We're considering purchasing a 1985 Hunter 31' in the Solomon, Maryland area and would like to get a fews names of local surveyors in the area. Surveyors having experience with H31 mast compression problems would be great, too. Thank You, Darline
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I used...
...Gerald LaMarque in Solomon's to survey my '79 h33 last year. He seemed very thorough, developed a list of to do's and was reliable. Also, the man I purchased the boat from was Ted von Zielinski also of Solomon's. He is a broker there and is one of the nicest people I met. He may be able to guide you if Gerald doesn't work out. Gerald LaMarque 410-326-8077 Ted von Zielinski 410-326-4700 Ted may not be back from Florida yet. Hope this helps.
...Gerald LaMarque in Solomon's to survey my '79 h33 last year. He seemed very thorough, developed a list of to do's and was reliable. Also, the man I purchased the boat from was Ted von Zielinski also of Solomon's. He is a broker there and is one of the nicest people I met. He may be able to guide you if Gerald doesn't work out. Gerald LaMarque 410-326-8077 Ted von Zielinski 410-326-4700 Ted may not be back from Florida yet. Hope this helps.
Surveyor
Congrats - I just bought the same boat in December. I used Peter Hartoft - he was very thorough and all the people I've had work on the boat have said nothing but good things about his work.
Congrats - I just bought the same boat in December. I used Peter Hartoft - he was very thorough and all the people I've had work on the boat have said nothing but good things about his work.
No Survey
Hey, Welcome! Now, what I am going to tell you might come as a shock. But I suggest no survey at all. Now I have few reasons for this. Personally, I have never needed a surveyor since I have been in the business of sail boats now going on 32 years. I figure you are just getting into the hobby and sport. But if you can, find a good friend that has knowledge of sailing and take him or her along to see your boat. Or go to a marina and ask some one there that has a lot of knowlege to go take a look. Offer him or her 50 bucks and I bet they will take a good look for you. Make sure you are getting someone who knows a lot and not some one just hanging out there named Jimmy Joe Emmit with a fishing pole. Also, any good dealership will allow you to take the yacht for a test sail. do not buy the boat unless you can test sail it. This will provide you with more than what a surveyor will provide. It will give you the chance to allow the seller to rig everything for you and show you how it all works and """if it works". Any thing more than this needed will be deck and hull assessment. You want to know if the deck is delaminating and if the hull has blisters. You can do this your self. All you do is get up on top of the deck with a rubber hammer and start pounding on the deck. You will hear changes in the sound as you choose different areas. Realize some changes will be caused by the structural differences in the deck. Other changes will be caused by bad things such as delaminating. If you find an area that sounds hollow, start walking in that area. Is it spongy? If so, you have delamination. Look under the boat for blisters in the gel coat. If you see blisters, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Often boats that are stored in the water, have blisters. But too many blisters is bad! This means you will be spending a lot of time repairing them. All and all, blisters do not pose a serious threat. They are just unsightly and will slow the yacht down in the water as you sail if there are too many of them. Two last things that are very important when purchasing a yacht is the motor and the sails. Take the boat for a spin on the lake before you buy it. If the motor is good, you will know it. This is why I suggest you take the boat for a test spin before you buy any boat. As for the sails, take them out and lay them on the ground. Look them over for obvious wear, rips, tears, and areas the threads may have given way. Also, take the cloth and feel how rigid it is. Most Hunters come with Dacron sails. I forget the mill they used when new but I am thinking it is a mill 10 or so. This is the thickness of the Dacron. I could stand to be corrected on the mill. Any way, cutting to the chase, grab hold of the Dacron. If it feels like a bed sheet, your sails are shot and need replaced. If they are some what rigid still, they are probably o.k. for every day sailing. And if they are stiff, this is great! That means they are like new and good for racing! these are the most important things I can think of. But look threw the boat for cleanliness and also to see if the wires look corroded and common sense stuff like that. if you do all this, you will not need a boat survey. I feel this is the biggest waste of money when it comes to total cost of a new purchase. However, if you have no experience at all and don't feel comfortable looking the boat over and taking it for a test sail, get a survey. As for mast post compression, there was a post about that a week or so ago. They even posted how they fixed it. This is a correctable situation and I am sure you could do the work yourself. Billy Bob Nortan Emit Fit Gerold Del Ray Barf'in Cuz DaBoatsarockin :AKA, "The Skipper" AKA: The All Powerful and Knowing One!
Hey, Welcome! Now, what I am going to tell you might come as a shock. But I suggest no survey at all. Now I have few reasons for this. Personally, I have never needed a surveyor since I have been in the business of sail boats now going on 32 years. I figure you are just getting into the hobby and sport. But if you can, find a good friend that has knowledge of sailing and take him or her along to see your boat. Or go to a marina and ask some one there that has a lot of knowlege to go take a look. Offer him or her 50 bucks and I bet they will take a good look for you. Make sure you are getting someone who knows a lot and not some one just hanging out there named Jimmy Joe Emmit with a fishing pole. Also, any good dealership will allow you to take the yacht for a test sail. do not buy the boat unless you can test sail it. This will provide you with more than what a surveyor will provide. It will give you the chance to allow the seller to rig everything for you and show you how it all works and """if it works". Any thing more than this needed will be deck and hull assessment. You want to know if the deck is delaminating and if the hull has blisters. You can do this your self. All you do is get up on top of the deck with a rubber hammer and start pounding on the deck. You will hear changes in the sound as you choose different areas. Realize some changes will be caused by the structural differences in the deck. Other changes will be caused by bad things such as delaminating. If you find an area that sounds hollow, start walking in that area. Is it spongy? If so, you have delamination. Look under the boat for blisters in the gel coat. If you see blisters, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Often boats that are stored in the water, have blisters. But too many blisters is bad! This means you will be spending a lot of time repairing them. All and all, blisters do not pose a serious threat. They are just unsightly and will slow the yacht down in the water as you sail if there are too many of them. Two last things that are very important when purchasing a yacht is the motor and the sails. Take the boat for a spin on the lake before you buy it. If the motor is good, you will know it. This is why I suggest you take the boat for a test spin before you buy any boat. As for the sails, take them out and lay them on the ground. Look them over for obvious wear, rips, tears, and areas the threads may have given way. Also, take the cloth and feel how rigid it is. Most Hunters come with Dacron sails. I forget the mill they used when new but I am thinking it is a mill 10 or so. This is the thickness of the Dacron. I could stand to be corrected on the mill. Any way, cutting to the chase, grab hold of the Dacron. If it feels like a bed sheet, your sails are shot and need replaced. If they are some what rigid still, they are probably o.k. for every day sailing. And if they are stiff, this is great! That means they are like new and good for racing! these are the most important things I can think of. But look threw the boat for cleanliness and also to see if the wires look corroded and common sense stuff like that. if you do all this, you will not need a boat survey. I feel this is the biggest waste of money when it comes to total cost of a new purchase. However, if you have no experience at all and don't feel comfortable looking the boat over and taking it for a test sail, get a survey. As for mast post compression, there was a post about that a week or so ago. They even posted how they fixed it. This is a correctable situation and I am sure you could do the work yourself. Billy Bob Nortan Emit Fit Gerold Del Ray Barf'in Cuz DaBoatsarockin :AKA, "The Skipper" AKA: The All Powerful and Knowing One!
Without a survey, how can a buyer
make an offer "subject to survey?" How many people who aren't accredited surveyors are thoroughly acquainted with all the ABYC, NFPA, UL, and USCG standards? Just the absence of any frayed wires is no guarantee that a circuit isn't overloaded, or improperly grounded, or (any one of a dozen other things that could cause a fire). A toilet that works is no guarantee that the plumbing doesn't put the boat at risk of sinking when no one is aboard. A survey is the best money a buyer can spend...'cuz I've yet to hear of a survey done by a qualified surveyor that didn't find at least enough problems that needed to be corrected to cover the cost of the survey--at the seller's expense...and that even includes my own boat when I sold it, which I'd restored so meticulously that I'd have taken a 100-1 bet that it couldn't possibly have any.
make an offer "subject to survey?" How many people who aren't accredited surveyors are thoroughly acquainted with all the ABYC, NFPA, UL, and USCG standards? Just the absence of any frayed wires is no guarantee that a circuit isn't overloaded, or improperly grounded, or (any one of a dozen other things that could cause a fire). A toilet that works is no guarantee that the plumbing doesn't put the boat at risk of sinking when no one is aboard. A survey is the best money a buyer can spend...'cuz I've yet to hear of a survey done by a qualified surveyor that didn't find at least enough problems that needed to be corrected to cover the cost of the survey--at the seller's expense...and that even includes my own boat when I sold it, which I'd restored so meticulously that I'd have taken a 100-1 bet that it couldn't possibly have any.
Contact BoatUS and find one or ask someone.
Darline: Contact BoatUS, they have a list of surveyors. You must have a survey for financing and probably need one for the insurance company too. A survey is going to cost you between $15-20/ft (probably $600). They usually find enough items that need to be fixed to justify their fees. They should also be able to give you a fair market value (needed for the insurance and bank) for the boat too. As far as the compression post and crossmember are concerned, they really need to be inspected. Sometimes the problems are identifiable from the exterior. The best thing to do is to have them remove a panel off the compression post and take a visual inspection. The cross member is a different story. It may be a good idea to drill a small hole into the cross member and see if the wood is in good condition. The repair for the cross member and/or compression post is going to cost from $2000-5000. It is worth getting checked out.
Darline: Contact BoatUS, they have a list of surveyors. You must have a survey for financing and probably need one for the insurance company too. A survey is going to cost you between $15-20/ft (probably $600). They usually find enough items that need to be fixed to justify their fees. They should also be able to give you a fair market value (needed for the insurance and bank) for the boat too. As far as the compression post and crossmember are concerned, they really need to be inspected. Sometimes the problems are identifiable from the exterior. The best thing to do is to have them remove a panel off the compression post and take a visual inspection. The cross member is a different story. It may be a good idea to drill a small hole into the cross member and see if the wood is in good condition. The repair for the cross member and/or compression post is going to cost from $2000-5000. It is worth getting checked out.
I respectfuly disagree
I see what you are saying Peggy. But for the average cost of a survey...about 600 bucks or so for an average sized yacht, I will it is worth not doing the survey (If you know or have some one who knows enough about sail boats to do it your self) Of course, this would be part of the bargaining chip. For example, my boat...Hunter 27 is worth around 12,000 to 15,000 give or take. Well, I worked the guy down to 3,500 bucks. And the sails were brand new, the engine works great (Now that I replaced the fuel) and the boat looks brand spanking new and includes tons of extras like wind speed, knots, Depth, Auto Helm, etc etc etc. I know that no matter what I can sell her for triple what I paid even if there is some sort of problem. I feel that each purchase should be looked at separately. And if you can work the previous owner down at least 1/4 beneath blue book, you can not go wrong. I happen to be the type of guy that knows boats though. I suppose those that are new to the hobby might want to look to some one else to do an inspection. But, for what it is worth, if a perspective buyer does not know enough about a boat that he or she does not check things like leaky toilets etc as you have mentioned, I don't think sailing is the hobby for them. Sailing involves much of hands on, get down and dirty and fix things your self at your dock or on the water all by your self. If an owner does not know how to work with his or her hands and figure things out like that, maybe renting a boat here and there might be better. Shoot, if any one who lives in the Ohio area would like me to survey their boat, I would be very happy to look one over for you! Hahahahaha Billy Bob Nortan Emit Fitz Gerol
I see what you are saying Peggy. But for the average cost of a survey...about 600 bucks or so for an average sized yacht, I will it is worth not doing the survey (If you know or have some one who knows enough about sail boats to do it your self) Of course, this would be part of the bargaining chip. For example, my boat...Hunter 27 is worth around 12,000 to 15,000 give or take. Well, I worked the guy down to 3,500 bucks. And the sails were brand new, the engine works great (Now that I replaced the fuel) and the boat looks brand spanking new and includes tons of extras like wind speed, knots, Depth, Auto Helm, etc etc etc. I know that no matter what I can sell her for triple what I paid even if there is some sort of problem. I feel that each purchase should be looked at separately. And if you can work the previous owner down at least 1/4 beneath blue book, you can not go wrong. I happen to be the type of guy that knows boats though. I suppose those that are new to the hobby might want to look to some one else to do an inspection. But, for what it is worth, if a perspective buyer does not know enough about a boat that he or she does not check things like leaky toilets etc as you have mentioned, I don't think sailing is the hobby for them. Sailing involves much of hands on, get down and dirty and fix things your self at your dock or on the water all by your self. If an owner does not know how to work with his or her hands and figure things out like that, maybe renting a boat here and there might be better. Shoot, if any one who lives in the Ohio area would like me to survey their boat, I would be very happy to look one over for you! Hahahahaha Billy Bob Nortan Emit Fitz Gerol
You can disagree but it doesn't change anything.
Billy Bob Nortan Emit Fitz Gerol (aka: Skipper (Eric) of Lake Erie): You cannot change the fact that if you are going to purchase a vessel that needs to be properly financed and properly insured then these institutions do not care how much you think you know about boats. They are going to want a professional survey. In your case you basically stole a boat from someone and obviously it would not make sense to get a pre-purchase survey for a $3500 boat. Now if you want to get a marine policy on this boat you may be forced into an insurace survey at some point in time. If you are using your homeowners policy they usually do not care.
Billy Bob Nortan Emit Fitz Gerol (aka: Skipper (Eric) of Lake Erie): You cannot change the fact that if you are going to purchase a vessel that needs to be properly financed and properly insured then these institutions do not care how much you think you know about boats. They are going to want a professional survey. In your case you basically stole a boat from someone and obviously it would not make sense to get a pre-purchase survey for a $3500 boat. Now if you want to get a marine policy on this boat you may be forced into an insurace survey at some point in time. If you are using your homeowners policy they usually do not care.
Pay Cash for Everything
I agree. I forgot that these people might be taking out a loan. I have never taken out a loan for anything in my life. I never borrowed for my home, cars or my yachts. I do not even use credit cards. I always figured cash up front is way better. By the time you take out a loan and pay it off, you are paying 3 to 4 times more than what the agreed price was. That does not make sence at all. So, I just pay cash up front. I also own a Luger 26 and a South Coast 22 and I paid cash for them too. I think that is part of the reason I get my yachts so cheap?!?!?!? Hey! If any one is willing to wait around a bit, I can find them a hunter for next to nothing. Here is the trick I use! Go to the marinas. Find the the yachts still sitting in the dry dock in July. Those are the ones that the owners are usually in trouble. They have not kept up with the storage fees and are just about ready to loose their boat. I go to the harbor master and ask what ones are ready to go up for state auction. He gives me the names of the boat owners. I contact them and offer them a little bit more than what they owe on the storage. They always bite! then just pay them cash. Your Pal, Skipper...Port Clinton, Ohio...
I agree. I forgot that these people might be taking out a loan. I have never taken out a loan for anything in my life. I never borrowed for my home, cars or my yachts. I do not even use credit cards. I always figured cash up front is way better. By the time you take out a loan and pay it off, you are paying 3 to 4 times more than what the agreed price was. That does not make sence at all. So, I just pay cash up front. I also own a Luger 26 and a South Coast 22 and I paid cash for them too. I think that is part of the reason I get my yachts so cheap?!?!?!? Hey! If any one is willing to wait around a bit, I can find them a hunter for next to nothing. Here is the trick I use! Go to the marinas. Find the the yachts still sitting in the dry dock in July. Those are the ones that the owners are usually in trouble. They have not kept up with the storage fees and are just about ready to loose their boat. I go to the harbor master and ask what ones are ready to go up for state auction. He gives me the names of the boat owners. I contact them and offer them a little bit more than what they owe on the storage. They always bite! then just pay them cash. Your Pal, Skipper...Port Clinton, Ohio...
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