Here are a few of the most common findings I run across when doing surveys. Most of these items are recommended by the American Boat& Yacht Council (ABYC) or they are required by the US Coast Guard, some may not be officially required or recommended like the Smoke or Carbon Monoxide Detectors. They just make good [...]
A properly prepared vessel will allow the surveyor more time for attention to detail in a Pre-Purchase inspection. If you make the effort to work through the broker or current owner to be sure the boat is ready to go, you will receive a better inspection. All miscellaneous gear and personal items not being sold with the boat should be removed. Cabins [...]
By all means! If you are on hand, I can show you things that may be 'show stoppers', or perhaps just need to be explained a little more clearly in person rather than through an email or a late in the day telephone call. At the very least, I can break away from my checks and [...]
I start a sea trial by first inventorying the safety gear. Life vests, fire extinguishers, etc. I document the tankage, the current condition of the bilge (are there any fluids currently below the engines (leaks), how big are they. We then start one engine at a time, monitoring how long it takes to start, the color [...]
You wouldn't buy a car without checking the tires or looking under the hood would you? The soundness of the hull is what keeps the vessel afloat, and there are thousands of things that boats can hit or run aground on, not to mention what nature can do on its own without human intervention. When you [...]
I work strictly for you, my client. Many brokers maintain a list of area surveyors that they provide to their buyers as an aid in finding a surveyor. When I survey a boat, it is without prejudice or bias in anyway. To use an old phrase, "I don't have a horse in the race." The boat will [...]
My general coverage area is eastern Tennessee, western North and South Carolina, northern Georgia and Alabama and southwestern Virginia. It averages out to any lake or facility within a 200 mile radius of Knoxville.
You hire a Marine Surveyor for the same reason you have a home inspected before you purchase it. You want to know everything that is wrong BEFORE you make the purchase. If there are problems you want to know what they are and their ramifications so you can make the decision of whether to proceed with the [...]
Anyone can proclaim themselves to be a "Marine Surveyor" there is no government licensing or oversight of the trade. All it takes is a business card and 'Ta-Dar' they're a practicing Marine Surveyor! To both combat this practice and promote the quality of the profession, SAMS®, (Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors®) and NAMS® (The National Association [...]
I perform Pre-Purchase, Insurance or Condition and Value (C&V), and Damage Surveys on all types of recreational vessels (less than 150 ft).