Don't use rates to decide
There are a lot of Surveyors out there, and what is important to remember, like all consultants you rarely get what you pay for. Let me explain: Last month when I was actively searching for a boat, I had contacted several owners and marinas, looking for a recent survey report before I viewed each vessel. On one such occasion, I received a Survey via fax. The survey was for a Tanzer 22’, not that it matters; the total survey was less then 5 pages, containing not a lot of text, but just vague comments, mostly dealing with the number of sails, and their condition, but nothing on hull integrity, condition of seacocks, condition of the head, only that yes, it had one. All in all, not impressed at all. Now that was by what I guess one could consider a “professional” surveyor. His rate for that report worked out to more then $450.00 CDN. Now in sharp contrast, when I had a survey done for the boat I eventually purchased, the length of the report was about 30 pages, but number of pages means nothing without content, but content it had, and a lot of it. This surveyor went over EVERY on board system, he went under the cockpit to inspect the cables for the wheel, he checked EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF DECK HARDWARE, and it seemed every piece of equipment attached or part of the boat. Now every other page had photographs of all of his findings including his opinion on the state of each item, and items effecting that item that need to be repaired or replaced. The total text on each page of this 30 odd page report had as much printed text as 3 of the pages from the first report I saw. I’m not saying that the number of pages is what you should use to measure a good Surveyor, and I wouldn’t recommend it, but the point here is the AMOUNT of detail that the report contained, and the presentation of the findings were clear and concise. By the way the second report cost me a whopping $250.00 CDN and this Surveyor did this on the side, as there is not enough business to do it as a full time career in the area he lives, understandable. That would explain the lower rate, but the level of attention that my boat was given, his explaining everything to me, so I was fully aware of what I was getting myself into, that was the mark of a person who truly enjoyed what they did, and obviously takes pride in his work. The guy even put on a pair of deck shoes before stepping off the ladder so as not to get any dirt on the deck as he inspected.
