Pike - Be your own boat surveyor: a hands-on guide for all owners and buyers

Published by Adlard Coles Nautical an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP

www.adlardcoles.com

Bloomsbury is a trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

This electronic edition published in 2014 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Copyright Dag Pike 2014

First published by Adlard Coles Nautical in 2014

ISBN 978-1-4729-0367-9

ePDF 978-1-4729-0369-3

ePub 978-1-4729-0368-6

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CONTENTS

U NLESS YOURE IN the market for buying a second hand boat, its not usually good news when you have to call in a surveyor. They may be brought in to assess damage to your boat after an accident, or the insurance company might demand a survey when your boat reaches a certain age (usually around ten years) just to be sure about its condition. When you are buying second hand you certainly want a survey done before you commit. So the surveyors job, whether it is a purchase or insurance survey, is to use his specialist experience and skill to go through the boat with a fine-tooth comb, find any problems and propose solutions. For a damage survey the motivation is obvious but the surveyor will also assess the general condition in case that falls below what might be considered to be an insurable standard.

To a certain extent the surveyor is a bit like a detective. He will crawl round inside and outside the boat inspecting the fittings, fixtures and the hull itself to find the clues that will determine whether the boat is in sound condition or where any problems lie. It can be a difficult job at times because these clues are sometimes quite small and apparently insignificant, and it is only by putting them all together that the surveyor can assess the condition of the boat. He will use sight, feel, often smell and sometimes instruments to determine what may be wrong. It can be a challenging but fascinating job and, like so many jobs of this nature, its a constant learning curve, as construction methods and materials for boats develop.

When damage has occurred or when the insurance or finance company has demanded a survey, you will want to use a professional surveyor. You will probably also want to employ a surveyor to give you a report before you make a final decision on your next boat, but a good quality survey does not come cheap. If youre considering several boats before finally deciding on the one you want, you could run up a considerable bill. Owners will want to carry out their own survey to avoid such costs where possible.