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Save $$$$$ in survey fees

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by 993RSR, Jul 6, 2020.

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  1. 993RSR, Jul 6, 2020
    #1
    993RSR

    993RSR Senior Member

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    Every once in a while I need to be reminded of the obvious. I am still licking my paws after traveling to Ft. Lauderdale with clients (buyers) and hiring 3 surveyors only to find out the boat was in no way ready for inspection. I should have insisted the owner/broker/captain/mickey mouse sea trial and report back that the boat is commissioned.
    zero fluid/pressure in the steering
    Cat cooling systems ready to blow the hoses off
    crack in the starboard engine fiberglass exhaust tube
    port generator belt (cooling/alt) laying in the bilge
    both gen sets resting on the pans due to failed mounts
    bow/anchor platform core rotted to the point of dripping coffee colored water down the bow
    vibration? you bet. Props were thin and blades not uniform, all bearings were years overdue
    AC unit inop
    AC units in wheelhouse dumping water into the master
    new autopilot inop
    new FLIR inop

    To add insult to injury we were overpaying for the year/model due to the long list of services "reported"

    Other than that it was a nice trip. Linguini with white clam sauce at Noodle Panini on Las Olas. mmmm
  2. Pascal, Jul 6, 2020
    #2
    Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Yup.... never book survey until boat has been inspected and gone on a short sea trial
  3. 993RSR, Jul 6, 2020
    #3
    993RSR

    993RSR Senior Member

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    I will write that on the blackboard 100 times
  4. Fishtigua, Jul 6, 2020
    #4
    Fishtigua

    Fishtigua Senior Member

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    :eek:
  5. MBevins, Jul 6, 2020
    #5
    MBevins

    MBevins Senior Member

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    Out of curiosity, what was the boat?
    Please don't tell me it was an 80 or bigger.
  6. 993RSR, Jul 6, 2020
    #6
    993RSR

    993RSR Senior Member

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    62' Pilothouse boat listed with a experienced local team. Honestly I did not think it was necessary to coach them on survey prep. I was way wrong. It's the people not the company.
  7. bayoubud, Jul 6, 2020
    #7
    bayoubud

    bayoubud Senior Member

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    Happens all the time. Been there.
  8. Pascal, Jul 6, 2020
    #8
    Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    So advertised as fully serviced then many systems don’t work? The listing broker is a crook....
  9. JWY, Jul 7, 2020
    #9
    JWY

    JWY Senior Member

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    I always request a"run hard" sea trial 5 days in advance. I tell the broker or owner that we need to find out what is going to break on sea trial and then have time to get it fixed. The broker or owner has to have a good reason to decline this request. If I anticipate a problem with compliance in advance, I will sometimes add it as a contingency to the purchase agreement.

    Also, if I haven't pre-inspected the boat, I ask the listing broker when was the last time s/he was aboard, how current is the information in the listing, how old are the pictures, and when was the last time the boat was taken out. The last question is what the broker expects to turn up on survey.

    I boycott brokers that lie. Why help the bad guys stay in business.

    Judy
  10. 993RSR, Jul 7, 2020
    #10
    993RSR

    993RSR Senior Member

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    I did spend a few hours on board looking her over the week before we went to contract. On the surface she looked like a rock star with over $400K spent in sizzle but below that she was all trouble. I should have had a clue when there were no diapers or oil spots under the motors. Once we fired them up we realized it was a cover up. Oh well. I have never had any luck with Wesmar stabilizers. This boat the starboard fin would lock sideways when they were supposed to be center. The fin stuck out beyond the chine.
    Fortunately the buyers did not fire me (yet). Next boat is being sea trialed tomorrow with the owner in prep for survey Monday.
  11. LaurieC, Aug 7, 2020
    #11
    LaurieC

    LaurieC New Member

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    Did this happen to be an Offshore 62 Pilothouse?
  12. 993RSR, Aug 7, 2020
    #12
    993RSR

    993RSR Senior Member

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    I am sticking my head in the sand on this one
  13. LaurieC, Aug 7, 2020
    #13
    LaurieC

    LaurieC New Member

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    I appreciate the feedback MAN!
  14. 993RSR, Aug 7, 2020
    #14
    993RSR

    993RSR Senior Member

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    funny
  15. NYCAP123, Aug 7, 2020
    #15
    NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Everything looks good in pictures. When searching for Valhalla I drove 5 hours to check out a Bertram M/Y owned by the broker who was living aboard. He described it as "mint" and of course the pics looked great. From 200' down the dock I could see that it was painted with house paint and a brush and it went down hill from there. Thankfully I made it a stop along my way to a vacation weekend. Out of over a dozen boats that looked good enough on paper to fly around the country to check out only two were worth even considering. It was bad enough wasting our time and the boss' money for flights, etc. No way would I bring a surveyor before checking out the boat in person first. Everybody thinks or at least says their boat is great, and everything looks good in pictures. Valhalla was the best of the bunch and thankfully we negotiated real well, cause you don't even want to know what the boss ended up spending on 3 refits during the first 6 months of shaking her down.
  16. 993RSR, Aug 7, 2020
    #16
    993RSR

    993RSR Senior Member

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    5 hours to check out a Bertram M/Y owned by the broker who was living aboard. He described it as "mint"

    Was the boat on Kent Island by chance?
  17. bayoubud, Aug 7, 2020
    #17
    bayoubud

    bayoubud Senior Member

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    We looked at a 62 Offshore in Lauderdale a few years back listed by a reputable local yacht broker. The broker touted boat as open checkbook maintained. Went through the boat with the broker and owner and turns out everything was way behind on scheduled maintenance. The owner had spare alternator belts laying in front of the engines and bragged that the 14-year-old original belts were still on the engines. LOL The boat looked ok but needed a ton of work on everything. The broker knew absolutely nothing about the boat and I told him so. A waste of time to even be looking. There should be a way to qualify the condition of the boat when listed. No doubt many owners claim their boat is in great condition and the broker is willing to accept that without a basic walk-on survey or any documentation, but will advertise as turn-key.
  18. NYCAP123, Aug 7, 2020
    #18
    NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    I wouldn't want to embarrass the owner or subsequent owner.;)
  19. NYCAP123, Aug 7, 2020
    #19
    NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    The only way is to ask pointed questions and then go inspect it yourself and/or have a professional inspect it with an eye towards why you should not buy it, but keep your expenses and enthusiasm down cause the odds are you'll be looking at several.
    Keep in mind that it's not necessarily dishonesty. One man's treasure is another's trash. Then there's "puffing".
  20. 993RSR, Aug 7, 2020
    #20
    993RSR

    993RSR Senior Member

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    Often the broker or owner do not intend to misrepresent the boat they are just uninformed. The broker should know better but most owners are just uninformed. So yea the idea of pointed questions will help develop a trend:
    age of batteries
    last main engine cooling service and by whom
    age of after coolers (Cats)
    last generators ...
    stabilizer service
    last bottom paint
    and on and on...
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