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Re: T&T: Surveyor knowledge

From: (no name) (no email)
Date: Fri Feb 01 2008 - 10:12:01 EST

  • Next message: (no name): "Re: T&T: Buying under asking price."

    In a message dated 2/1/08 12:03:15 AM, Don writes:

    > There were a lot of other large issues that didn't take long to surface
    > after I had bought the boat. Bottom line, next time, is that I will spend
    as
    > much time as the owner will permit climbing all over the boat before the
    > surveyor comes. I'm not even close to knowledgeable, but do have eyes and a
    brain.
    >
    It is hard for we mere mortals to recognize that surveyors are not universal
    experts. When I bought my Willard in Florida a number of years ago, the
    insurance company insisted on a surveyor from a recognized agency and
    recommended
    that he be SAMS certified. SAMS sent out a very nice young man who crawled
    through every nook and cranny of the boat, did a full hull inspection while
    the
    boat was on the lift, and an in-water cruise test. The boat passed, as far as
    the
    insurance company was concerned - but he sure missed a lot.

    The floor was damp, attributed by the surveyor to a leaky water hose fitting
    but in fact due to leaky windows and hatches. There was some oil in the bilge,
    attributed to a sloppy oil change, but really due to a bad transmission seal.
    Because SAMS classified the Willard as a trawler and sent out a trawler guy,
    the surveyor disregarded the fact that the boat was a motorsailer and
    neglected to conduct a test under sail.

    As a result, the surveyor totally missed the fact that the chain plate
    fastenings were rotted and that if a sail were raised in a strong wind, the
    whole
    mast and rigging would have collapsed on deck. He also missed the fact that
    sail
    handling gear was minimal, the spreader sockets had cracks, there was no
    topping lift, etc.

    SAMS excuse was that the insurance company didn't care about that sort of
    thing.
    All they wanted to know is if the hull was sound, the engine worked, and
    safety requirements were met. If I wanted the sailing gear inspected, they
    would
    send out a sail surveyor (at extra cost).

    So don't expect the surveyor to be a universal expert in all aspects of
    boating. If the boat has any unusual features, a metal or wooden hull or
    motorsailing capabilities, warn the surveyor or agency in advance.

    I wonder how a modern surveyor would evaluate the "African Queen?"

    Larry Z

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