Pre-Survey Information:

The inspection phase of Pre-Purchase and Condition & Value surveys generally take from 3-5 hours to complete, depending on the vessel, location of haul out, and sea trial.  The survey report is emailed typically within 5 business days after the inspection is completed, and only to the client unless otherwise requested in advance.

To ensure that you receive the most thorough and successful survey, please review the following list to ensure that your vessel is ready:

  • The owner or a representative of the owner (such as a listing broker) must be present for the survey unless previously agreed. We cannot start the engine or other systems with expressed permission from the owner or their representative.
  • All unnecessary gear should be removed from the vessel to allow us to access every compartment. Unless explicitly stated, it is assumed that everything on board during the survey is included in the sale and therefore the valuation.
  • Everything that you want to have included in the survey needs to be present for us to inspect, including tenders, canvas, life rafts, sails, trailers, etc. Items not physically present for the survey cannot be included in the survey or valuation of the vessel.
  • The vessel, including the bilge and engine compartment, should be clean and accessible. Your surveyor will not unfasten secured floorboard or panels for access to the bilge, engine, or other systems.
  • If the vessel has any AC powered systems on board, then shore power must be available to the vessel (ideally while in the water.)
  • Please do not “pre-start” or “warm up” the engine(s) before we arrive (unless the vessel must be moved in order to facilitate the survey.)
  • Batteries should be charged sufficiently for starting the engines.
  • All required safety gear including PFDs, flares, horn, fire extinguishers, CO detectors, smoke detectors, etc., should be on-board and current.
  • All vessel documentation, including the State Registration Certificate and if documented, the USCG Vessel Documentation Certificate should be on-board and available for inspection including for any tenders with more than 10HP.
  • Any major service records should be available for inspection.
  • While we are USCG-licensed Master Captains, as surveyors we are not contracting with you for the operation of the vessel and our insurance does not permit us to be responsible for it. The owner or an owner’s representative will need to be responsible for operating the vessel during any sea trial or movement of the vessel.
  • Condition and Value surveys (normally for insurance purposes) generally do not require a haul out or sea trial. Please confirm with your insurance agent.
  • If your survey does include a haul out, it is your responsibility to book a “haul and hang” with the boat yard. Please let us know the time and location if you have not already done so. We recommend that you re-confirm with the yard a few days in advance of the survey.
  • You should expect to pay for a pressure wash of the hull during the survey, unless you know the hull is very clean (just because she is moored in fresh water does not mean the hull is clean enough to inspect).
  • Most often, it is prudent to replace the anodes during the survey haul out. You should decide in advance if you are planning on replacing anodes and source them if the vessel requires any special anodes that the yard may not have on hand.
  • If your vessel is wood, please confirm with your insurance agent if they will require fasteners to be pulled and inspected and if they have specific requirements. If so, please contract with a shipwright to be at the haul out to perform the removal. Generally, if fasteners are removed at least a full day in the yard is required to properly replace the fasteners and seal the bungs.
  • If your vessel is steel, please confirm with your insurance agent if they will require ultrasonic thickness testing of the hull and if they have specific requirements. Please contact us to discuss. Ultrasonic testing requires at least a full day in the yard and is an additional charge.
  • If your survey includes a sea trial, please keep in mind that this is not a demonstration ride, it is solely for verification of the operation of the vessel and its onboard systems. If you would like to have a demonstration ride, please schedule that with your broker or seller at another time. While we do require an authorized operator on board for the sea trial, the fewer people on board the better.
  • If you would like us to perform additional services such as drawing oil samples, aloft rig inspections, or additional sail inspections (main and one headsail are included) please consult with us in advance.
  • We do not perform destructive testing such as fastener inspection, core sampling, or stringer coring without explicit permission from the vessel owner. Please consult with us in advance if you are interested in these types of tests.

Thank you, and we look forward to surveying your vessel.