When the survey is finished, you receive a long and technical report. The list of findings may be long, and that alone doesn't show that the boat is in poor condition. If you know how the report is put together, you know what to look for in it.
How the report is laid out
Most reports follow a similar order. They open with the boat's identity: the hull identification number, the dimensions, the engines and the main equipment. Next come the conditions of the inspection. Was the boat ashore or afloat, which areas could be entered and what was the weather like? Then the hull, deck, machinery, electrics, systems and safety equipment are described section by section. The findings and recommendations are gathered in a single list at the end. Some reports add an opinion on the boat's market value. The opening pages also say for whom the report was prepared. A pre-purchase survey is carried out for the buyer, and the report belongs to you.
The places that could not be reached
The part of a report most easily overlooked is the notes on the limits of the inspection. Every section marked "not accessible", "not inspected" or "could not be run" is a place you have no information about. We go through these notes with you before you decide whether to accept the boat. Where necessary we ask for that area to be looked at again. If the boat was inspected only afloat, it may need to be hauled out separately for the underwater hull, and we raise that with the seller's side beforehand.
Sorting the findings
Findings don't all carry the same weight. Most surveyors rank them by importance. We read the report by dividing it into these groups:
- Safety: work that must be done before the boat is used
- Structure: moisture, osmosis, impact damage or signs of old repairs in the hull and deck
- Function: systems that don't work, or don't work as they should
- Maintenance: jobs that have fallen due with age and use
- Appearance: cosmetic defects that don't affect the use of the boat
Once the list is sorted this way, you will often find that most of it is maintenance and appearance. The decision usually turns on a handful of findings. The weight of a finding also changes with the age of the boat. A mark that counts as normal on an older boat raises a question on a new one.
The machinery report
The engines are often inspected separately by the authorised service agent, who writes a report of their own. It contains the fault records from the electronic read-out and the values measured under load. The results of the oil analysis come from the laboratory. They can point to wear inside the engine, or to problems such as coolant getting into the oil. These reports are written in technical language, so we go through their meaning with the service agent or the surveyor.
From report to decision
When the report arrives, we first pick out the findings that affect the decision. For each one we get a written repair quotation from the relevant engineers. We also ask how long the work will take, because that can affect the handover date. Then we compare the findings with the conditions in the sale agreement.
You then have several options: accept the boat as it is, ask for repairs, discuss the price again, or withdraw under the right the agreement gives you. Whichever you choose, we give your decision to the seller's side in writing within the period set by the agreement. Insurers sometimes ask for the survey report too, and may make it a condition that the recommended work is done. Keep the report to hand when you ask for an insurance quotation.
Read in this order, a report brings forward the findings that matter to the decision.
