Independent Surveyor Recommendations (Near Rugby / Northampton)

[Sub Divo]

Hello Everyone.

 

I’m new to boating and recently offered on a narrowboat on brokerage, which has been equal parts exciting & terrifying.

 

Obviously looking to use an independent rather than broker affiliated surveyor.

 

So I’m wondering if anyone would be kind enough to recommend any independent\respected surveyors that cover Rugby\Northampton please? (as well as the surrounding areas or further out if need be)

 

Any recommendations (or advice) would be greatly appreciated.

 

Many thanks!

[matty40s]

Micheal Clark, Craig Allen, Chris Williams are all fairly local and reasonably thought of from both sides. ( although insist on Chris himself, not his sidekick)

 

[Lily Rose]

Michael Clarke did mine and I also had him back for my BSS 4 years and 8 years later. Google Northern Star Marine. I think he's based at or near Blisworth.

[Sub Divo]

Many thanks @matty40s @Lily Rose

 

Unfortunately some of those are on the brokers list that has been offered. I understand they're still independent, but I'm guessing it's preferable to choose one that isn't listed? Maybe I should be looking a little further afield?

[Lily Rose]

Maybe I'm less cynical than some on here but I'm less troubled by brokers and marinas lists. It doesn't have to mean they are receiving backhanders or are preferred because they will be less inclined to find faults that might jeopardise a sale. Perhaps that's the case sometimes but sometimes it's the staff at the marina being helpful because they know who the good ones are in their area.

 

The one I mentioned was on the list but the marina staff (not the broker) at the time reckoned he was good and I know of at least one staff member who used him for their own survey.

 

By all means find out what you can about your potential choices but don't discount them just because they are on a list. You might find that the ones not on a local list are not on it for good non-sinister reasons. It may depend on who the broker is though.

[Russ T]

We used Justin Green for a hull only survey a couple of years ago. Thought he was pretty good

[cuthound]

2 hours ago, matty40s said:

Micheal Clark, Craig Allen, Chris Williams are all fairly local and reasonably thought of from both sides. ( although insist on Chris himself, not his sidekick)

 

 

Is Chris still doing BSS examinations? Last time I spoke to him he was concentrating on his boatbuilding activities.

[Col_T]

We used Craig Allen when we purchased in 2015. Very impressed with him.

[agg221]

Elliott Berry (Marsurv) was very thorough on our hull survey. He was pragmatic in his approach (what needs doing now, what will be OK until next survey, what needs watching but no action etc) and importantly he recommended pit welding rather than overplating. The significance of this may not be familiar yet to the OP, but it is useful because when an area needs attention you can't just leave it, but overplating often raises questions for subsequent potential purchasers so pit welding is preferable where it is an option. He's not local but he travels nationally.

 

Alec

[tcp13]

I had a great experience with Darrel Broscomb (dbmarinesurvey.co.uk), who traveled from Oxfordshire. He was highly reviewed and unaffiliated with the brokerage. Very thorough and talked me through all his findings.

[GUMPY]

Ian Jennings

IJ Marine Marine Surveys & Boat Safety Examinations 

Email: boatsafety at hotmail.co.uk www.ijmarinesurveys.co.uk

Did my 30year survey on Loddon was fair and reasonable.

Edited June 24 by GUMPY

[cuthound]

1 hour ago, Col_T said:

We used Craig Allen when we purchased in 2015. Very impressed with him.

 

I used him when we bought in 2014 and was very impressed too. He gave me loads of useful advice and even gave me an extra discount because he had forgotten his ultrasonic tester and had to return back home for it!

[MrsM]

44 minutes ago, GUMPY said:

Ian Jennings

IJ Marine Marine Surveys & Boat Safety Examinations 

Email: boatsafety at hotmail.co.uk www.ijmarinesurveys.co.uk

Did my 30year survey on Loddon was fair and reasonable.

Another vote for Ian. He surveyed our boat and was happy to take us through his findings at the time. He didn't pick up a few of the issues we found during our 6-hour cruise to the lift-out site but then I wouldn't have expected him to. He amended his valuation and report to take into account the issues we uncovered, which is all we could have asked for. Good luck with your purchase. 

[Russ T]

With all these names of surveyors being put forward. Is there a surveyor who surveys other surveyors so the OP can make a decision.

 

Or even a surveyor of forum members opinions.

[Lily Rose]

25 minutes ago, Russ T said:

With all these names of surveyors being put forward. Is there a surveyor who surveys other surveyors so the OP can make a decision.

 

Or even a surveyor of forum members opinions.

 

But who would survey the surveyor of surveyors?

 

It's a minefield and no mistake.

[Llamedos]

We used Michael Clarke, generally very good.
 

He picked up a few things which now I know more about boats I would say were probably a bit over pedantic. On the other hand he did spot a couple of issues I might not have become aware of immediately, so I was very grateful for that.
 

Very brief and business like, did the job, told me his findings, then left. His written report subsequently arrived promptly. 

Edited June 24 by Llamedos

[matty40s]

21 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

Is Chris still doing BSS examinations? Last time I spoke to him he was concentrating on his boatbuilding activities.

He still books surveys, which is why I said what I said.

23 hours ago, Sub Divo said:

Many thanks @matty40s @Lily Rose

 

Unfortunately some of those are on the brokers list that has been offered. I understand they're still independent, but I'm guessing it's preferable to choose one that isn't listed? Maybe I should be looking a little further afield?

You are looking at a list of surveyors that has been compiled over many years ....surveyors who are fairly local and can get one done within the next month or so.

They don't have any financial link or favouritism( if you are looking at Rugby Boats or ABNB)....just that they are fair, local and reliable.

 

If you ignore those, you are maybe waiting a much longer time for your boat, or risk using a surveyor that has been blacklisted by those brokers for improper practices.

By this I mean..

1. Every survey done results in a 'pad welding may well be needed ' and recommends a brothers boatyard who will take on the work. (BB)

2. A surveyor who met the couple( virtually onsite) who had already decided to walk away from the boat as they had found another one and told him to fail the boat...he found £15k of faults which the next surveyor only found a 50p PRM O seal replacement needed. (East European Impaler)

3. A surveyor who turned up bragging about how many he does in a day at a certain marina...was on site 10 minutes and then took a phone call .

..then told the lady that he wouldnt continue the survey as he couldnt see underneath and refused to refund her fee regardless.

She did manage to get another surveyor and dis buy the boat. (tRicky notspotonMan)

 

Sometimes there is a lot of work needs doing as a result of most of the people recommended so far, including those on the brokers lists...but that means they are doing their job properly to make sure your boat is INSURABLE and safe.

thanks Tony

 

Edited June 25 by matty40s

[Tony Brooks]

7 hours ago, matty40s said:

Sometimes there is a lot of work needs doing as a result of most of the people recommended so far, including those on the brokers lists...but that means they are doing their job properly to make sure your boat is uninsurable and safe.

 

 

I think Matty means INSURABLE, not uninsurable, although the report from a good surveyor may make it uninsurable for fully comprehensive if they find major problems, and they are not rectified.

[Sub Divo]

Hey Everyone!

 

Firstly many thanks for all taking the time to reply and for the info and feedback, it's been very useful.

 

Sorry if I opened a small can of worms, but it's all very daunting as a first time buyer. Taking advice from those more experienced is a wise thing to-do imho. I can definitely see two sides to the coin when it comes to choosing a surveyor. To me it makes equal parts sense to use one 'recommended' by a broker than not. In the end, I decided to choose one that wasn't.

 

I spent all day yesterday researching numerous sources and ended up speaking to Justin Green last night. He took nearly 30 minutes out of his day to help explain the process and was really approachable. So it's now all booked (full survey) and confirmed with the broker.

 

Thanks again for all the feedback, it'll be useful for others that follow as well.

[Sub Divo]

16 hours ago, Russ T said:

With all these names of surveyors being put forward. Is there a surveyor who surveys other surveyors so the OP can make a decision.

 

That did bring a smile to my face this morning, thank you 🙂

[Sub Divo]

17 hours ago, agg221 said:

The significance of this may not be familiar yet to the OP, but it is useful because when an area needs attention you can't just leave it, but overplating often raises questions for subsequent potential purchasers so pit welding is preferable where it is an option.

 

Thanks @agg221

 

A great point, thankfully not lost on me. Have spent the last 18months researching and looking for a boat (whilst attending two Crick shows) so I've learnt a lot whilst simultaneously being a complete novice.

 

Over plating is something I was aware of before and I would not in anyway be buying a boat that either had it or required it. I've seen the previous hull survey (from a few years ago) and given the findings and age\condition of the boat, it's highly unlikely to be an issue thankfully.

[agg221]

8 hours ago, Sub Divo said:

 

Thanks @agg221

 

A great point, thankfully not lost on me. Have spent the last 18months researching and looking for a boat (whilst attending two Crick shows) so I've learnt a lot whilst simultaneously being a complete novice.

 

Over plating is something I was aware of before and I would not in anyway be buying a boat that either had it or required it. I've seen the previous hull survey (from a few years ago) and given the findings and age\condition of the boat, it's highly unlikely to be an issue thankfully.

That's good.

 

To build slightly on the point, it's worth being aware that whilst the survey may find things that need attention, the point which can be open to discussion is the appropriate course of action to address it. This has consequences for the options open for insurance. For example, if a surveyor states 'Thickness measured at X.Xmm, area requires overplating' then unless this work is done it is usually not possible to obtain fully comprehensive insurance. If welding of the pits (aka pit welding or pad welding) or pad welding over a small area which has become too thin are sensible alternative options then unless the surveyor notes this then the work they have identified has not been carried out as specified.

 

If you have a surveyor who states options then this helps a lot, as you can balance various factors including cost and the capabilities of the place where you are getting the remedial work done. It also helps even further if, when you get the list of issues, you can have a conversation with the surveyor about the options, either before or as amendments to the report. An example from ours - there seems to be a recent change in some insurance circles which requires a minimum 150mm clearance between the normal water level and the top of the weed hatch. Ours has more like 50mm, maybe 100mm when the water tank is completely full. This was picked up on the survey, but through discussion with the surveyor we agreed that the design of the counter as a sealed unit meant that the top of the weed hatch could effectively be considered to be deck level so no work was required. This both saved the time and cost of remedial action and meant that access to clear the prop remains better (which matters a lot when you dredge every piece of rubbish off the bottom through being so deep!) It is this kind of pragmatic engagement that I regard as important with a surveyor.

 

Glad you have found someone who is happy to discuss things with you - that sounds like the same kind of service which I value.

 

Alec

[Russ T]

23 minutes ago, agg221 said:

That's good.

 

To build slightly on the point, it's worth being aware that whilst the survey may find things that need attention, the point which can be open to discussion is the appropriate course of action to address it. This has consequences for the options open for insurance. For example, if a surveyor states 'Thickness measured at X.Xmm, area requires overplating' then unless this work is done it is usually not possible to obtain fully comprehensive insurance. If welding of the pits (aka pit welding or pad welding) or pad welding over a small area which has become too thin are sensible alternative options then unless the surveyor notes this then the work they have identified has not been carried out as specified.

 

If you have a surveyor who states options then this helps a lot, as you can balance various factors including cost and the capabilities of the place where you are getting the remedial work done. It also helps even further if, when you get the list of issues, you can have a conversation with the surveyor about the options, either before or as amendments to the report. An example from ours - there seems to be a recent change in some insurance circles which requires a minimum 150mm clearance between the normal water level and the top of the weed hatch. Ours has more like 50mm, maybe 100mm when the water tank is completely full. This was picked up on the survey, but through discussion with the surveyor we agreed that the design of the counter as a sealed unit meant that the top of the weed hatch could effectively be considered to be deck level so no work was required. This both saved the time and cost of remedial action and meant that access to clear the prop remains better (which matters a lot when you dredge every piece of rubbish off the bottom through being so deep!) It is this kind of pragmatic engagement that I regard as important with a surveyor.

 

Glad you have found someone who is happy to discuss things with you - that sounds like the same kind of service which I value.

 

Alec

We got caught by the weed hatch problem on our boat. The surveyor (not Justin Green) advised it was not high enough.We went to the expense and inconvenience of making it comply. I am convinced it is no safer than it once was,but much harder to use.

If viewing a potential boat and this is of concern,it would be an easy thing to measure by a potential buyer. Assuming,of course,the seller/brokerage would allow you to do so. I suspect it is easier for them to just say no.

[Bristolfashion]

On 24/06/2026 at 19:03, tcp13 said:

I had a great experience with Darrel Broscomb (dbmarinesurvey.co.uk), who traveled from Oxfordshire. He was highly reviewed and unaffiliated with the brokerage. Very thorough and talked me through all his findings.

Number 2 for Darryl - extremely thorough, willing to chat things through and helpful.

[Sub Divo]

On 26/06/2026 at 08:30, agg221 said:

If you have a surveyor who states options then this helps a lot, as you can balance various factors including cost and the capabilities of the place where you are getting the remedial work done.

 

Thanks @agg221

 

That sounds like a good bit of advice.

 

I'm obviously most concerned about the hull, so I'll ask him to list all available options should work be required.

Edited June 29 by Sub Divo