Tips on preparing a boat for survey from the sellers perspective

[sail sfbay]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

...make sure it smells nice.....

Ditto MicHughV.............and I will add, maybe already sail but clean and wet vacuum your bilge and anchor locker.

[Adiona]

Well you asked. Here goes goes from an Admirals perspective from the last 5 boats.
The boat must be clean, not greasy and must not smell like diesel. Don’t spray stuff. Get a couple of those solid deodorizer in a clean smell and put them in strategic places. I don’t want my boat to smell lemon, or peach or tropical mist. Clean the corners on counters and floors. Nothing sticky. Wipe the sink dry. Clean windows. If the seats are leather, wipe them down with leather cleaner, if fabric, spot clean them. Wipe inside drawers and cabinets. No crumbs, or old food.
Life jackets, do you have enough to support your documentation requirements or maximum accompany? Are they the right kind. Throw ring. You have to have one.
Have ships manuals and papers in order for surveyors. Check expiration dates on flares, etc. post oil, garbage placards. I put them inside my galley cabinet. Make sure all lights are working. Remove everything, and I mean everything, that isn’t absolutely necessary, pillows, blankets, etc. I don’t want to have to touch others bedding to see underneath, especially with the covid19 virus. Anything that has particular steps to use, make a sheet and keep it at the helm. I keep a loose leaf binder with all these things at the helm. Surveyors seemed to like it. Tie down, or remove anything in the engine woo, that doesn’t need to be there for the sea trial. Any parts included in the listing that are not on the boat, clean them too, side curtains, lines, fenders. Anything that does not work on your boat, like radar for example, have an explanation for why not. If your teak needs redoing, what was your plan? Leave it oiled or refinish next year? Always a good thing if the wiring is labeled, as buyers are already thinking of what they will add and to sort out a wiring mess might be too daunting a task.
The object of all this obsessive cleaning is that buyer needs to see themselves and their stuff on a cleanish boat. This will put your boat a step above one that needs a lot of cleaning to begin with. Oh, and with the virus, have gloves, sanitizing wipes, hand sanitizer available for anyone who comes aboard and I would require they bring and wear their own mask.

[Quilbilly]

My nephew runs a boatyard and something he often sees that drives him crazy and probably would drive a surveyor crazy as well are left over wiring from upgrades in equipment. I know I am guilty of this myself. I replaced my auto pilot but left the old wiring harness in place just in case I needed it. As my nephew points out, you never need it, or if you do you can't sort it out from all the other junk left behind.

[BBill]

Don't know what country you're in but...Make it neat, clean and orderly. Make sure it meets current gov regs and insurance requirements. Don't do major work and expect it to pay you back. Its better to leave it open to negotiation. Its the surveyor's job to clear items for a thorough inspection. Do it if you think it's an access problem. Some tell you upfront they will or won't do a lot of locker clearing to survey...and report as not accessible. The surveys I've had (USA) were "conditional" (physical) and never a mention of official paperwork as mentioned in an earlier post. Maintenance & equip logs are nice to help the sale but not an "official fail" for pleasure craft. A surveyor may convey what logs say but will report his opinion. I would also stay off the boat during the survey but standby for any questions. Do the sea trial last...they rarely kill a sale. Ask to see the survey if hard negotiations are happening.

[kelpline]

Most of these are minimal costs: Stand back and look at anything that hints of rust, and remove it. Replace the cabin carpet. Replace any worn upholstery, sometimes you can turn the worn seat around to put an inside non-worn side out. Snipe off any unused wiring and straighten out the snake farm wiring with zip ties. Replace the rusty CO2 fire extinguisher with an aluminum one $(150). I once took off a pitted and rusty stove pipe and bought a stainless one with new top for $250, the boat sold immediately. Take home the old tie up lines and buy new ones. Pressure wash the bilge (a broker told me this one), shop vac the water out. On a wooden boat with nail heads rusting, treat with toilet bowl cleaner. In Canada, make sure the vessel has a hull id number, otherwise the buyer can't put a mortgage onto the boat. Have all documents, diagrams of boats systems in a binder on the table. Stand back and let the buyer buy the boat.

[garyfrankovich]

Boats do not pass or fail survey! I've surveyed over 3,000 boats and never did one that didn't have any Findings, and that definitely includes new boats. It's up the buyer to decide if he/she is willing to deal with the issues found during survey, or negotiate a lower price from the buyer to have them dealt with, or walk-away and look for another boat. Check my website: www.marinesurveyor.com/accurate and click on the Most Common Findings page. That's a really good start, and as has already been mentioned, clean out everything that doesn't go with the boat, replace any hose clamps that exhibit any corrosion, and be up front with the buyer about what doesn't work.

[Seighlor]

Originally Posted by Quilbilly

My nephew runs a boatyard and something he often sees that drives him crazy and probably would drive a surveyor crazy as well are left over wiring from upgrades in equipment. I know I am guilty of this myself. I replaced my auto pilot but left the old wiring harness in place just in case I needed it. As my nephew points out, you never need it, or if you do you can't sort it out from all the other junk left behind.

Amen.

[Zhyachts]

OK, you have made sure your boat is perfect. Survey should be no problem. WRONG, surveyors are paid to find problems. If none are evident they will just dig deeper to find or contrive something. The last thing they want is a survey report like this "Great boat. No problems found. Send $800 bucks to this address."

So, after making sure your boat is perfect, create some minor and very evident problems to make the surveyor happy and make the buyer more confident in the survey process.


Maybe:


Put in expired fire extinguishers or just take them off the boat.


Unfasten the chain from the anchor and leave it unattached on the deck.


Remove your new flare package and leave expired ones.


Your surveyor will secretly thank you and the buyer will be very impressed with a vessel with such minor and easily correctable problems.

[bstreep]

Many/most surveys include the prospective buyer/buyers. So, don't forget them. The is the ONLY thing between you and a sold boat. Even though the contract is signed, you are still "selling".



The times we've had our boat surveyed, I've gone through the boat from one end to the other, making sure everything was neat and clean. I know our surveyor, and I know he's going through every single locker and space. So, we try and get clutter out of the boat, to make his job easier.



Back to my first comment: If it's hot, make sure the A/C is on and the boat COLD. If it's cold out, the opposite. It impresses both the buyers and the surveyors. A pot of hot coffee, maybe some donuts or, as we are in Texas, some breakfast tacos are in order. Hospitality really does go a long way. Make sure the fridge and freezer are COLD, and in the case of the fridge, plenty of cold drinks. Including beer. Stay out of the way, but be there in case of questions or if someone needs a hand.



A clean, dry bilge and engine go a long way...

[Fore and Aft]

Your right about the coffee and doughnuts going a long way. It seems to promote a friendlier atmosphere.
I always wonder what some buyers are thinking when there partner goes and gets them a coffee and doesn't bother to ask if anyone else would like one.
Cheers