Why Should You Use An Independent Marine Surveyor?

So you believe that you have found the ideal yacht of your dreams?

The next point to decide is whether you need to have a marine survey?

Well unless your Insurer requires to see a recent independent survey then the decision remains with you.

Do you have to spend your well earned savings on a yacht survey report when the current owner states that it has been serviced regardless of expense. Often you hear it stated "This sailing yacht is so well looked after that it spends seven months of every year out of the water".

If the current owner or broker claims that this sailing yacht has had hardly any use over the last few years I would be very worried.The above statements start to ring many alarm bells in my mind.

The plain truth is that the majority of power boats are very rarely maintained properly. This is particularly true when they are not regularly sailed. Lack of use is the worst possible thing that you can do to the engine and running gear. Where a yacht has had hardly any use over the last few seasons, this simply means that this boat has had no care and attention and therefore lacks the required maintenance.

A boat with little maintenance will almost certainly go wrong when you first start to use her. If the broker or owner have a survey report but it is not up to date what has occured to the yacht since the report was commissioned? It could well have been crashed, sunk or all manner of things could have arisen, so rely on an out of date report at your own risk.

So how do you choose a marine surveyor? You should find out what experience this surveyor has in yacht repairs,maintenance and ownership? Is he a qualified marine engineer and how long has he been working with yachts of this size and type?

There are some boat surveyors who have come into this profession following retirement and if this is the case
you should ask them how long they have been in practice and what did they use to do previously.

Ask your selected surveyor if he will be able to let you have a comprehensive examination on the condition of the Engine/s and the related equipment and machinery?

Many will be unable simply
because they are not Marine Engineers and so you will not be having a total boat survey no matter what you are told.

Now what is it that a top surveyor should be looking for in a boat? Ok we will assume for
our purpose that the v fashion coats essel in question is out of the water, standing chocked up in the boat yard, and is made from GRP. Firstly examine the deck and check for any sign of damage such as scratches,stress cracks,filler and repairs? Has it been repainted and if so why?

A yacht under 10 years of age should not have required to be painted and if so it could be to hide evidence of impact damage.

If there are indentations in the surface this could occur because the rigging is far to
rigid and the resulting strain has pulled the topsides in.

Below the water line many people are concerned about Osmosis.

The simple
truth is that any material left for long periods under water will suffer from some sort of degradation, steel rusts, wood rots GRP can suffer from Osmosis. GRP is fine glass strands which are spun into matting and then impregnated with a resin which when hardened forms your moulded hull.

The colour of a sailing yacht is contained with in the pigment which is applied to the Gel coat. This pigment is often white but can in fact be any colour.

So what is it that can go wrong with this strong material?

Water may overtime pass through the outer pigment and then pass into the glass tubes which then react with the chemicals and blisters start to form.

Usually osmosis begins to form a rash and then over a period of time they become much larger. I have seen them as large as 2 pound coins.

If you gently use a stanley knife to burst the outer skin the liquid inside smells sour.

You can also come across Wicking which is when the strands of glass fibre stick out from the hull of the boat and the strands of glass are exposed to the water.

In cases of Wicking water may be drawn into the individual fibres of the glass fibre matting by capillary action therby commencing the process of Osmosis.

Having a survey may be a very good value investment as it may save a lot of expense by revealing any serious problems.