Never send a boy....
I believe in hiring a professional to inspect and appraise purchases such as homes, boats, airplanes etc.
The primary reason is simple... I fall in love and I overlook important items... In this case though, the Surveyor's task was to be my eyes and ears, because I both this boat sight unseen. That may seem ridiculous, but after seeing a couple models of a standard production boat, photos can tell you a lot, and a good survey will tell you the rest.
The second reason I hired a professional is that honestly I just don't have experience in anything marine related. I just needed to protect myself from myself. Mistakes are expensive. Boat mistakes are very expensive. The difference between a winch that needs to be greased and replacing the winch is incredible. Hire a pro... never send a boy to do a man's job. (A woman would have been fine too.) They just needed to be S.A.M.S. or A.B.Y.C. certified and have experience in the type of boat I was looking for.
My situation was a little unique as the boat was in winter storage, and a sea trial would not be possible until mid-May... Several months after the financing would be complete.
I was referred to David the surveyor, and I sent him the following email:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dave
Tony XXXXX recommended you
Here is the situation
I need a pre-purchase condition and evaluation survey, completed for a 1989 O'Day 322, that I recently purchased.
She is in storage and is located at:
The Boat Place, Inc.3 Beach StreetXRD West Broadway (25A)Port Jefferson, New York 11777-1300
http://www.theboatplaceinc.com/homeport.html
This is my first boat, so I am relying on the your abilities as a surveyor to evaluate her condition (including the auxiliary engine and transmission) and value. I believe her current owner has expressed a pride of ownership and hope you'll find over the past 7 years he has maintained her well.
As the owner is conscientious, he has requested he be there during the survey. I don't think he will get in the way, his primary concern (and now that he mentioned it, mine) is overheating the engine due to not running water during the engine inspection. He will make sure hoses and running water are available.
He will be available 3 days in the near future
Wednesday March 17th afternoon
Friday March 19th afternoon
Saturday March 20th anytime
Here is what I need from you in determining the surveyor I select.
1. Your general survey experience is not questioned, but as you are my eyes and ears I am looking for someone with:
A. Experience with late 80's 30 -35' sailboats, particularly O'day 322's
B. Experience with the small Yanmar 18 hp diesel and transmissions of that era.
C. Experience at surveying without a sea trial (She is high and dry until late May)
2. What will be inspected during the survey.
3. Total cost of survey.
4. Your ability to do the survey on one of these three dates and turn around the results in a relatively short period of time.
I look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Sincerely,
Tom Edwards
Springfield NE 68059 (long story)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
His reply the following day
Tom,
Thanks for asking. That's another beer for Tony on me.
I am currently available on the 17th and the 19th. I think scheduling for the 17th is best, because if something happens, we still have two days to fall back on. Do you also plan to be there?
I have surveyed many of these boats, and sailboats are my specialty. The engine is a very common one, and I am familiar with it as well. We can run the engine on land using a number of different possible bucket and hose arrangements, with no danger of overheating. We can even do it without running water by recirculating the exhaust cooling water back into the engine.
Surveying without a sea trial has some limitations, although it is done all the time. The engine can't be run under load, for one thing. We also might be limited in the testing of the water system, if the boat is still winterized. Some of the instruments cannot be fully tested - depth sounder, speedometer, autopilot. The survey report will list these limitations. An escrow account might be a good idea, in case anything needs repair once the boat is launched.
In the course of the survey I will look at everything that can be seen without dismantling the boat. I start with the basic structure of the boat, using a moisture meter and plastic hammer on the hull and deck to check for signs of moisture, delaminations, voids, repairs, and damage. I also check the interior structure - floor timbers, bulkheads, secondary bonds, etc. Then I go through the boat's systems one by one - engine, exhaust, fuel, water, electrical (12 volt and 120 volt), electronics, safety, rig and sails. This all takes most of the day.
I will give you a verbal report on the day of the survey, with a written report within two days.
The cost is $18/ft., or $576.
Dave
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I asked Dave to send me a sample of his work and it seemed very well done. I did like the fact he rated some items on a scale.
And so it began!
I believe in hiring a professional to inspect and appraise purchases such as homes, boats, airplanes etc.
The primary reason is simple... I fall in love and I overlook important items... In this case though, the Surveyor's task was to be my eyes and ears, because I both this boat sight unseen. That may seem ridiculous, but after seeing a couple models of a standard production boat, photos can tell you a lot, and a good survey will tell you the rest.
The second reason I hired a professional is that honestly I just don't have experience in anything marine related. I just needed to protect myself from myself. Mistakes are expensive. Boat mistakes are very expensive. The difference between a winch that needs to be greased and replacing the winch is incredible. Hire a pro... never send a boy to do a man's job. (A woman would have been fine too.) They just needed to be S.A.M.S. or A.B.Y.C. certified and have experience in the type of boat I was looking for.
My situation was a little unique as the boat was in winter storage, and a sea trial would not be possible until mid-May... Several months after the financing would be complete.
I was referred to David the surveyor, and I sent him the following email:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dave
Tony XXXXX recommended you
Here is the situation
I need a pre-purchase condition and evaluation survey, completed for a 1989 O'Day 322, that I recently purchased.
She is in storage and is located at:
The Boat Place, Inc.3 Beach StreetXRD West Broadway (25A)Port Jefferson, New York 11777-1300
http://www.theboatplaceinc.com/homeport.html
This is my first boat, so I am relying on the your abilities as a surveyor to evaluate her condition (including the auxiliary engine and transmission) and value. I believe her current owner has expressed a pride of ownership and hope you'll find over the past 7 years he has maintained her well.
As the owner is conscientious, he has requested he be there during the survey. I don't think he will get in the way, his primary concern (and now that he mentioned it, mine) is overheating the engine due to not running water during the engine inspection. He will make sure hoses and running water are available.
He will be available 3 days in the near future
Wednesday March 17th afternoon
Friday March 19th afternoon
Saturday March 20th anytime
Here is what I need from you in determining the surveyor I select.
1. Your general survey experience is not questioned, but as you are my eyes and ears I am looking for someone with:
A. Experience with late 80's 30 -35' sailboats, particularly O'day 322's
B. Experience with the small Yanmar 18 hp diesel and transmissions of that era.
C. Experience at surveying without a sea trial (She is high and dry until late May)
2. What will be inspected during the survey.
3. Total cost of survey.
4. Your ability to do the survey on one of these three dates and turn around the results in a relatively short period of time.
I look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Sincerely,
Tom Edwards
Springfield NE 68059 (long story)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
His reply the following day
Tom,
Thanks for asking. That's another beer for Tony on me.
I am currently available on the 17th and the 19th. I think scheduling for the 17th is best, because if something happens, we still have two days to fall back on. Do you also plan to be there?
I have surveyed many of these boats, and sailboats are my specialty. The engine is a very common one, and I am familiar with it as well. We can run the engine on land using a number of different possible bucket and hose arrangements, with no danger of overheating. We can even do it without running water by recirculating the exhaust cooling water back into the engine.
Surveying without a sea trial has some limitations, although it is done all the time. The engine can't be run under load, for one thing. We also might be limited in the testing of the water system, if the boat is still winterized. Some of the instruments cannot be fully tested - depth sounder, speedometer, autopilot. The survey report will list these limitations. An escrow account might be a good idea, in case anything needs repair once the boat is launched.
In the course of the survey I will look at everything that can be seen without dismantling the boat. I start with the basic structure of the boat, using a moisture meter and plastic hammer on the hull and deck to check for signs of moisture, delaminations, voids, repairs, and damage. I also check the interior structure - floor timbers, bulkheads, secondary bonds, etc. Then I go through the boat's systems one by one - engine, exhaust, fuel, water, electrical (12 volt and 120 volt), electronics, safety, rig and sails. This all takes most of the day.
I will give you a verbal report on the day of the survey, with a written report within two days.
The cost is $18/ft., or $576.
Dave
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I asked Dave to send me a sample of his work and it seemed very well done. I did like the fact he rated some items on a scale.
And so it began!
Buying Our First Boat
For Marilyn and I, it was time to stop dreaming and start sailing. We hope the lessons we learn in selecting, purchasing, financing, and finally sailing Bo'Daycious will be helpful to you.
For Marilyn and I, it was time to stop dreaming and start sailing. We hope the lessons we learn in selecting, purchasing, financing, and finally sailing Bo'Daycious will be helpful to you.
