CONTACTED surveyor today im still wondering what questions..

[Blueeyestwo]

So I married sailor, and I grew up on the water with my family my whole life but on a motor boat.
Husband has decided to go to another Legend, and is getting a surveyor to look over a different 87 hunter legend that we found and fell in love with.
Its currently in the water, it needs to be cleaned - my job , looks like it’s in good shape but.... There are some soft spots in the rear cabin in the teak; windows are filled with water, and some other minor things…. So my question is what are the items that usually go wrong with this year boat that we may overlook since we are smitten.
I need all the pointers that I can get.
Thanks for all your advice in advance
CONTACTED the surveyor today and he said it will take most of the day from 9 unti l 2 or 3 to check out the boat, take it for a test run etc.
the owner said that the motor is currently winterized and wants a deposit to get it started, and WE need to pay for re-winterising it. is that the same situation everywhere? just wondering - -dont mind paying but dont want to be taken for a fool.
The surveyor also said that only if there are red flags will he be forced to have to haul it out. I have been told by others to have it hauled out and have it checked no matter what.
so if i do all this and the owner does not agree to what the surveyor says then what?

 

[Steve Dion]

Re: CONTACTED surveyor today im still wondering what questio

Why would you need to rewinterize the motor a week before summer?

A deposit before a test sail is very common.

 

[dparilla]

I would definitely have it hauled out. Sounds to me like the owner is expecting it to sit and doesn't want to commission the thing since he would just have to winterize it. I feel that is a bit ridiculous, so tell him you will pay it, but if you buy the boat, it should come off the purchase price. It you are having it surveyed, then you are serious about purchasing it, so you should not have to pay to winterize it yet, negotiate it with the owner, as the only tome I have ever seen that is a winter purchase. In any case a deposit (refundable) that is held in escrow is pretty standard before a testsail. Lastly, if the surveyor finds issues, than you can use that to leverage the final price, or walk away from the boat.

 

[Warren Milberg]

Re: CONTACTED surveyor today im still wondering what questio

As a guy with some brokerage experience, I have always told buyers to have any boat they are serious about to be hauled for a complete survey. How else would you assess the condition of the bottom, rudder, through hulls, prop/shaft/strut, etc.? The buyer usually pays for the haul, but anything in a boat purchase is negotiable. One thing you don't want is to see the bottom of your boat for the first time after you own it....

 

[emilbec]

Re: CONTACTED surveyor today im still wondering what questio

The "traditional" way things are usually done is the buyer usually pays for the haul out at the survey. Since it is June, and the boat will not have to winterized again for five or six months, it is unreasonable for the buyer to pay to re-winterize it. Another thing to work out with your surveyor is that if enough bad things are found, you should have the option of terminating the survey (and paying a reduced fee) and canceling the haul out.

Good luck.

 

[Johnb]

Re: CONTACTED surveyor today im still wondering what questio

This is most seriously a buyers market. Once you have bought that boat, it's yours, along with everything that is wrong with it, and the costs can be huge. Now is the time to be really level headed and protect yourself.

Maybe the seller is just tired of dealing with people who have messed about in the past, but a willingness to commit to the cost of the survey should indicate your sincerity. That happens a lot to people who are selling, there are so many flakes out there.

 

[Seattle Scott]

Re: CONTACTED surveyor today im still wondering what questio

When I was buying I had the surveyor do a two step survey. First in water and then if no deal killer condition found then we proceeded with the haul out and final survey. I made an offer "contingent on suvey to buyer's satisfaction" and paid a deposit of around $1,000 on a mid $40k offer. the out of water survey found rudder delamination/bulge. Yard gave $3k estimate to fix and buyer reduced price by $3K. I bought the boat.

 

[Alex Dare]

Typically, anything a buyer does to evaluate the condition of the boat is at his expense. If the buyer backs out for whatever reason then it's his/her responsibility (and cost) to put the boat back the way they found it. That includes re-winterizing if currently winterized and hauling and re-blocking if the boat was out of the water.

Under no circumstances would I purchase the boat without having the surveyor look at the bottom. It could be fine or you could be looking at 6-10K for a complete bottom job. You want to know either way.

I would do the short haul and have the bottom power washed after the surveyor has looked at just about everything he can while in the water (and you've talked about his finding so far) but before the sea trail.

The reasons being:
1)You'll want a clean bottom and prop to assess proper operation underway during the sea trial. (This is also a good time to repalce shaft zincs if need be.)
2) You'll want to know if there are any serious issues so far that would cause you to walk away from the boat before you spend the money for the short haul and power-wash.

A deposit and a written agreement of some type before the survey/seatrial is normal.

Common things to look for on these boats:
wet decks, rotted bulkheads and corroded aluminum tanks.

Bad decks and bottom blisters are probably going to be the most costly items to repair if they show up.

 

[Bill Jones]

Re: CONTACTED surveyor today im still wondering what questio

As others have already stated, a haulout is required after being satisfied with the "in water" sea triial and survey. Silly to pay for a haulout if you've found things unsuitable in the early inspection. Paying to winterize the engine is nonesense. The buyer obviously pays for the survery expenses but winterizing the engine is the owner's responsibility.

 

[Seattle Scott]

Re: CONTACTED surveyor today im still wondering what questio

Insurance issue - I just remembered you will need an out of water survey to get insurance