After locating the right boat to buy, the next thing you have to think about is the surveying process. Getting a boat surveyed by an experienced marine surveyor Fort Myers is very important when you want to avoid surprises after paying for it. This is because a thorough survey will help you understand the exact condition of the vessel, help you know how much the repairs will cost and help you know its fair market value. But how does the survey process work?
Boat surveying process
A marine surveyor Fort Myers will not be allowed to do his job until there is an agreed offer between the buyer and the seller. The buyer pays for the survey and hauling of the boat while the seller provides the sea trial. This means the surveyor works for you, the buyer. As a result, the buyer will want to be certain you are serious about buying the vessel before agreeing to a surveyor inspecting the boat. In most cases, you will be required to pay a deposit.
After a surveyor has been selected, a date is scheduled for the survey. A typical survey starts in the morning and concludes by midday. A haul may be required to inspect the bottom of the vessel. The vessel will then be relaunched to allow for a sea trial. A sea trial mostly checks the engines and the sails. Sea trials take about an hour. The boat will be brought back to the dock and the surveyor will continue inspecting the boat until they are done. If you are present during the survey, the surveyor may go over the main points on the same day. It will take about 3 business days for you to get the complete survey report.
Cost of survey
The surveyor works for the person who hires them. A seller can hire a surveyor to instill confidence in potential buyers. In this case, the seller will pay for the survey. In most cases, the buyer hires the surveyor. Typically, it costs about $25 per foot for mono-hulls and about $30 per foot for catamarans. You also have to factor in an additional $200 to $300 for the marine surveyor to come back and sign off on the repairs before closing. The haul-out fees are also paid on the day of the survey and cost between $6 and $9 per foot.
Just because a seller had a boat survey done recently doesn’t mean you cannot hire your own surveyor. This is more so if the survey was done more than 6 months ago. Keep in mind that a survey is a snapshot of the boat’s condition on the day the survey was done. A lot can change within a few weeks.