Tips on preparing a boat for survey from the sellers perspective

[S/V Illusion]

If you doubt your ability to thoroughly assess the function of everything on board, hire your own surveyor before anything else. Clean is important but far from the priority list.

Sound the hull, rudder and deck, verify operation of everything from motor to winch, inspect rigging and turnbuckles, inspect sails, etc...

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

My tip is : Leave a couple easy things for the surveyor to find. They have to find something! If you are double clamped, take one off a couple of places.... leave out of date fire extinguishers, etc

Dumb advice. Sorry, but I could not resist (I am a retired surveyor among other things).
As to the OP question:
As said, prepare all boat documents you have (past bills of sale original manufacturers builder's certificate, vhf station licence, insurance policy, liferaft inspection, etc).
Remove anything you do not intend to sell.
Make free access to internal equipment - engine, batteries, quadrant, electric panel, etc. Remove anything that blocks access. Nothing aggravates the surveyor more than the need to empty a cabin full of junk in order to access the batteries under the berth....
Clean and dry the bilges and clean keel bolts.
If you have service log/documents/invoices - prepare for review. Especially history of engine service.
Invoices for any replaced equipment, e.g. new sails or replaced navigation system.
Make the safety equipment presentable.
I may remember additional items...will add in separate post of worth mentioning.

Good luck.

[Seighlor]

Don't know that this will make a difference on the survey but, in addition to the ship's documents, my present vessel came with owner's manuals and purchase documents for every item of equipment that had been added. In addition, the previous owner had prepared a three-ring binder with detailed personal notes and suggestions. These included the workings of the water maker, refrigeration system, air conditioning and all systems that impressed me at the time of purchase and has made life easier for me since taking ownership.

[slug]

Originally Posted by meirriba

Dumb advice. Sorry, but I could not resist (I am a retired surveyor among other things).
As to the OP question:
As said, prepare all boat documents you have (past bills of sale original manufacturers builder's certificate, vhf station licence, insurance policy, liferaft inspection, etc).
Remove anything you do not intend to sell.
Make free access to internal equipment - engine, batteries, quadrant, electric panel, etc. Remove anything that blocks access. Nothing aggravates the surveyor more than the need to empty a cabin full of junk in order to access the batteries under the berth....
Clean and dry the bilges and clean keel bolts.
If you have service log/documents/invoices - prepare for review. Especially history of engine service.
Invoices for any replaced equipment, e.g. new sails or replaced navigation system.
Make the safety equipment presentable.
I may remember additional items...will add in separate post of worth mentioning.

Good luck.

Yah

And the surveys I’m involved with take three days

Day one in the water survey
Day two sea trials
Day three out of the water inspection

It’s important that the boat being surveyed is well organized so that this cycle can be efficiently performed

Documents for equipment like tenders and outboards are critical

For equipment that surveyors are not qualified to inspect , additional specialists must be hired

[sail sfbay]

Agree with all the posts above and will add based on what I have to prepare a boat for sale:

Maintenance documentation with dates of engine inspections, oil and filter changes, bottom cleaning, bottom painting, fuel filter changes, etc.

Make sure everything works from torn canvas, lights, radio, electronics, door hinges, etc., if not, fix it.

Make a list of upgrades and equipment, canvas, cushion, rigging, sail, etc. replacement dates.

What extras, e.g., spinnaker, sails, etc. are you including.

Make a list of your boat specifications including electronics, safety equipment, sail size, weight, material and age, etc. with photos.

Lastly, a standing rigging inspection (relatively low cost) as this give the buyer confidence in the boat's condition and how it was maintained.

[redhead]

I just Googled "how to survey your own boat" and hundreds of articles and youtube vid's popped up. And I know there are books out there (Don Casey?) I think perhaps that's where I would start as a seller. It would at least give me a checklist to run down. Just an idea.

Good luck!

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by redhead

I just Googled "how to survey your own boat" and hundreds of articles and youtube vid's popped up. And I know there are books out there (Don Casey?) I think perhaps that's where I would start as a seller. It would at least give me a checklist to run down. Just an idea.

Good luck!

This is something to consider carefully.
I am not sure that fixing every problem on the boat on the last day before the sale is a good investment and profitable spending of your time. I am sure that you know most of the issues anyway. In my experience, the easiest procedure is to have a list of rejects and leave the repairs to the buyer. Of course you need the boat to look presentable and in able to perform the (necessary) sea trial.
You may agree with the buyer, that if the cost of repair of the lusted rejects exceeds certain sum (5% of selling price?) this will be deducted from the contract.
IMHO it is best to be open and frank about any known to you issue and negotiate the prica accordingly.
Save your time for future projects instead of fixing a boat that is going out of your hands. The new owner will be happy to fix his new toy.

[mikedefieslife]

Originally Posted by meirriba

This is something to consider carefully.
I am not sure that fixing every problem on the boat on the last day before the sale is a good investment and profitable spending of your time. I am sure that you know most of the issues anyway. In my experience, the easiest procedure is to have a list of rejects and leave the repairs to the buyer. Of course you need the boat to look presentable and in able to perform the (necessary) sea trial.
You may agree with the buyer, that if the cost of repair of the lusted rejects exceeds certain sum (5% of selling price?) this will be deducted from the contract.
IMHO it is best to be open and frank about any known to you issue and negotiate the prica accordingly.
Save your time for future projects instead of fixing a boat that is going out of your hands. The new owner will be happy to fix his new toy.

I agree with this. If you are buying a 40 year old boat you expect there to be things that need work.

The key is that the boat should be priced accordingly. If you are buying a boat that normally sells for $40,000 and this one is $25000 but the headlining is sagging, and there is no hot water. That isn't a negotiation item, the boat has been priced accordingly.

[jmschmidt]

Really? My boats have had numerous surveys over the years (for market value, insurance and importation into the US) including two within the past year, and no one has even asked if such documents are onboard. They are, of course, in three-ring binders. This info is also on my note-book computer which is always on the boats anytime I'm aboard. I can email the info to any surveyor or prospective buyer or hand it over on thumb drives.

[Offshore1960]

As a surveyor my advice would be this.

1. Remove all excess equipment / stuff / trash / clothing / toys / cushions / fishing rods / junk etc.

2. Insure there is good access to all the compartments and lockers.

3. Give the boat a good cleaning inside and out

4. Have all the vessels papers readily available.

Best of luck
Eric

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by jmschmidt

Really? My boats have had numerous surveys over the years (for market value, insurance and importation into the US) including two within the past year, and no one has even asked if such documents are onboard. They are, of course, in three-ring binders. This info is also on my note-book computer which is always on the boats anytime I'm aboard. I can email the info to any surveyor or prospective buyer or hand it over on thumb drives.

Always nice to see a reality based comment

[rolwolk]

I would say: Buying a boat is not in the first place a technical thing. Remember shy you bought her and what dreams came true. Seek connection on this subject first. Let him ventilate about his dream and communicate about how his dream can be realized with your boat. Of course te boa is clean and in order. But every boat has a to do list. So be honest about this aspect and tell the person how you set your priorities in the past and what is still on the list for future years.
Your honesty about your maintenance history is a far better card to play then any other way to divert issues. It is natural that no one can see in the future, So **** an always happen but showing the way you maintained your boat is your best argument to convince a potential buyer in my opinion. And a great reason to do it yourself in stead by a brooker. Good luck!

[Fore and Aft]

Slug I have surveyed countless boats and never once has one "failed" a survey. The boat might be a real wreck and have a huge repair list but thats not a fail. I am just there to find all the faults and help the buyer decide if he wants to proceed with the purchase.
As for missing documents, in todays world I think just about all manuals and receipts can be kept online. So many boats I survey have no paperwork onboard. On our own yacht I have a laminated copy of our insurance certificate, an old Yanmar manual I was given and thats it. Any big purchases I make I have the receipt emailed to me. To be honest I barely even read the manuals of any of our gear. If there is a fault I am not unique and almost always someone has had it happen to them and written the solution on the internet.
Slug three days to survey a boat sounds a bit excessive, I am not sure I know many people who can sacrifice three days of their time for a potential buyer?
Cheers

[S/V Illusion]

Mega yacht pre-purchase survey inspections don’t take three days and other than a cursory review of documents, the paperwork onboard is a trivial issue.

This isn’t that complicated. It’s all about condition and cost of any needed repairs.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by slug

Yah



And the surveys I’m involved with take three days



Day one in the water survey

Day two sea trials

Day three out of the water inspection



It’s important that the boat being surveyed is well organized so that this cycle can be efficiently performed



Documents for equipment like tenders and outboards are critical



For equipment that surveyors are not qualified to inspect , additional specialists must be hired

Do you have any idea the types of boat we’re discussing on this forum?