my 2 cents..
When I bought my former '31, I was pretty comfortable with the condition of the boat and did not want to spend top dollar on a survey (yea, I know there is some risk here, but I was willing to take it at the time and price.) My boat was, however, already out of the water so I could see the bottom. On my current boat (a 37.5) there was much more money at stake and I insisted on a top notch survey and was willing to pay for it.If you know boats and what to look for, you can take some risks. I would, however, want to see the boat out of the water to have the surveyor check the things others have mentioned here and the status of the bottom paint. If it needs to be painted now, you can do in-water survey and sea trial, then haul it and be prepared to keep it out for the bottom job. If the marina will do it, it saves paying for 2 haulouts.Sounds like your surveyor is trying to take the short cut, which might be ok if you know boats well AND he's charging you the shortcut price.