Why It Is Essential To Have A Marine Survey

One of the key reasons for having a boat survey is very often before a completing a purchase.



By having a survey before purchase you will get an independent report on exactly what you are purchasing. Remember that old phrase not every thing that glistens is gold! Like wise when buying a boat on the surface it may look very good but underneath the surface there could be many latent problems waiting to catch a new owner out.



One of the key reasons for having a survey is very often before a completing a purchase.



By having a survey before purchase you will get an independent report on exactly what you are purchasing. Remember that old phrase not every thing that glistens is gold! Like wise when buying a boat on the surface it may look very good but underneath the surface there could be many hiden problems waiting to catch a new owner out.



The detailed survey report will provide a helpful record of any faults that are identified on the vessel and will where appropriate make suggestions for any future remedial work.



A pre purchase report can sometimes save the buyer considerable sums of money by requiring the vendor to deal with the defects or make a deduction in the price accordingly.



Another very usual reason for having a boat survey is when a boat is unfortunately damaged. The damage survey report is usually commissioned by the Insurers with reference to the actual claim or loss.



A damage report will identify the amount of the loss and provide a helpful guide of the cost of the proposed repairs. A marine damage report will identify the amount of the damage and provide a useful yardstick as regards the cost of the proposed works.



Some times very hard decisions have to be made as to whether it is actually more economic to repair or replace the yacht.



A few years ago a Sealine motor cruiser "Ocean Spirit" en route from Cowes to Brighton had an incident when a propeller hit something in the water.



This had the result of displacing the propeller which then started chipping away at the glassfibre bottom of the motor cruiser with the result that it had to be beached at the entrance to Brighton Marina.



The local Fire Brigade were involved in the salvage operation and the motor boat was craned to a safe location before any more damage could be incurred.



The power cruiser was rebuilt in Brighton marina but the total costs probably exceeded the cost of a replacement vessel.



An independent boat survey report will normally have a disclaimer clause which will certainly restrict the use of the report to the potential purchaser who commissioned the report. This does make emminent sense as if one had bought a boat a year or so ago with a survey and then sold the boat two years later any future purchaser obviously cannot rely on it as it is no longer in date. More over something could have happened even with in a matter of weeks or days for example the boat could have been dropped from a crane which undoubtedly would impact on the original report.



If you are considering of buying a yacht please give serious thought to having an independent marine survey as the modest outlay may prove to be a great investment.





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The Author writes many articles on boating topics and for more information please go to Brighton Boat Survey