Surveyors

[Caprifool]

Say, if you've found your dreamboat and there's others interested. How fast can you get a surveyor to look at it? I mean, normaly...

[alan_fincher]

It rather depends where you are, and (in most cases) on how easy it is to get the boat craned, slipped or dry-docked.

 

In the rare cases that a boat is already "on the hard", then it's probably relatively easy to get a survey quite quickly.

 

If it's in the water, though, and there are few options for removing it, trying to synchronise "dock" availability with surveyor availability can take weeks.

 

For example if the only slipway nearby is already occupied by another boat, currently having it's bottom completely replaced, (just as a "for instance"), then you have no option but to wait.

 

It's usual to make your offer "subject to survey", usually with a refundable deposit, if the survey is not good. A good seller or broker should withdraw the boat from the market in the intervening period, so there ought to be no prospect of you getting "gazumped".

 

Expecting a longish time between accepted offer and survey is very normal, and it shouldn't cause a problem.

[Caprifool]

Ah, thank you Alan.

[Picard]

It rather depends where you are, and (in most cases) on how easy it is to get the boat craned, slipped or dry-docked.

 

In the rare cases that a boat is already "on the hard", then it's probably relatively easy to get a survey quite quickly.

 

If it's in the water, though, and there are few options for removing it, trying to synchronise "dock" availability with surveyor availability can take weeks.

 

For example if the only slipway nearby is already occupied by another boat, currently having it's bottom completely replaced, (just as a "for instance"), then you have no option but to wait.

 

It's usual to make your offer "subject to survey", usually with a refundable deposit, if the survey is not good. A good seller or broker should withdraw the boat from the market in the intervening period, so there ought to be no prospect of you getting "gazumped".

 

Expecting a longish time between accepted offer and survey is very normal, and it shouldn't cause a problem.

Hi, as a newby, what is the correct way to make an offer? Do you make an offer, (subject to survey), with refundable deposit, or, this is my thinking, have a servey done, with refundable deposit, and as the survey would have, if asked for, include a valuation of the boat, then you could make an offer based on the combined survey and valuation, or would the seller want an offer before the survey was done, even though the valuation might be lower than the offer? Many thanks.

[bottle]

You make an offer subject to survey. (which will be lower than the asking price)

 

That is the amount you want to pay and the seller will accept

 

but

 

if the survey shows that the boat wants some work done and if you still want to buy.

 

You go to the seller and make a even lower offer because it needs work, if the seller agrees to your new offer.

 

You have a boat that needs some work.

[Lady Muck]

I found the best way to get a surveyor was to organise it through a boatyard, otherwise it's impossible to get the dates the crane or drydock is free to marry up with the dates the surveyor can do. I managed it within a fortnight despite everyone else involved in the sale telling me it was impossible.

 

Another point to note - I had the vendor and the boat shop telling me to forget getting a survey as the boat was three years old and didn't need it and hinting that other buyers were ready to buy and putting lots of pressure on me. Ignore them. For a start it turned out to be hot air to pressurise us to buy and secondly, if we hadn't craned out and pressure washed for a survey we'd never have known that the super duper 2 pack epoxy coating on the hull hadn't been applied properly (it all came off with the pressure wash!). We actually had to sort it out before the boat went back in the water as the hull was completely bare!

Edited March 1, 2011 by Lady Muck

[GeoffS]

Say, if you've found your dreamboat and there's others interested. How fast can you get a surveyor to look at it? I mean, normaly...

 

A word of caution. Try to get some local knowledge about the surveyors around. I had a list of local surveyors, first one on the list was busy second one wasn't. Turns out first was well respected, the second not so. Ended up spending a lot of money to put right things that should have been found on the survey (although I did get a full survey fee refund in the end). Sometimes it pays to be patient.

[alan_fincher]

I found the best way to get a surveyor was to organise it through a boatyard, otherwise it's impossible to get the dates the crane or drydock is free to marry up with the dates the surveyor can do.

With the caveat that if the boatyard is also the brokerage selling the boat, you probably want your independent choice of a surveyor, not theirs!

[Lady Muck]

With the caveat that if the boatyard is also the brokerage selling the boat, you probably want your independent choice of a surveyor, not theirs!

 

Ours was 15 miles from the boat and not connected, cue lots of moaning from vendor.

[Picard]

I found the best way to get a surveyor was to organise it through a boatyard, otherwise it's impossible to get the dates the crane or drydock is free to marry up with the dates the surveyor can do. I managed it within a fortnight despite everyone else involved in the sale telling me it was impossible.

 

Another point to note - I had the vendor and the boat shop telling me to forget getting a survey as the boat was three years old and didn't need it and hinting that other buyers were ready to buy and putting lots of pressure on me. Ignore them. For a start it turned out to be hot air to pressurise us to buy and secondly, if we hadn't craned out and pressure washed for a survey we'd never have known that the super duper 2 pack epoxy coating on the hull hadn't been applied properly (it all came off with the pressure wash!). We actually had to sort it out before the boat went back in the water as the hull was completely bare!

Hi, newby question again, you said a pressure wash, is this normal for a survey or do you have to ask for it to be done, also when the serveyor scrapes the hull to test the hull thickness, do you have to have it repainted over the mark. I'm sure yes, but is it done automatically or do you have to ask? and does it cost?

[NB Lola]

I made no offer, current (June 2010) Market is weak. Instead, I arranged surveyor and then found a yard, be careful some yards can charge v high.

 

I then got the owner to move the boat

 

I then had the survey, make sure you get a full engine test

 

Also the survey was very conditional sivas to be nearly a waste of time. Ensure you can get the boat high enough to get a proper baseplate check

 

The price was then offered. The owner wanted a subject to offer, I simply said I did not have enough knowledge to do so

 

Also try to get a valuation survey, older boats need them sometimes to get insurance

[alan_fincher]

I made no offer, current (June 2010) Market is weak. Instead, I arranged surveyor and then found a yard, be careful some yards can charge v high.

 

I then got the owner to move the boat

 

I then had the survey, make sure you get a full engine test

 

Also the survey was very conditional sivas to be nearly a waste of time. Ensure you can get the boat high enough to get a proper baseplate check

 

The price was then offered. The owner wanted a subject to offer, I simply said I did not have enough knowledge to do so

 

Also try to get a valuation survey, older boats need them sometimes to get insurance

 

I may just have woken up a bit sleepy, but am not sure I understand either of the bits I have highlighted.

 

Are you saying you thought your survey nearly a waste of time, or not ?

 

If so, why was it ?

[larkshall]

Actually how do you find a good surveyor fully qualified, and which trade body would they be registered with ? LLoyds?

[Speedwheel]

Actually how do you find a good surveyor fully qualified, and which trade body would they be registered with ? LLoyds?

 

YDSA

[NB Lola]

I may just have woken up a bit sleepy, but am not sure I understand either of the bits I have highlighted.

 

Are you saying you thought your survey nearly a waste of time, or not ?

 

If so, why was it ?

 

 

Whoops, thats what you get for using an iphone at 7 am

 

Survey very conditional - means there was all sorts of "not proper access to..." the blacking prevented....." Limited access to....."

 

Not having had any kind of boat survey done in the past, I was disappointed to feel that the surveyors report was more about covering him than it was about establishing condition.

 

The owner wanted an agreed price subject to the survey. The survey I had requested was to include a valuation so I said I was not prepared to agree a price, the owner accepted my hesitation and agreed to survey first.

 

When the deal was done we shook and accepted my fate, a few surprises, not least the fact that the oil and battery alarms went off within 20 mins of moving off. Two of the leisure batteries were completely disconnected. The batteries were remarked as being only a year old. My marine sparky, once the boat was moved, said they were shot. The blacking fell off, the engine failed, the prop shaft was replaced, the skin tank was just plain wrong for the hp of the orignal engine, the uxter plate was sitting too low (ballast removed), the gunwhales are narrower than expected. the gearbox was shot. Need I go on?

 

The answer? choose your surveyor carefully.

 

I had negotiated a good price even though these issues were not brought to light and she is now all fixed and a joy to sit on the tiller (which needs replacing next year!).

 

Hell yes it cost me and hell yes I have learnt alot, and no I did not take issue with the surveyor, too many conditionals.

 

....... and nearly a waste of time!

[alan_fincher]

Hell yes it cost me and hell yes I have learnt alot, and no I did not take issue with the surveyor, too many conditionals.

 

....... and nearly a waste of time!

Ah - all is now explained......

 

Can't say the one we used was perfect, although I did negotiate enough further off the boat to pay for him.

 

Not as serious as you, but we were also told that batteries had tested out OK, whereas in practice no amount of kiss of life on the starter one could bring it back to life.

 

He was right about a number of things though, including also having the possibility of an inadequate skin tank - probably the biggest cost we incurred, as it turned out, and something we didn't give enough credence to from his report.

[NB Lola]

Ah - all is now explained......

 

Can't say the one we used was perfect, although I did negotiate enough further off the boat to pay for him.

 

Not as serious as you, but we were also told that batteries had tested out OK, whereas in practice no amount of kiss of life on the starter one could bring it back to life.

 

He was right about a number of things though, including also having the possibility of an inadequate skin tank - probably the biggest cost we incurred, as it turned out, and something we didn't give enough credence to from his report.

 

 

Yeah, I reckon it was the skin tank that did for the old engine to be honest, 21 hp tank for a 42hp engine. my blog details the new external skin tank - maiden voyage Saturday, out of the erewash and up the trent to the trent and mersey, water levels permitting. The shaft was down to ignorance about greasing the stern tube.

 

Having moaned I love my boat and boating. Lola is mine (ouch, ours she says) and she will remain with us for as long as we are able, plenty of years in me yet though (or so my 8 yr old reckons)