A CAUTIONARY TALE…
For many of us, a boat represents one of the largest purchases of our lives. Sometimes they approach or exceed the value of our home. The value we place on boats is tied up in our hopes and dreams for what enjoyment it will bring us, our family, and our friends.
It’s a portal to the proverbial endless summer.
The emotional attachment to our dreams can easily cloud our objectiveness when making an offer to purchase. I can’t tell you how often I have heard, “I hope you don’t find anything wrong with the boat,” from a prospective buyer.
Wrong... this is exactly when you want to find everything flawed with the boat. Your financial and physical well-being may depend on what is discovered during a survey.
The desire for a clean, fast transaction has distorted the expectations of a pleasure craft marine survey. Many independent surveyors will provide a pre-purchase survey for a fifty-foot vessel, including hauling for hull inspection and sea trial, within one day. Yes, this can be done, but at the cost of being thorough.
Let’s look at what you could give up for expediency using the sample survey below.
It’s a portal to the proverbial endless summer.
The emotional attachment to our dreams can easily cloud our objectiveness when making an offer to purchase. I can’t tell you how often I have heard, “I hope you don’t find anything wrong with the boat,” from a prospective buyer.
Wrong... this is exactly when you want to find everything flawed with the boat. Your financial and physical well-being may depend on what is discovered during a survey.
The desire for a clean, fast transaction has distorted the expectations of a pleasure craft marine survey. Many independent surveyors will provide a pre-purchase survey for a fifty-foot vessel, including hauling for hull inspection and sea trial, within one day. Yes, this can be done, but at the cost of being thorough.
Let’s look at what you could give up for expediency using the sample survey below.
Sample Survey Information
The sample survey linked below was requested to ensure the vessel was ready to put on the market for sale.
The very experienced owners wanted to ensure that any offer to purchase they received would not be derailed by a survey with too many unsatisfactory findings; therefore, they requested a preemptive survey from Vessel Assess.
When aboard their vessel for the survey, they commented that Vessel Assess performed the most thorough survey they had ever seen. They commented that their boat was in the same condition as when they bought it and that they had received a survey with no notable findings.
They were shocked when reviewing the Vessel Assess survey report. The Findings & Recommendations section alone was 22 pages. They said they had no idea that there was such a contrast between how surveyors conduct inspections and what they may find. It is indeed a cautionary tale. When do you want to find the faults with your boat; before or after you pay for it?
The very experienced owners wanted to ensure that any offer to purchase they received would not be derailed by a survey with too many unsatisfactory findings; therefore, they requested a preemptive survey from Vessel Assess.
When aboard their vessel for the survey, they commented that Vessel Assess performed the most thorough survey they had ever seen. They commented that their boat was in the same condition as when they bought it and that they had received a survey with no notable findings.
They were shocked when reviewing the Vessel Assess survey report. The Findings & Recommendations section alone was 22 pages. They said they had no idea that there was such a contrast between how surveyors conduct inspections and what they may find. It is indeed a cautionary tale. When do you want to find the faults with your boat; before or after you pay for it?
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
The American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) has a nice tutorial about the types of marine surveys, what is included in each survey, and how to select a surveyor. Click the link below to be redirected to their site.
.jpg)