Surveying Fiberglass Power Boats

The Order of Progression

The preferred order of conducting the survey is as follows, for reasons that will be clarified in the following chapters:

1. Static, in-water survey

2. Haul out

3. Sea Trial

Hull Survey

The hull survey is entirely within the domain of the surveyor and he alone is responsible for evaluating its condition.

A hull survey is not complete unless a haul out and a sea trial have been conducted.

Two full chapters are devoted to surveying the hull, along with further discussion on evaluating the hull in the SEA TRIAL chapter.

Main Engines

Every survey job should be evaluated based upon the client’s experience and requirements. It is poor practice to fall into a routine and apply that routine to every job.

After qualifying the client, the next step is to reach an agreement with the client as how extensive the survey will be and, of course, the cost.

The most important consideration with respect to engines is whether the surveyor will survey the engines himself or leave that part to others.

When it comes to powerboats with expensive diesel engines, most surveyors leave that to trained diesel engine specialists.

On boats with gasoline engines and sailboats with single engine auxiliaries, more often than not the surveyor will survey the engine(s) himself.

Often times clients attempt to get the surveyor to evaluate diesel engines and save the cost of an engine survey.

He should do this only on the conditions that the engines are fairly new, and on the understanding that both his abilities, equipment and qualifications, are limited.

Further, he should spell out the parameters of his service and back it up in his written report.

I would suggest that it’s very unwise for the new surveyor to attempt to do this because he is going to have his hands full just dealing with the hull survey.

Gas engines are simple enough, and are found in boats small enough that the surveyor can reasonably manage to do both hull and machinery surveys.

However, on larger yachts, it is simply not possible for one man to cover this much ground within the normal time allotted to complete a survey.

In major yachting centers, professional diesel engine surveyors can be found; in less populous regions, either the engine surveyor will have to be brought in from elsewhere, or a man brought in from the nearest engine company dealer.

We should be also be aware that there may be a conflict of interest with engine people who do surveys and repairs.

Independent engine surveyors should be used whenever possible.

Very often, the surveyor is requested by the client to locate a specialist to survey the engines, and it is here that the surveyor should be extra careful in making such arrangements.

The most obvious reason is that if the surveyor is making the selection and hiring of the engine surveyor, he could technically be held liable for any errors or omissions, or possibly even damage, caused by what might essentially be a subcontractor relationship to the hull surveyor.

Under the laws of many states, a primary contractor can be held liable for the actions of a subcontractor.

I’ve seen it happen. For that reason, it is exceedingly important that these arrangements be approached with caution.

It is wise to make it a rule to never personally engage an engine specialist on behalf of the client.

If the surveyor contracts with the engine man, he could also be held liable for the engine surveyor’s fee in the event that the client doesn’t pay.

I will make a recommendation, if asked, and give out phone numbers, but I insist that it be handled either one of two ways.

First, I advise the client that he should call the engine man himself and discuss directly with him (a) his pricing and, (b) the extent of the service that he will perform.

Diagnostics can be time consuming and costly, so it’s important to make sure that the parameters of the engine survey are fully understood.

Sometimes this doesn’t always work out and the surveyor finds himself in the position of having to make the arrangements.

If that’s the case, it’s necessary to explain to the client that you’ll be happy to do this, however, it must be made clear that this is being done on his behalf and that you accept no responsibility for the engine surveyor’s actions, work product, or fee.

You are doing this strictly as a courtesy. Then cover yourself by sending the client a fax, confirming his request, outlining the service to be performed, and the price quoted by the engine man.