If you have never worked with boat surveyors Fort Myers, you may have unrealistic expectations regarding what these professionals do. The purpose of this post is to help you understand who a boat surveyor is and what he or she will do for you. Let’s get started.
Who is a boat surveyor?
As you may already know, boat surveyors Fort Myers are professionals hired to perform certain inspections on a boat. These professionals either have a strong boating and/or mechanical background. Other professionals distinguish themselves by completing relevant courses. Bearing in mind a boat surveyor is not required to be licensed or qualified, you have to be very careful before hiring a service provider. The standards in the industry vary greatly.
Why hire a boat surveyor?
You are not mandated to hire a boat surveyor when buying a new vessel. It is, however, highly recommended to work with on. This is for the simple fact that buying a boat is a huge financial decision. The input of a boat surveyor helps mitigate the risks of making a bad investment. Surveyors have more experience inspecting boats and will use specialized tools to thoroughly examine a vessel.
If you plan on financing your purchase, you will have to provide lenders with a detailed survey report from a certified boat surveyor. The case is the same if you want to insure your boat. Insurance companies will require that you provide a survey report from a surveyor they approve.
What types of surveys are available?
There are many types of surveys you can request. An experienced boat surveyor will be able to offer the following:
- Valuation surveys
- Safety and operational surveys
- Damage surveys
- Cargo surveys
- Insurance surveys
- Hull surveys
- Corrosion surveys
- Incident and accident investigation
- Surveying rigs and sails
Most surveyors will combine several of the aforementioned types of surveys into one. As a result, the various surveys offered by surveyors may fall into just four categories; pre-purchase survey, insurance survey, damage inspection, and appraisal inspection. The type of survey you need will depend on the purpose.
How to hire the best surveyor
As aforementioned, boat surveyors Fort Myers are not all the same. That is why you have to be very careful before hiring. To find the right surveyor, you need to ask the following questions:
- Have you surveyed boats that are of the same make or model as mine?
- What will be included in the survey?
- What is the turnaround time on getting the survey report?
No matter who you hire to perform a survey, you must remember that surveyors always protect themselves from lawsuits. They do so by using a certain language in the survey report. That is why you must always go with a surveyor who is experienced and has an impeccable track record.