Surveyor for PNW

[Elzaar]

The moment has finally come and we've agreed on a tentative price on a 40' monohull. Now I need to decide on the best surveyor to go with. I prefer straight talkers who know their business. It seems like the top recommendations are:

Matt Harris
John Sanford
Eric Bentzen

Its still the slow and wet season here in Seattle, so I am hoping they will all be available in the next few weeks. I've read the old forum posts and Googled each of them. It's a 30 year old fiberglass hull, rod rigging, and an old Perkins 4108. So in addition to the above, would anyone recommend a rig or engine surveyor? I'm thinking wait until the initial survey is done, but I my as well hit all the questions here at once.

Thanks so much for the advice!

[UNCIVILIZED]

If you can get the time booked, Brion Toss did a good job for me. And it was on a boat with rod. Albeit, you'll have to work out the travel bit, etc.

You might also try over on SA Forums as well. As there are a lot of PNW members over there, & with it being a racing crowd, most of the guys are more familiar with rod & surveyors for same, than are cruisers.

[seahag]

If it is in BC check out Brion Polly at Strathcona Marine Surveyors near Campbell River. We would highy recommend him as a very thorough, knowledgeable and caring surveyor.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Elzaar

The moment has finally come and we've agreed on a tentative price on a 40' monohull. Now I need to decide on the best surveyor to go with. I prefer straight talkers who know their business. It seems like the top recommendations are:

Matt Harris
John Sanford
Eric Bentzen

Its still the slow and wet season here in Seattle, so I am hoping they will all be available in the next few weeks. I've read the old forum posts and Googled each of them. It's a 30 year old fiberglass hull, rod rigging, and an old Perkins 4108. So in addition to the above, would anyone recommend a rig or engine surveyor? I'm thinking wait until the initial survey is done, but I my as well hit all the questions here at once.

Thanks so much for the advice!

Your surveyor selections are fine. Go with Mark Hiraiwa @ Auxiliary Engine Service for your mechanical survey. Money well spent.



https://www.portseattle.org/Marinas/...usinesses.aspx

[Alaska JD]

Matt Harris gets my vote. Extremely thorough and competent. All around nice guy as well. He surveyed our purchase last July


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[Cruisingscotts]

Another vote for Matt Harris he surveyed our last boat, spent a entire day sounding the hull, very thorough. Northwest Rigging or Anacortes Rigging might be your best bet for a rod rig survey. Pat at Stewart marine was a good perkins guy, not sure if he is still there.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Cruisingscotts

Another vote for Matt Harris he surveyed our last boat, spent a entire day sounding the hull, very thorough. Northwest Rigging or Anacortes Rigging might be your best bet for a rod rig survey. Pat at Stewart marine was a good perkins guy, not sure if he is still there.

Stewart's is long gone.

[Elzaar]

As always, I am amazed at how quickly people respond to questions. It's very much appreciated.

Matt Harris must be incredibly good as he is booked a month out even now. John Sanford was a few weeks out and seems a very nice guy. I hired Jerry Edwards (also delayed, but least of the bunch) and I'll report back on how it goes.

Again, many thanks!

[japarker11]

For the rod rigging I would listen to Matt's views and Dan or Lisa at Port Townsend Rigging. PTR, I believe, has the last mushroom maker in the Puget Sound. They reviewed the status of our newly purchased mono and redesigned our backstay. You will hear a lot of varied opinions on rod rigging relative to testing, replacement intervals and current availability of Navtec tech support and parts. As industrial rigging design used to pay the bills, Matt and PTR struck a responsive cord with their conservative approach. They supplanted the white noise that used to spew from Navtec lawyers before they were cut loose from the conglomerate.

As this is our second rod rigged boat, it was a very satisfying sit down session. At the time, a sistership was completing a two year circumnavigation utilizing their recommends and the original 30 year old rods.

Best of luck with the survey.

[Elzaar]

Thanks for the information. So if I read the sub-text correctly, the rod rigging can have a substantial life with a survey and possibly some work?

Thanks!

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by Elzaar

Thanks for the information. So if I read the sub-text correctly, the rod rigging can have a substantial life with a survey and possibly some work?

Thanks!

Most rod failures happen at the ends. Rod rigging can develop cracks where the head was created. At the mast end this area may not be visible for inspection. Usually at the turnbuckle end the head can be exposed for a visual and magna-flux inspection. So what is often the recommendation is to cut the upper end off and create a new head with the heading machine (it hammers the rod end to make a mushroom). This shortens the rod a bit so this won't work if the turnbuckles are not long enough.

Properly headed on the correct machine and inspected regularly rod will last a very long time. Longer than most insurance companies will tolerate.

[Elzaar]

That is good to hear. My buyer-broker had told me pretty much the same thing, but good to have it repeated independently. What is the proper machine and can you recommend a way to identify good people for that kind of work in PNW?

[Cheechako]

Matt Harris, if not him then Matt Harris, or maybe Matt Harris.