Surveyors often save the buyer the cost of the survey or more. They do see things that buyers often do not see. A good surveyor may find things that the owner is not aware of. When I bought my boat the surveyor found several undisclosed defects. I didn't renegotiate the price, which I could have, but instead I asked the seller to correct all the deficients to the satisfaction of the surveyor then I would pay the agreed price, he did and the deal held.
The broker and seller were well aware I had just walked away from another boat after paying for a lift and a survey by the same surveyor, I had felt it was money well spent. Do to the survey of the boat I walked away from the broker was forced to change the wording of the description of the boat. Had I be in a litigious mood I believe I could of recovered the cost of the survey and lift, the boat was clearly misrepresented.
A good surveyor will do things in an orderly manner, normally with a check list. Often the survey, lift, and sea trail are all done on the same day, it is hard for a buyer to do an accurate survey on their own they just have a lot going on, while a surveyor has a stated mission. The surveyor is not affected by the broker being there, or has his wife with him, or is overly excited about the prospect of buying a boat. A survey is a good thing.
