A listing and its photographs introduce the boat. Its real condition is shown by three steps: the viewing, the survey and the sea trial. Each one answers the question left by the one before.
What the viewing tells you
Walking round the boat, you look at whether the layout suits you, at general upkeep and at cleanliness. You will want to see the engine room, the bilges and the technical lockers as well as the saloon and cabins. A tidy engine room says a good deal about how a boat has been looked after. If the boat is far away, we arrange a live video tour, with the owner or the captain taking the camera round.
We prepare our questions before the viewing. When and where was the last service? When was the boat last hauled out? Is there any known fault? The answers show where the technical inspection should concentrate. You have made no commitment at this stage, and it is quite normal to see several boats and compare them.
What the survey covers
The survey is carried out by an independent surveyor, who sets out the findings in a written report. You decide who does it, and the buyer usually pays the fee. The inspection covers:
- Hull: structural condition, signs of impact and repair, moisture readings
- Underwater: with the boat hauled out, the shafts, propellers, bow thruster, stern thruster and antifouling
- Machinery: engines, gearboxes and generator, with an electronic read-out by the authorised service agent and an oil analysis where needed
- Systems: electrics, water, hydraulics, stabilisers, navigation equipment
- Safety equipment, and whether the boat's identification number matches its documents
The engines are sometimes inspected by the manufacturer's authorised service agent, separately from the surveyor. We try to book that for the same day as the survey. The assessment stays impartial when the person checking the engines has not maintained the boat before.
The sea trial
On the sea trial the boat is taken out to sea. The engines are run at different revs, and temperature, vibration, speed, steering and handling are watched. The stabilisers and the other systems are tried under load. Some defects only show under way, so it is a good idea for you or your captain to be on board along with the surveyor. Under the agreement commonly used in international sales, the seller arranges the sea trial and bears its cost, while the haul-out and the survey are for the buyer. The exact split is set by the sale agreement.
The trial is a test for you as well. Take the helm, and check the view from the flybridge and from the lower helm. Notice how much noise and vibration reach the saloon and the cabins under way. See how easily the boat handles leaving harbour and coming back onto the berth. None of this will be in the report, yet it decides what the boat is like to live with.
Reading the report
Not every finding carries the same weight. Cosmetic defects and routine maintenance items turn up on every pre-owned boat. A structural problem in the hull, an engine or gearbox fault, or high moisture is a separate conversation. Where the cost of an item is uncertain, we get a repair quotation from the engineers, so that we talk to the seller with a written figure in hand.
After the report
Once you have read the report, you have four options. You can accept the boat as it is, ask the seller for specific repairs, ask for an adjustment to the price, or withdraw under the right the agreement gives you. Whichever you choose, we put what is agreed in writing. The agreement gives you a set period to make your decision known, and we keep an eye on that timetable while the report is awaited.
You make your decision after these three steps, with a written report in your hand.
