Recommendation needed for a surveyor in the Tampa Florida area.

[SV Bacchus]

Marine Surveyors Expert Witness ? Sailing Yachts ? Megayachts ? Motor Yachts

If nobody else works out check with Henry. He is in Brooksville but I'm sure he would go to Tampa since he doesn't mind going as far as China. He did a great job for us.

[jdazey]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

Sorry but he is arguably the worst surveyor in existence. He lost accreditation with both nams and Sam's, never carried e&o ins, lied about being accredited, and I'm not even sure he practices anymore, and probably has put at risk anyone surveyed by him with their insurance company by not being a surveyor yet performing surveys due to being given recommended by brokers

I don't know what your problem/experience with Jonathan is, but he is certainly not the "worst surveyor in existance". I've bought several boats over the last 50 years, each with a survey. I served on the board of directors for the Pacific Trollers Fund for four years and saw a lot of periodic surveys many of which were marginal. Jonathan's work for us was top notch, at the very top of the bunch. No survey is going to catch everything. That said, Jonathan did an excellent job for us, caught some expensive items that allowed us to re-negotiate the price, and was prompt with the report. As of 18 months ago he was doing surveys and was willing to travel. Our insurance company had no issue with the surveyor.

I've probably seen more surveys and surveyors than most. Should I need a surveyor in the future, Jonathan Sands will be the first one I contact.

Cheers,

[smj]

Originally Posted by jdazey

I don't know what your problem/experience with Jonathan is, but he is certainly not the "worst surveyor in existance". I've bought several boats over the last 50 years, each with a survey. I served on the board of directors for the Pacific Trollers Fund for four years and saw a lot of periodic surveys many of which were marginal. Jonathan's work for us was top notch, at the very top of the bunch. No survey is going to catch everything. That said, Jonathan did an excellent job for us, caught some expensive items that allowed us to re-negotiate the price, and was prompt with the report. As of 18 months ago he was doing surveys and was willing to travel. Our insurance company had no issue with the surveyor.

I've probably seen more surveys and surveyors than most. Should I need a surveyor in the future, Jonathan Sands will be the first one I contact.

Cheers,

Dulesuenos is correct. Jonathan Sands doesn't appear to be listed as an accredited surveyor with Sams or nams, and a survey by him may not be accepted by an insurance company.

[jdazey]

That's interesting. He has a NAMS logo on his web site, but is not listed on either the SAMS or NAMS web sites, and that may have a bearing on insurance. In our case it did not.

He did an excellent job for us, but the lack or lapse of certification does raise some doubts.

I might add that certification does not necessarily mean the surveyor is any good, only that the survey is more likely to be accepted by insurance companies. That, of course, is a big deal for most of us.

Cheers,

[Dulcesuenos]

Originally Posted by jdazey

I don't know what your problem/experience with Jonathan is, but he is certainly not the "worst surveyor in existance". I've bought several boats over the last 50 years, each with a survey. I served on the board of directors for the Pacific Trollers Fund for four years and saw a lot of periodic surveys many of which were marginal. Jonathan's work for us was top notch, at the very top of the bunch. No survey is going to catch everything. That said, Jonathan did an excellent job for us, caught some expensive items that allowed us to re-negotiate the price, and was prompt with the report. As of 18 months ago he was doing surveys and was willing to travel. Our insurance company had no issue with the surveyor.

I've probably seen more surveys and surveyors than most. Should I need a surveyor in the future, Jonathan Sands will be the first one I contact.

Cheers,

We are cruising currently which accounts for the delayed response. I have had 5 owners contact me thru here all had major issues he should have easily found dead if he did his job properly. He was discredited for copying and pasting on surveys and leaving older / other boat Info on the new buyers surveys. I have seen this myself twice one was a leopard 38 that had a incorrect name, engines, ac units, engine hours, age of sails, electronics, the list goes on. I have also seen two surveys 6 months apart that were completely different in description and condition of items and structure. He lost his accreditation, you can call for yourself and verify and while you are at it let them know their logo (though fuzzy) is on his website, they will likely reach out to him to remove it.
Use at your own risk.
But yeah he is a "Nice guy" and is good at climbing the mast[emoji9]

[jdazey]

Thanks for your reply.

Again, he did a fine job for us including finding some major defects that were expensive to repair and allowed re-negotiating the price. Of the surveys I've seen and had performed, his was among the best. Having said that, the issue of falsely claiming accreditation is a serious matter, and I'll have to retract my recommendation.

Best regards,

[tzimmer]

I just used him. I've bought 5 boats prior to this with no complaints and I can honestly say he's the worst surveyor I have ever used. Shame on me for using the surveyor the broker recommended. Absolutely a useless survey....a catamaran with obvious repairs to port hull, a broken stringer over the keel and moisture issues everywhere and it's hardly mentioned. Thank god I was there to inspect the boat myself!!! He's is not certified NAMS or SAMS!!!
Terrible! Complete waste of $1800 plus $860 for a haul out!!!

[tzimmer]

Just used Jonathan Sands. Worst survey I've ever seen. Total waste of $1800 dollars.