Boating

So You Want to Buy a Boat

By Jerry Edwards

It sits there, calling out to you--the lovely line of its shear, the beguiling shapes of its cabin top, the coziness of its interior, the promise of those far-off ports of call. You've done your homework--you've looked at lots of other boats--and this one seems to offer the best combination of value, features and quality.

But how do you know it really is a good boat? A boat is a complex structure. It must be built to withstand the forces placed upon it by wind and water, forces which, at their worst, are many times greater than the boat experiences sitting quietly in its slip. How do you know that the structure is sound, that the multiple layers of fiberglass on which its structure depends have each been laminated properly; or that its metal hull has not been compromised by poor welding or the ever-present blight of corrosion. How do you know that the plywood and other woods installed to strengthen the transom, engine stringers, frames and bulkheads have not been attacked by the fungus found in freshwater, or delaminated by repeated saltwater incursion?

What about the basic machinery which makes the boat mobile--its engines, generator set, and (in the case of sailboats) its mast, standing rigging and running rigging. Are they sound? What about the steering system and the ground tackle used to anchor the boat? Even the sewage system is often expensive, and always distasteful to repair should it fail.

And is the value you perceive real, or only your response to the positive comments of a willing seller and/or broker. How can you have a reasonable assurance that this boat is structurally and operationally sound, that it is in a safe operating condition, and that it is worth what you have agreed to pay for it?

These and other questions are addressed in a proper Condition and Valuation Survey, also called a Pre-Purchase Survey. The purpose of this type of survey is to give the buyer the information he or she needs to make an informed decision about the purchase of a given boat. A carefully conducted survey should describe the boat and its accommodations in detail. It should inventory all of the major systems, electronics and equipment in an orderly, understandable fashion. The survey should also value the boat, based primarily upon recent selling prices of like vessels in the area, an item of some importance to the buyer, his lending institution, and his insurance provider. Finally, a proper Condition and Valuation Survey should identify outstanding problems with the vessel's structure and equipment. These are found in a section called Findings and Recommendations, where problems are described in brief, and a recommended course of action is outlined to remedy these problems.

A properly performed survey should alert a buyer to major and minor problems before he or she closes the sale, and, thus, acceptance of a survey should be a pre-condition to the purchase of most boats. In fact, virtually all insurance providers and lenders require a survey on boats with values greater than $10,000.

A survey does not speak to the aesthetic appeal of your chosen boat, but it should help you decide whether the beauty you see has deep roots, or is only skin deep.

Jerry Edwards, a marine surveyor with Reisner, McEwen & Edwards, PLLC has been inspecting boats since 1979.

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