Surveying a new boat from a new company

H

HarlenW

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Al and others,

I am considering a new Fathom 40 (see link below) that is built by a new company created by three former Nordic Tug executives. Of course, I am concerned about investing in an unproven boat from an untested new company.

Would you recommend a survey on the boat and would this survey differ from the usual valuation and condition report? I would be interested in an evaluation of the construction techniques, materials used, etc.

Should I look for a surveyor with special skills and experience to provide this or could any good surveyor do the job?

In my post on this boat on ATC it was suggested that I have a surveyor accompany me to the factory to observe how they build the boat; the factory is located not far from where I live. Does this seem like a good idea?

Thanks for you help.

http://www.fathomyachts.com/
 
I think it would be well worth your time to bring one with you. I have never heard of Fathom before...I have no idea what they are built like. Protect yourself, take a surveyor with you. I have seen many new companies started by people from excellent manufacturers. The new companies invariably turn out utter garbage. I'm not saying Fathom will be like that, but spending the kind of money a 40 footer demands these days, it's definately worth the cost of a surveyor.
 
Ditto what Kenny said!
I would not buy a boat new, used, whatever without a survey
 
I have to agree, Take a good surveyor with you. I have surveyed a number of new boats from companys that have been around for many years. You would suprised how many problems are found.
 
In addition to having the new boat a surveyed, if you decide to pull the trigger, hire an experienced surveyor (or whatever) to visit the factory on a regular basis during the construction of your new yacht.
 
Al-do you think it would be worth Harlen's time to also have a marine arcitect or engineer look over the boat with the surveyor, looking for design issues?
 
i think there are many "unknown" or "custom" boat builders that do a far superior job to any large company.

take my old stamas as an example or dorado boats. to me they are both quality boats however many have not ever heard of them.

i agree with the surveyor. a good surveyor should be well versed in apropriate building techniques. having them visit during construction is a great idea. many boat builder will encourage this.
 
In the case of a brand new boat from an unknown company I can see some use of having a surveyor. But he will probably not find much. I've never used a surveyor to buy a new boat and never had a problem in 40 years of buying and selling boats of various brands. No signigicant issues were discovered by the buyers of my boats. The last one I sold was a 37 Sea Ray that was structurely sound, well found and looked great. No recommendations were made for improvement.
 
glenncal1, A good surveyor will be able to steer him in the right direction. In my opion larger vessels that are over built are the best. I guess this is why i favor the older boats.
 
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