Boat surveyor

D

Dago

Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2004
RO Number
14753
Messages
37
Does anyone knows a surveyor close to Rio vista for a 40' Steel Power boat? Found some addresses at Google, but would be glad to get some advise.

Thanks
 
If you are a member of BoatUS they use to have a list of surveyors for members and a service called value check to give you the "Blue Book" value. Nadaguides is also useful to get a value. It will cost you nothing to survey the boat if you use the man in the mirror, a check list and call around for some estimates to fix issues you encounter and adjust your offer accordingly.

I made my own survey checklist and used it when I was looking at houseboats a few years ago and modified it for a runabout to write up a report on Chris Craft I was asked to survey. It is very easy to check for waves in the skin of a hull with a laser level these days and if there are waves there is probably an underlying structural problem you should run away from. The following is the houseboat version of my survey form. Also measure the beam and check it with the design data, if a boat was lifted in a sling it creates and inward crushing force at the sheers and can bend ribs if the adhesive and fastners are corroded or missing. Also scrape some paint samples from a few areas into plastic ziplocks and get them tested for lead, a steel boat made in the 50s could have a lot of red lead paint and you should run from that too as it can be expensive to abate. Forensic Analytical in Hayward charged me $75 a sample to measure lead in paint last year from a Chris Craft, you can get test kits at the hardware store for a faster cheaper result.

Name Notes Adjust
Hull identification number
CF
asking
length x beam
year
bow integrity
chine integrity
frames integrity
stern integrity
transom integrity
deck integrity/level
side planking
short block conversion
transmission
motor start/idle/run
motor hours
rudder integrity
steering function
cooling jacket
upholstery
12v fuse block/batteries
navigation lights

risky/costly/slow=1
safe/cheap/fast=7
BoatUS value check

Tools to bring for survey: mirror, rubber mallet, hammer, pen clip board
laser level, paint scraper, envelopes, camera, flashlight, putty knife, sand paper, tape measure
 
I forgot if the boat is old check out the insulation between hot things like exhaust manifolds and combustible things like wood or plastic. I would NOT scrape to get an asbestos sample just surf the web to see some typical asbestos insulation and use the age of the boat to say whether it is likely asbestos.

Lead or asbestos may be no big deal to you but without proper remediation and documentation about the remediation it just makes it harder to get rid of the boat when you are ready to move on and boats are hard enough to get rid of.
 
I would call Brendan Schmidt in Walnut Creek. He is very good on fiberglass boats and if he can't do steel, I would trust his recommendation.
 
^^^^^^^^

I've used him on two of my used boat purchases and had him write a letter on my behalf regarding an issue with one of my Sea Ray's. After reviewing his letter, S/R approved my request for an out of warranty repair.

Good guy that knows his stuff...
 
I double checked dates and red lead primer paint was used in boat building into the mid 1950s if you get lab results in the 5000 ppm you are seeing the use of red lead; I think the legal limit for exposure to children is 600 ppm but it may have been lowered again last year. The test kits at the hardware store only indicate lead not how much you have to use a good lab to get numerical results. The red lead was used in the primer paint coating so you have to scrape through the primer paint coating to get it in the sample to send the lab; subsequent layers of paint will dilute the sample. Asbestos was used in boat building into the 1970s and it wasn't just used for insulation around hot manifolds it was used in wiring insulation. Again I would run from a boat with lead, asbestos or waves in the laser level lines projected along the hull's skin indicating an underlying rib or longitudinal structural member failure. There are lots of boats out there and you don't need to buy a future resale problem.
 
Brenden is a great surveyor. I know one boat yard operator who called him "The Deal Breaker". Nothing gets by him.
I have used Ben Penn, I like him. Many others share my opinion.
 
Findme - Brenden lived up to his nickname with me. He found a very non-obvious crack in the hull of a boat I was going to buy. I would definitely give him a call before buying a boat in the area.
 
Thanks to all of you for your advise, guess I'll call Brenden. Even if I try to find out about my boat which I'm trying to sell. Why? On my way to a divorce....

It's a 40 ft. steel boat, made in Holland 1972, with a perkins HT6.356, just in case someone likes to know.

Thanks again, will post my info
 
Dago, If you are looking to sell your boat the process is you put price on it with or without a broker. We got an annoucement a while back this broker is affilitated with this forum.
http://www.boatered.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=138303
A buyer makes an offer contingent upon any mechanical, sturctural, ... surveys the buyer wants to pay for then negotiates any fixes with you the seller or drops out of the purchase agreeement.
I don't think you need to pay a surveryor several hundred dollars to price your boat work with a broker or look for comparables on the internet. Sorry that you and the Mrs. are divorcing.
 
Thanks for the condolences, but I'm not the one who is suffering in that divorce! But we need an estimate like we need one for the house, in order to sort out the assets etc.
So at least I know now how much such a survey would cost.
 
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