I don't think that the survey is invalid if not paid for by the OP, since it was paid for earlier by the buyer who supposedly didn't have financing. However, it would be easy for the surveyor to say that there was no damage evident when he performed his survey, alleging that the damage happened after his survey. Realistically, the marina could have dropped it on that side and caused the damage after the original survey, for all we know (and yes I have seen that). That said, I can't imagine (if I were surveying this boat) simply forwarding my previous survey to any client without making a trip to attest that nothing has changed with regard to the boat's physical condition with 30 days or so having passed since I last put my eyes on it.

Maybe you could post the survey (purchaser name redacted) and engine hours then and now.

Be prepared for some likely character assassination from interested parties. (always happens)

This is a bad example of what continues to plague the sport. Given the previous history of LCM you would think they would be doing it better and cleaner than anyone at this point. Sad.

On another note, I had Ed Cozzi do my survey but had Jason Ventura do a complete mechanical at the same time and they compared notes on site. It cost a bit extra but it sure was thorough.

here - 5 hr min to 8 hours for a indepth survey for a 25 ft and down boat with a single engine is a must. Yes you are going to pay for it but well worth it from someone that knows what to look for. Twin engine boat double all of that timeframe and possible even more especially a 6 figure boat on up.

With that said if the surveyor finds the deal breaker before those timeframes - and or cover ups included. then survey person should make phone call to buyer and discuss - possible deal breaker, the surveyor gets paid his min charges and expenses.

I was always told to get 2 surveys, so I did.

One mechanical.
One structural.


Ask for referrals. Any surveyor worth a crap would be proud to list his past customers. I called 2 of them on my boat What I don't understand is why people who buy boats out of state or close by, don't spend a few bucks and be there when the surveyor does his job. Most people I know are present for a house survey. Spending 140K on a boat and not spending $ 500.00 for a same day round trip flight ?? Don't get that. And based on where the damage is located, I would be worried about hull integrity. Which I am sure your guy is looking into.

So sorry for your hassles, but this is a lesson for future boat buyers.

Smitty

I feel your pain 1000%. We purchased a 40 Skater from a dealership. The owner was a multi-time offshore champ and what I thought, a friend of mine. We had a pristine 36' cat, and since the offshore champion just purchased the company of said 36', it was going to work out great. He said, and I quote, "you will not find a cleaner Skater on the market". Another good friend of mine echoed his statement. Matter a fact, if you search, 40 Skater, you will probably run across a thread with someone asking questions.

I thought, wow, a 40' Skater with Sterlings!!!! It is a long story and I won't bore you, (unless you want to hear it) but it could not have been in worse shape if it sank. The worst thing is, people knew its history, my friends included, and didn't tell me because one friend owed another friend money.

I, like you, took it to the best in the business (Skater) to get it fixed. The money that was spent and the nightmare it was, ruined the lake for me forever. My family and I are not wealthy business owners, but there was enough there to keep that boat in tip top shape for years of boating fun. I didn't even think of a survey, why would I? I have a offshore champion and another heavy hitter in the cat market telling me it's perfect. What do I have to worry about?

I'm sorry for your issues, I truly am, because I know how bad it tears you up.

Sorry about the bum deal you got.

QUESTION: Is there any service that tracks damage to a boat by using the hull number? Do insurance claims get tracked? Something like CARFAX, (which isn't perfect, but better than nothing.) Just a thought.....

Personally I like "marketing justice." We are in a small industry, word travels fast and economic concequences could be devistating.

From Wikipedia - Under common law, to constitute defamation, a claim must generally be false and have been made to someone other than the person defamed.

IMHO - posting here is the first step towards helping others prevent this from happening to them. I don't know about you, but I tend to shop based on reputation.

2nd step - I do not do business with any of the parties named above so I cannot boycot them or spread the idea beyond this post, but, if you are in a position to take your business elsewhere, you may want to consider it. There seem to be so many bad apples in this industry that I would suspect that the good apples are especially disturbed by these stories. I wonder what would be involved in developing an "angie's list" for our industry?

So sad to see this behavior perpetuated time and time again. So sorry to hear this, maybe they will make some sort of restitution

Very sorry to hear you are going through this. Am I following this correctly?
You used a survey from a surveyor that you did not hire and did your own personal inspection of the boat prior to executing the paperwork on the sale?