To survey or not to survey?
 

Not to be a cheapskate, but. How much true value w/ a surveyor?
Buying 5 yr old Formula, that appears in very good shape.
Remember SAMS surveyors do not inspect engines or drives. They will moisture check hull, and do a visual on guages, upholstry etc.
I've got a fair amount of experiance on different boats. I've had engines and lots of drives rebuilt and even had a bad/ wet hull on one boat. If a guage or something turns up bad later, no big deal that's part of boating.
The big ticket would be; engines, drives and structural or hull. So the one thing he could do is hull inspection - moisture (no wood) or delam?

Credit union and insurance co will not require.

And if I don't do, what should I do with the big 500 bucks?

Survey Survey Survey..........

And if you find the right NAMS or SAMS surveyor they will survey the motors.

$500 is cheap insurance.

Don't buy a boat without a survey. Period.

survey + complete mecanical inspection. I even pay the mecanic guy to water test it before I buy it when I'm too far to go personnally.

I asked a similar question before I bought my last boat. I asked what the surveyors looked for. Nobody on this board answered the question. I just got smart-ass responses basically calling me an idiot for even asking the question. It kind of pissed me off.
I decided these were probably the same people that get ripped off by the extended warranty on cars. I'll be the one to take the other side of the story. Surveys are for city cats that have no mechanical knowledge. Keep in mind I've never bought a used boat worth over $40k so there was not that much to check out.

J

I would have to say a survey can be a very valuable tool if done by the right person (qualified). I find it is tough finding one that is highly regarded close to where a boat is usually located. I had one done and afterwards learned much more than what the surveyor had actually realized. Granted that was on an older boat.

Goood luck with it

As a broker, we always recommend going for a survey but make sure its the right survey and surveyor. If they check everything from hull, equipment, engines etc it may cost you on the survey.....

How much for a new engine when you realise you bought a wreck but didnt know it?

I would rather cough up the money for pre-purchase inspections and then have peace of mind cruising for the summer.

Never EVER without a survey. Even if you buy the boat, you will learn things about it from a perspective that only a few, well trained, guys can provide you. Insurance and knowledge. Best $500-ish bucks you can spend.

SURVEY--SURVEY--SURVEY I thought the same way about it as you have explained and I got burnt bad--bad. The guy was real nice seemed real honest and said all the right things. I had alot of conversations on the phone and e-mails. He sucked me in good. If I had spent the 500.00 I would have saved myself over 10k and many headaches. Don't trust anyone get the servey. OH I forgot!! It was a member on OSO that got me!!!!

Do yourself a favor and get a survey and have the engines checked out.

saved me from buying a beautiful boat a few years ago...that had a rotten transom.

So you guys think I should get the survey? Just kidding! I lined one up after the 3rd reply. And yes its better to know, rather than wonder. Thnks guys.

I know a guy who had a survey done. Found some " minor "
rot and the seller agreed to fix. When done surveyor looked again and said " The boat should be good for many years."

The seller and buyer both agreed that the engines would need to be rebuilt in the near future, and a deal was made.

Near the end of the season one of the engines went, no suprise.

However when the engines were removed this boat had rot
from one end to the other. Stringers , bulkheads , transom
everything. The guy calls the surveyor and tells him what he found. He asks him if he has insurance, and was told that the
only thing he would do for him was refund the cost of the survey. The guy contacts an attorney who tells him he's just
throwing good money after bad.

So what's a survey worth ? And is there some recourse ?

Similar thing happend to me!!!! Boat surveyed solid. But when I pulled the motors at the end of the year. Found a rotted transom. Ended up getting my money back from the surveyor. But costed me the expence of replacing the transom!! Good Question!!!!

A pre-purchase survey is great comfort when "spending" money on a boat.I recently bought a Boat from Michigan and the seller was a complete,absolute mumbling moron.I could never get a concrete answer to any of my questions as he was a low talker and would dance around my questions.He had the boat that I've always wanted and after 5 weeks of talking with this dumb azz I decided to hire a surveyor instead of flying out to Michigan.

This surveyor discribed this boat dead balls on accurate,according to his opinions.The surveyor said the boat is a "diamond in the rough".Long story short,I drove out to get the boat I've always wanted and the survey was fairly accurate.....the boat was in better condition than I thought it was.

Get a survey prior to spending cash.

Survey is important, sometimes you may over look something because you want everything to be right. Its a good second opinion. Plus when you go to sell the boat next year, you can give them the survey.

No one, including a surveyor, has a crystal ball or X-ray vision. Properly-used moisture meter & physical sounding will uncover almost all rot/delamination, IF the surveyor knows what he's looking for. Your surveyor needs to be familiar with the type of boat being surveyed, or it IS a waste-of-money. Lay-up style/construction methods, manufacturer history, previous owner history can all help paint a reasonably accurate picture. For references, call a ( another) dealer in the same region as the boat you're considering purchasing. They should be able to provide some contact info on reputable/knowledgable surveyors...call them all(surveyors) and see who you communicate with the best.
Hugh

Hugh........I agree, no one can find everything or have x-ray
vision.

My question is still........when they miss everything and tell
you its all good. You're paying for a professional service,
what is a persons recourse?....

Do they carry errors and omissions insurance?
Should you get a copy of their certificate of insurance with your survey?

Maybe I should start another sererate thread to find answers.

Mike

Seems to me all there really is to get concerned about on these go boats are the motors and drives. Get some compression and leak downs and an evaluation by a mechanic on the drives and you are 95 % there, This assumes you know how to identify a beat up boat and one that has been well cared for on your own.
Spend the money on the tests not the visuals.