T&T: Surveyor in Annapolis/NJ area

[Peggy Bjarno]

I have great respect for Peter Hartoft and his knowledge and experience, 
but when he surveyed our boat he listed the fact that I hadn't dusted 
inside the cabinets or polished the brass on the clock. Geesch! It was 
early spring, and I HADN'T polished the brass clock yet or dusted inside 
the cabinets, hadn't even opened them in fact, figuring there were other 
more important issues. Did this and the other minutiae that he listed 
kill the sale? Who knows, but (consistent with what Joe says below about 
detailed surveyors) you have to figure out if you want a surveyor to 
help you buy/sell a boat, with honest, professional knowledge, or 
someone who's going to find every nit that's possible to pick, including 
dusty cupboards. I think we all know that there are several kinds of 
surveyors.
Art Johnson knows his stuff. He wants to help a buyer get a boat that's 
healthy and well taken care of, or make them aware of what's not right 
and needs attention, or what should kill the sale. He wants to HELP a 
buyer. He's very aware of some of the issues with older trawlers and 
will make certain that a buyer is also aware. He's in the upper bay, I 
think around Havre de Grace so should be able to do a survey either in 
the Bay OR in New Jersey. I would strongly recommend him.

Peggy Bjarno

>
>From: "Joe Marin" <jwmarin at hotmail.com>
>Subject: Re: T&T: Surveyor in Annapolis/NJ area
>
>Hartoft Marine Survey is a well-respected group in the Annapolis area.  Gale
>Browning surveyed my 86 Cape Dory.  She was very detailed and thorough, and
>provided a laundry list of issues and recommendations categorized by
>severity ranging from insurance underwriting issues to cosmetic issues.  One
>concern, however, is that surveyors who are that detailed can bring you some
>grief when you present the survey to your insurance company.  My insurance
>required that I repair many of the items even on the cosmetic list, although
>they backed off many of those when I argued.
>
>--Joe
>"Mariner II"
>1986 Cape Dory 28 Flybridge