Details of boat added to post #5.....

I did post this in Regional as well, but just in case--this gets a little more traffic...

Looking at a performance boat in the Nashville area. I still don't know the exact city/town, but do know it's "45 minutes from Nashville".

Anyone have any experience with a surveyor they would recommend in this area?? We are excited about the boat, but nervous as heck too because it's a lot of money for us and would like to avoid getting burned, I know y'all know. I still have not seen the boat in person, I am at least 700 miles away.

Thank you in advance for your help, this site has provided us with tons of info we likely would have learned the hard way

I would post some details to see if anyone is familiar with the boat and give the exact location. There is a pretty tight group of power boaters in that area, someone will know the boat. They will be able to point you to a surveyor as well. Good luck!

I would recommend having an accredited surveyor look at your boat, such as a NAMS or SAMS. You can go to either accreditation's website and pull up surveyors by state. Here are some for the TN area that I found from SAMS. You will pay, on average, $12 - $15 per linear foot. It's expensive but well worth it. The report you get back is very in-depth and will list all the items wrong with the boat in the recommendations section. IT will also establish a value to ensure that your purchase price is in line with current market on the boat. Also, if the boat is over 10 years of age, your insurance company will likely need it to issue a policy as well.




SAMS Surveyors:


John B. Chilton III - Accredited Marine Surveyor 2005
Southwind Marine Services
998 Thompson Road
Pegram, Tennessee 37143
615-646-0491 -O, 615-419-6462 -Cell, 615-646-3528 -Fax
[email protected]
Specialty: Yachts, Small Craft


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C. Stanley Johnson - Accredited Marine Surveyor 1998
Riverport Marine Surveying Inc.
286 Stonewall Street
Memphis Tennessee 38112-5143
901-278-2161 -O, 901-485-2072 -Cell, 901-278-2276 -Fax
[email protected]
Specialty: Yachts, Small Craft, Cargo, Tug & Barge


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James T. McKay - Accredited Marine Surveyor 2009
Yacht Surveyors Inc.
153 Gordon Drive
Ten Mile, Tennessee 37880
865-376-2726 -O & R, 865-567-1623 -Cell, 865-376-2726 -Fax
[email protected]
Specialty: Yachts, Small Craft


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Ronald E. Silvera - Accredited Marine Surveyor 1993
R. E. Silvera & Associates, Inc.
7913 Livingston Drive
Knoxville, Tennessee 37919-5503
954-605-0080 -O, 865-851-8652 -Fax
[email protected]
Specialty: Yachts, Small Craft


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Charles (Buddy) Stewart - Accredited Marine Surveyor 2004
Captain Bud's Marine Services
324 Hazeltine Drive
Gallatin, Tennessee 37066
615-390-7024 -O & Mobile, 615-452-8878 -R & Fax
[email protected]
Specialty: Yachts, Small Craft


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David A. Timpani - Accredited Marine Surveyor 1995
Timpani Marine Survey
500 Old Highway 31E
Bethpage, Tennessee 37022
615-206-0370 -O, 615-206-7262 -Fax
[email protected]
Specialty: Yachts, Small Craft


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John F. Walker, Jr. - Accredited Marine Surveyor 1999
Walker Marine Services
9206 Cherokee Lane
Brentwood, Tennessee 37027-7431
615-883-5600 -O & Mobile
[email protected]
Specialty: Yachts, Small Craft


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John Winter - Surveyor Associate
John Winter Yacht
P. O. Box 7
Sweetwater, Tennessee 37874
423-836-9171 -O, 865-635-1282 -Cell
[email protected]


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Gary R. Wright - Accredited Marine Surveyor 2002
American Marine Specialists
2425 N. Shore Acres Road
Soddy Daisy, Tennessee 37379
423-451-0128 -O & R, 423-332-7672 -Fax
[email protected]
Specialty: Yachts, Small Craft

If you give details of the boat, one of us from the area may know some info about it. I'd recommend asking about it in the MCPA club forum on this site. That might save you from having to pay a surveyor if some red flags come up.

Wow, thank you everyone for your quick replies!

The boat is in Mt Juliet, TN.

2002 Sonic 31SS, 496HOs, Bravo X, 310hrs, Eagle triple trailer, shore power, TV/VCR, lots of options to make it more overnight friendly, or marina friendly, but no a/c.

Have seen several pics that look good, but we all know.....

know the boat personally - hate to see it leaving town but i dont think you will match the boats overall shape and performance for its price. its a wave crusher with a very user friendly cuddy for its size and still runs over 70mph gps bone stock. its a lot of bang for the buck - buy a cheap plane ticket down and make a weekend of it in Nashville so you can water test it etc. We also have a performance shop for powerboats that you could talk to about having some tests/inspection done - EB Marine, and i believe hes familiar with the boat.

good luck!

I'm familiar with the boat as well. It has been well cared for and probably not used much over the last couple of years. I'm not aware of any trouble that he's had with it.

I'd be careful about jumping straight to a surveyor. If you do, be sure he knows high performance boats. As previously mentioned, you could contact EB Marine and see what Eric would charge to check it out for you. I would trust his opinion on a "go fast" over any boat surveyor. He's a great mechanic, a stand up guy, and just flat out "knows" boats.

I second the suggestion to come drive it. Unless you've ridden in (or preferably driven) a 31SS, you may not even be sure it's what you want. Plus, if you buy it, the most valuable lesson you can get on driving, trailering, etc... is from the previous owner.

Good luck!

TCBoss302, WakezoneINS, chewymalone & will22,

Thank you for the input. I have done some more searching with the info you provided and Eric at EB sounds to be exactly the person I have been looking for!

This is by far the most useful and friendly forum I have ever joined. Would be great to get on the water and have a great day on the boats together.

Dave

Dave,
I'm the owner of the boat. Been working alot and have not been on here all week. Will22 called me today and said you were asking questions on here about the boat. If you have any more questions you can pm me on here. Hope you can come down and test run it you won't be disappointed.
Corey

Had a feeling you were on here! PM sent.....