T&T: Surveyor knowledge

[LRZeitlin at aol.com]

In a message dated 2/1/08 12:03:15 AM, Don writes:


> There were a lot of other large issues that didn't take long to surface
> after I had bought the boat.  Bottom line, next time, is that I will spend
as
> much time as the owner will permit climbing all over the boat before the
> surveyor comes.  I'm not even close to knowledgeable, but do have eyes and a
brain.
>
It is hard for we mere mortals to recognize that surveyors are not universal
experts. When I bought my Willard in Florida a number of years ago, the
insurance company insisted on a surveyor from a recognized agency and
recommended
that he be SAMS certified. SAMS sent out a very nice young man who crawled
through every nook and cranny of the boat, did a full hull inspection while
the
boat was on the lift, and an in-water cruise test. The boat passed, as far as
the
insurance company was concerned - but he sure missed a lot.

The floor was damp, attributed by the surveyor to a leaky water hose fitting
but in fact due to leaky windows and hatches. There was some oil in the bilge,
attributed to a sloppy oil change, but really due to a bad transmission seal.
Because SAMS classified the Willard as a trawler and sent out a trawler guy,
the surveyor disregarded the fact that the boat was a motorsailer and
neglected to conduct a test under sail.

As a result, the surveyor totally missed the fact that the chain plate
fastenings were rotted and that if a sail were raised in a strong wind, the
whole
mast and rigging would have collapsed on deck. He also missed the fact that
sail
handling gear was minimal, the spreader sockets had cracks, there was no
topping lift, etc.

SAMS excuse was that the insurance company didn't care about that sort of
thing.
All they wanted to know is if the hull was sound, the engine worked, and
safety requirements were met. If I wanted the sailing gear inspected, they
would
send out a sail surveyor (at extra cost).

So don't expect the surveyor to be a universal expert in all aspects of
boating. If the boat has any unusual features, a metal or wooden hull or
motorsailing capabilities, warn the surveyor or agency in advance.

I wonder how a modern surveyor would evaluate the "African Queen?"

Larry Z



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