A yacht or boat is one of the most expensive items that an individual might ever purchase and yachts can suffer from very expensive problems occasionally. Some of the problems they can suffer from can be horrendously expensive, in some cases, particularly with timber vessels, the repair costs can exceed the value of the vessel. This can also occur with fibreglass although possibly not to the same degree however, there are some areas on a fibreglass boat that, unless you as the buyer are particularly well versed with problems on fibreglass boats, can be equally expensive to repair. Areas such as cored decks for instance can be so expensive as to make some vessels uneconomic to repair. In this regard you might find this survey template for either timber or fibreglass very useful in the first instance when you look at a vessel and this might help you decide as to whether you need a full professional survey or not. Do not forget that you may well want to insure your vessel and if that is the case, nearly all vessels over a certain value will require an insurance survey before an insurance company will accept cover. If that is the case then why risk buying a boat without a survey if you are forced to have a survey immediately that you have bought it to get insurance. You may well wish that you had taken the opportunity to get the survey before you paid for the boat. At very minimum, you may well be able to negotiate a new price based on the survey before you bought it, you will have to pay after you bought it.
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Survey advantages.There are considerable advantages to having a survey. Perhaps the biggest disadvantage is the initial cost however, from that point onwards most reliable and accurate surveys will stand you in good stead for many years. The reason for this is that on the surveys that I undertake this will give you a guide for the ownership and maintenance of the vessel for many years to come. The report will highlight urgent areas but also indicates areas that will be satisfactory for a year or so and then need some attention and other items that may be relevant in four or five years’ time. This gives an owner peace of mind for many years to come if they take notice of the comments within the report. When you come to sell the vessel then provided you have acknowledged the items and comments within the original report, you would not expect any major surprises when an alternative surveyor goes through the boat for a new buyer.
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So many professional people can be so difficult to approach and when you speak to some, they can seem very aloof. I guarantee you will not be disappointed if you take the time to call or email.
Free advice
More than happy to discuss any issues you may have about boats or surveys. I will always try to offer sound advice free of charge without any financial strings attached. If I think i can save you money on insurance surveys I will try there are always alternative options on Insurance surveys that many surveyors are reluctant to tell you.
I also own a boat
Dalrymple is a 12 ton Hillyard that I have owned since 1996. I know the problems timber boats can suffer from, I also know how to repair them and can undertake these repairs. This means I can identify these problems on other timber boats.
This knowledge on how to repair all types of vessel comes from the experience of actually working on and with boats and repairing them professionally.
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A Lifetime around boats.
I have been professional marine surveyor for 20 plus years. I am an appointed MCA surveyor working on behalf of SCMS and Mecal which services the fishing community.
The MCA require all fishing vessels, new or nexisting to meet with a minimum standar.
Fishing vessels have to be surveyed for build quality at stages during vessel construction.
Further inspections regarding safety and seaworthiness throughout their working life are also required. Fishing is considered one of the most dangerous occupations. The MCA survey Standards are demanding.
A lifetime around boats and construction.
My background comes from mechanical engineering and the paint spray industry.
Early 70s I gained experience designing and building the GRP Magician class sailing dinghy. This was a one-off design that was built to compete with the Mirror Dinghy.
This led to a greater understanding of GRP as a material, and has proved a great advantage in assessing modern boat building methods, and the pitfalls of poor design and building controls.
We are reputable marine
surveyors with professional indemnity and public liability Insurance.
Not all surveyors offer you this valuable protection.
We have a reputation of providing an affordable comprehensive service that is second to none.
I have hundreds of surveys on file
Call me to have a no-obligation chat about your potential purchase or problems with your own boat.