Going rate for surveys

[SailMaster]

Hello all,

I was quoted 14.75 a foot for an insurance survey. That sounds mighty pricey for a service where they warranty absolutely nothing of their work and leave the window wide open for their errors.

What is the going rate out there? And what should I expect as part of this service

Thanks,
W

 

[Rich Stidger]

YMMV of course, but in Nov 2006 I paid $300-350 for a very comprehensive 10-year insurance survey on my 40 foot Hunter. The guy was highly recommended by my local Hunter dealer and I was told that compared to others he was very reasonable in cost. I received a 12 page detailed report that I felt would have been comprehensive enough for a pre-purchase survey, not just an insurance condition and value paper.

 

[shemandr]

I think I paid around $450 in the last year for a 35 foot boat in New England. There were a couple of mistakes (Like the wrong material for the fuel tank). The report was around 10 pages and very detailed, but directed more at value issues than what repairs would be necessary - although the line blurs.
You're pretty right about the way reports are written but if you want to buy insurance, or refinance, you're going to have a survey. Oh, and I wouldn't have wanted to be crawling around a boat on the hard the day he did it. So he showed up and got it done to my benefit. It seems like a lot of money when you're paying but not so much when you're up on a boat on a nasty day in December.

 

[kenn]

I was quoted $300 for an insurance survey on our 19' boat.

Don't quite know why the survey would cost about 10% of what we paid for the boat. If I take the loose gear out, you have a covered fiberglass bathtub with a bit of wire in it...