What Are The Different Types Of Boat Survey?
There are various types of marine survey that you can instruct a marine surveyor to perform when examining a vessel.
These fall into the following categories;
Pre purchase survey
A survey prior to buying a boat is probably the most popular of all types of marine survey that are carried out. This type of survey is the most extensive and is to be strongly recommended when purchasing a second hand vessel.
An independent surveyor may well be able to spot problem areas that the ordinary buyer can not easily see. For example crash or stress damage and signs of a poor repair may be some of the things that may be revealed. A marine surveyor will get a very good idea as to how the boat has been maintained and the better it has been maintained the lower the new buyers costs should be. On the other hand if it has not been well maintained then consideration has to be given to future costs in that regard.
A marine survey can also be a good idea when taking delivery of a new vessel depending on the delivery and training service offered by the manufacturer or dealer supplying the new vessel. These days some boats are getting more and more complicated and an inherent fault might not show it self for a year or so. The same might apply if you have had some major work carried out.
A pre purchase survey of a boat will cover the whole structural condition of the vessel inside and out and from top to toe.
This examination would cover inter-alia:
The build and structural integrity of the hull, decks and superstructure.
The propellers and drive systems, whether they be stern drives, shafts or jet propulsion.
The electrical systems including batteries and charging equipment.
The fuel systems including pipe work and tanks.
Fresh water and holding tanks.
Navigation and radar equipment.
Insurance Survey
This type of survey is carried out to enable an insurance company or underwriter to be able to assess if a vessel is an acceptable risk that they are prepared to underwrite. They will not usually require this for a boat of recent construction that comes from a recognised manufacturer. They would certainly require it for older boats and indeed for a brand new boat that was self built or constructed by a relatively unknown boat builder.
With older boats they may ask for a regular survey every few years to ensure that the boat is still a viable and safe proposition.
Naturally they are concerned for the build quality and inherent structural integrity of the vessel. This will be taken into account and compared with the intended purpose. Depending on the sea worthiness of the vessel the insurance company will usually specify which waters the boat may be used on.
Appraisal or valuation survey
This inspection is needed in order to justify what is the fair market value of the boat that is being surveyed. This could be of great importance if the boat is damaged beyond economic repair as it will be the amount that the insurance company will pay out on a total loss claim. It is rare that small boats are a total loss as usually even in extreme conditions they can be salvaged by being beached or towed in. How ever it is not unknown for vessels being towed to sink before they reach a safe haven.
This valuation report could be required for obtaining a marine mortgage, a divorce settlement, inheritance and estate considerations for deceased estates.
As mentioned above an Insurance company will also need to know the true value of the boat that they are insuring and a vessel in tip top condition will have a higher insured value than one that is not.
Vessel damage survey report
This is performed to assess the extent of damage, recommend repairs, estimate the cost of repair, and if requested, consider the possible cause.
Sometimes the insurance company may wish to establish the reason or cause of the accident. For example if damage is as a result of a collision which party is to blame?
It has happened where a boat has hit a submerged object and there are apparently many marine containers and other debris floating around in the sea. It makes you wonder whether a fast power boat should have forward seeking sonar. The sea can be a very dangerous place and this is why it is very important that one plans a proper course and regularly check position by using all means available including global positioning systems.
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