Looking to buy a boat? Buy the survey first!

[Patriot]

A boat can look purdy on the outside but a survey could save thousands in unseen damage.

Every screw that goes into a boat, will allow water to penitrate.  And a simple moisture meter will detect this. If the brackets on a swim plateform are underwater, you can bet that there is water damage. If the raw wood on weep holes in stringers & bulkheads are not sealed (Penn Yan) you will find water damage. That raw wood is like a sponge. Sorry, just telling it like it is. If you had new stringers or bulkheads put in your boat, make sure you seal the wood around the weepholes. If you put any screw into your boat, use some kind of sealant to prevent water from entering.

Average survey costs $20 per foot but well worth it.

At the very least, buy a $400 moisture meter

[bandrus1]

And dont come here crying if you dont!!

[Silver Fox]

Do not think a survey is the end all. I found stuff the dude missed and if you use the sellers guy, then beware! Send your own guy.

[Patriot]

Do not think a survey is the end all. I found stuff the dude missed and if you use the sellers guy, then beware! Send your own guy.

That's right, get an independant surveyor

[blingbones]

i almost bought a penn yann that was AWESOME. from the looks it was brand new and 1 sweet boat. used the sellers guy and he called me and said stay home. the stringers and transom were rotted. and then i asked him how does he want the money for the servey and he said dont worry about it. awesome guy.

[navillus]

Tried to give a seller a deposit so the boat could be held until survey was complete. Wouldn't accept the deposit. Kinda fishy!!!!!!!!

[ontherise]

Whoever surveyed that penn yan probably bought it for himself!!! :

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[baitrigger]

Nice

[SharkHunter]

I second the independent surveyor. Saved me from two situations that wld have been real bad.

[JakeyBaby]

I just payed to have a survey on my 24' Rampage that was located in Cape Cod. Was told the boat was solid and in good shape! Got the boat home and really went through and found the stringers to be completely rotted! And now im screwed because a surveyor doesnt warranty if they miss something???? And how it could be missed is unacceptable! I dont know if I would ever pay someone to do a survey again I will just do it myself!

[Silver Fox]

You need to take a hammer to those stringers yourself before the purchase. That goes for everyone buying a boat.

[Tim Bromund]

If there's any access to them.

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[Tall Tails]

I just payed to have a survey on my 24' Rampage that was located in Cape Cod. Was told the boat was solid and in good shape! Got the boat home and really went through and found the stringers to be completely rotted! And now im screwed because a surveyor doesnt warranty if they miss something???? And how it could be missed is unacceptable! I dont know if I would ever pay someone to do a survey again I will just do it myself!

 

Same exact thing happened to me on a Baha I bought in Florida.  Survey came back excellent.  Boat was rotted to the core.  There is no re course on a surveyor.  The first line in any survey report is " This is the opinion of the surveyor"  Bingo no recourse!

[Patriot]

I just had a surveyor look at a PY and I asked him if wet stringers was a common thing with all boats and he quickly said NO.

 

Do any of you Baha owners know if the weep holes are sealed or is there raw wood on the arch, like PY did?

 

Maybe a good thing to do (if you're not present for the survey) is ask the suveyor for pictures of the moisture meter at work. I never thought to ask but this guy sent me a bunch of pictures showing the meter PEGGED.  Plus he called me several times during the survey.

 

I highly recommend Williams Marine Survey out of Baltimoe MD