have, where do I sign.

Rick is right, I could not get insurance or a loan until I had a survey done. But not so sure about the unions being necessary though, maybe in some enviroments... but not to the extent we have today.

rick1954 · Post by **rick1954** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 8:11 am

Well as I thought, I would ruffle a few feathers with my input on the use of a survivor. Being a business owner, it irks me when there are people always looks for a free ride off the backs of others. My point is this, As a boat owner, or an about to be owner, you should be acquainted with that boat as much as possible, knowing what is proper, and what is not. In doing so, you should not need to spend money on someone to tell you something you already should know. Boating is a joyful hobby, but this hobby can be very dangerous, you as the captain of your vessel should know everything there is to know about your boat good and bad, and should be prepared to react before a problem. Now as I said before, I would rather be hated for whom I am than loved for whom I am not..

Stripermann2 · Post by **Stripermann2** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:21 pm

What was it that Little Chicken said.....can't remember now but it'll come to me!

Seriously though... An once of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I would gladly pay a surveyor to inspect and look out for my interest especially when it comes to an investment, my boat! Regardless of whether or not it was a bank or insurance requirement.

Sure there are unscrupulous and incompetent surveyors out there and there are times when they are held accountable for their mistakes, and rightly so.

I may be knowledgeable about boats for the most part and their operating systems but... to have a surveyor who most likely has inspected many, many vessels in his career and has far more knowledge pertaintaing to an individual's interest in buying that particular vessel, it can mean a big difference in the outcome.

Nuff said.

rick1954 · Post by **rick1954** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 7:31 am

rick1954 · Post by **rick1954** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 7:33 am

I did not set out to cause a ripple on this forum, Look, take boat (a) that I know about. Surveyor on three different occasions came up with three different surveys. All three we similar with respect to the survey but different to opinion. Why?, What one was correct?, what survey do you go with?. I apologize to any one that I offended , my opinion on this was against Surveyorâ€™s not any one on this forum. I am as easy going as the next person if not more, again I apologize to you and will say no more.

Stripermann2 · Post by **Stripermann2** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 8:58 am

No worries Rick!

rick1954 · Post by **rick1954** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:06 am

Thankâ€™s Stripermann2, sometimes I donâ€™t know when to zip it.