Save $$$$$ in survey fees

Exactly. You may not get all your answers, but you'll learn what the broker or owner knows and doesn't know. Much cheaper to find out a boat is wrong for you by phone or email than by flying cross country...especially with surveyor.

Yep, "Puffing." We do ask a lot of pointed questions. Then you ask about invoices for maintenance and repairs, then the amnesia starts.

No answer is also an answer.

The first questions to ask the broker before you even begin to ask questions about the boat:

When were the pictures taken?
When was the last time you were on the boat?
When was the last time the owner was onboard?
When was the last time the boat left the dock?

Judy

Good, but pictures always look good, often the brokers are half a country away from the boat, and the boat may be in storage (winter or otherwise). Do you have detailed maintenance logs and do you know of any deficiencies would be others.

How about questions like this for Pre survey?
Like Judy recommends, how old are the pictures?
What are the know issues/problems? We all know there are issues/problems on all vessels. as NYCAP indicated a no answer is telling here.
Is there a ships log?
Is there a maintenance log?

As many have indicated these are the logical questions a listing broker should be diligent about in the first place.

Good advice. The bold section I highlighted is where opinions vary. Lets say you run the boat 5 days in advance and find issues. What kind of repairs do you think would be done in 5 days. Do you want the owner finding the cheapest way to fix things in a hurry? My opinion is go do a personal inspection. If you like everything, schedule a sea trial and survey on same day. Negotiate price again, after you see the survey findings, and get estimates for repairs how you would want it done. That way the repairs aren't rushed and you can use a yard you trust.

By the time you do that same day sea trial and survey, you re already out a couple of thousand dollars. I ve always done what Judy suggests... a sea trial and if the boat passes then we move to survey. You don’t want to pay surveyors you find out the boat has a nasty vibration, runs hot etc.

If something comes up in the pre survey sea trial, sellers fixes it, delays the survey or you reject the boat. Any repair will be checked by surveyor anyway

Summary from Judy & Pascal makes a lot of sense. Save on the short haul/survey if the seatrial does not go as desired.

How do you run the seatrial?

I don't know what the running temp is for various engines, 170 degrees F is common?
I don't know what RPM should be at WOT on various motot/grear/prop/hulls, is that a check point on the seatrial?
I don't know the bow height at cruise on various hulls and whether full trim is required, is that on the list?

So for me, I would need to hire a Captain who is familial with the vessel and has a good check list to do this with, no?

Most of the things Like Max RPM, etc will be part of the survey sea trial. The point of a pre survey sea trial is to make sure the boat runs well enough to warrant the costs


Years ago when I bought my 53, I saw a few lemons. Two of them where described by two different brokers as turn key ready to cruise. Neither were... one had dead batteries when I went to look at it... the other clearly hadn’t moved in a few years. ER was full of crap like brooms, vacuum cleaner etc

If a boat isn't exercised regularly, there is a good chance it will blow a hose when run hard, and of course that happens on survey with buyers aboard. A blown hydraulic hose not only aborts the survey, may require a tow, makes a big fat mess, and is almost a guarantee to be a deal killer - all for a hose. Has happened to me more than once. So that's why I like a 5 day window, not to do major repairs that will turn up on survey, but to best assure completing the survey.

Sounds like something the owner and broker should handle, before the official sea trial survey. The buyer could ride along and do a personal inspection verify how it runs. A good idea, we have done sea trials when the boat had problems and was not really ready and spent thousands only to decline the boat.