Request a survey

Author: Reid Jenkins, SAMS-AMS®

  • Can I Use the Seller’s Survey?

    Can I Use the Seller’s Survey?

    It happens all the time. You find the boat, agree on a price, and the seller says, “No need for a survey. I had one done last year. Here’s the report.”

    It’s free, it’s already done, and it looks thorough. So why pay for your own?

    Because that report was never written to protect you. Here’s why, and what an old survey is good for.

    It was done for someone else’s needs

    Every survey has a client and a purpose. That report was done for the seller, or for whoever was buying, financing, or insuring the boat at the time. Its job was to meet that client’s needs, whether that was an insurance renewal, a lender’s requirement, or a purchase decision.

    The purpose decides which survey gets done. Many of the reports sellers hand over are condition and valuation surveys done for insurance. That isn’t a lesser survey than a pre-purchase survey. It’s a different one, built to tell an underwriter whether the boat is insurable and what it’s worth. A pre-purchase survey is built around a buyer’s decision, which is why it includes things like a sea trial and a haul-out.

    The findings don’t change, but the relationship does

    The client doesn’t change what a surveyor finds. A survey reports the boat’s condition as found, whoever is paying for it. What doesn’t carry over to you is the relationship.

    Most survey reports state that they’re for the client’s use. As a buyer, you weren’t the client. You can’t call that surveyor to ask what a finding means, or what they’d want looked at more closely.

    It’s a snapshot of the past

    A survey describes the boat on the day it was surveyed. A lot can happen since:

    • A season of use, or a season of sitting
    • A winter, a storm, or a hard grounding
    • Repairs, good or bad
    • Equipment pulled off the boat before the sale

    A survey from 14 months ago tells you what the boat was. You’re buying what it is now.

    Your lender and insurer will probably want their own

    Lenders and insurers generally want a recent survey, often done within the past year, and many want it prepared for the new owner. A seller’s old report may not satisfy them anyway, and you don’t want to find that out the week before closing.

    The seller’s interests aren’t yours

    Most sellers are honest. But a seller has every reason to share a clean report and no reason to share a bad one. You don’t know whether there was a second survey, or whether recommended repairs were ever done.

    The same goes for surveyor referrals. Plenty of brokers are straight shooters, and a referral can be a good place to start. But you should choose your own surveyor. Ask any surveyor you’re considering whether they have a relationship with the broker or seller.

    What an old survey is good for

    Don’t throw it away. A previous survey is a useful starting point:

    • Give it to your surveyor. It shows what someone else saw, and where to look closer.
    • Check the recommendations. Were they fixed? Ask for receipts. Findings from last year that are still open tell you something about how the boat has been maintained.
    • Compare values. If the earlier valuation is far from today’s asking price, it’s worth knowing why.

    Choosing your own surveyor

    • Accreditation. Look for a surveyor accredited by a professional organization such as SAMS® (AMS®) or NAMS (CMS).
    • Experience with your kind of boat. A pontoon, a sailboat, and a motor yacht call for different expertise.
    • A sample report. Ask to see one, so you know what you’ll get.
    • What’s included. Ask about the sea trial, the haul-out, and whether you need a separate engine survey. Haul-out and lift fees are usually paid separately, typically by the buyer.
    • Be there. Plan to attend the survey. You’ll learn more about the boat in a few hours than in months of ownership.

    Write the survey into your offer

    Make your offer “subject to survey and sea trial,” and schedule the survey within the contingency period. That way, if the survey finds problems, you can renegotiate or walk away.

    Under contract on a boat?

    Tell us your closing date. If the seller gave you an old report, send that along too.

    Request a survey
  • Buying a Used Pontoon Boat- What to Inspect

    Buying a Used Pontoon Boat- What to Inspect

    Pontoons are the most popular boat on Southeast lakes, and they’re the boat buyers are most likely to buy on a handshake. It’s just tubes and a deck, the thinking goes. Then the new owner finds a tube full of water, a rotted deck under fresh vinyl, or a motor that won’t stay running.

    We started out running a marina and repair shop on the Tennessee River, so we’ve seen a lot of pontoons from both sides of the work order. If you’re shopping for a used one, here’s what you should check before you hand over any money.

    Start with the tubes

    The tubes, or logs, carry the whole boat. Problems here are the most expensive to fix and the easiest to miss with the boat in the water, so ask to see it on a trailer or a lift. Once it’s up, look for:

    • Water inside the tubes. Pull the drain plugs if the tubes have them. A boat that sits low on one side, or leans when it’s running, may have a tube taking on water.
    • Dents and creases from beaching, hard landings at the dock, or poorly fitted trailer bunks. A deep crease can hide a crack.
    • Cracked welds, especially where the brackets join the tubes, since that’s where the stress is greatest.
    • Corrosion. Pitting, white powdery deposits, or thin spots in the aluminum can mean galvanic or stray-current corrosion, which is common on boats kept in the water at a marina. A dock with an electrical fault can do real damage in a single season. Copper-based bottom paint on aluminum causes the same problem.
    • Nose cones and lifting strakes, plus the center tube on a tri-toon. Under-skins hide a lot, so look at whatever you can reach.

    Then look underneath at the brackets

    While you’re under the boat, follow the crossmembers that tie the tubes to the deck. Check for:

    • Bent or cracked brackets
    • Loose or missing bolts
    • Corrosion where steel fasteners meet aluminum

    Walk every foot of the deck

    Most pontoons still have plywood decks under the vinyl or carpet. Plywood rots, and new vinyl can hide it. As you walk the deck, pay attention to:

    • Soft spots or flex underfoot, anywhere on the deck
    • The areas around anything bolted down: furniture, rail stanchions, and the helm. Water follows fasteners into the wood.
    • Storage history. Rot is most common on boats stored uncovered, or where water sat under the furniture.

    Composite decks don’t rot, but it’s still worth checking that the deck is fastened down solidly.

    Check the fences, furniture, and Bimini top

    These are part safety, part repair bill. Look for:

    • Loose rail panels, broken gates, and cracked stanchion bases
    • Split or mildewed upholstery. It’s cosmetic, but reupholstering a large pontoon isn’t cheap.
    • A bent Bimini frame, broken fittings, or worn-out canvas

    Look over the motor and controls

    On most pontoons, the outboard is the most valuable part after the tubes. A proper engine inspection is a job for a mechanic (more on that below), but there’s plenty you can check yourself:

    • Engine hours, from the gauge or the dealer’s printout, compared with what the seller told you
    • Corrosion on the motor’s midsection and mounting bracket, and the condition of the pod or transom it’s mounted to
    • Steering. It should turn smoothly lock to lock. A stiff cable or leaking hydraulic steering is common.
    • Throttle and shift, which should move cleanly into and out of gear
    • Leaks around the tilt and trim unit
    • Serial numbers on the motor that match the paperwork

    Trace the fuel and electrical systems

    Fuel and wiring problems are hidden under the deck, so this is where an access panel and a flashlight earn their keep. Check for:

    • A fuel tank that’s strapped down securely, whether it’s under the deck or in the console
    • Fuel hoses that aren’t cracked, soft, or swollen, and that carry a Coast Guard rating
    • Wiring under the deck without corroded splices or spots where it rubs against the crossmembers
    • Batteries that are strapped down, with covers on the terminals
    • Navigation lights and the horn, which should both work

    Take it for a sea trial

    The water tells you what the dock can’t. Never buy a pontoon without running it. While you’re out, notice:

    • Whether it reaches the speed you’d expect for its tubes and motor
    • Whether it runs level, or leans to one side
    • How it handles in turns
    • Whether the gauges read normal, and the motor holds its temperature at cruising speed
    • Whether the trim works through its full range

    Finish with the paperwork

    Before you sign, make sure the boat matches its records:

    • The HIN on the boat matches the title
    • The motor’s serial numbers match the records
    • The trailer, if it’s part of the deal, has its own title or registration, as your state requires

    Is a survey worth it on a pontoon? Yes.

    New tubes, a new deck, or major motor work can each run into the thousands, and any one of them changes what a boat is worth to you. Most buyers don’t have a lift, a moisture meter, or the time to crawl under a pontoon with a flashlight. And a lot of these problems only show up to someone who has seen hundreds of them.

    That’s where we come in. A pre-purchase survey covers everything on this list: the tubes, brackets, deck, rails, fuel and electrical systems, and a sea trial. It comes with a written report and a fair market value you can negotiate with. If you’re financing or insuring the boat, your lender or insurer may require a survey anyway.

    What a survey doesn’t cover is the inside of the motor. Compression testing, lower unit oil analysis, and a full diagnostic belong to a qualified marine mechanic, preferably one certified on that brand of outboard. On a pontoon, where the motor is a big share of the price, we recommend booking a mechanic’s inspection alongside the survey. Between the two, you’ll know exactly what you’re buying.

    Found a pontoon you like?

    Make your offer subject to survey and sea trial, then send us the year, make, model, motor, and where the boat is.

    Request a survey
  • Your Boat Has Been Damaged- What to do?

    Your Boat Has Been Damaged- What to do?

    Spring storms on the lakes, hurricanes on the coast, a sandbar that wasn’t on the chart. Our damage calls usually start the morning after. What an owner does in the first day or two matters, both for the boat and for the claim.

    Here’s the checklist we wish every owner had taped inside the console.

    1. People first

    Nobody boards a boat that’s partly sunk, burning, or sitting in a damaged slip until it’s safe. If there’s any chance of an electrical fault, shut off shore power at the dock pedestal, not on the boat. Faulty dock wiring can put current into the water around it, and that is a drowning risk for anyone who goes in.

    If fuel or oil is in the water, you’re required to report it to the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802. Tell your marina, too.

    2. Call your insurance company

    Most policies require prompt notice of a loss. Call, get a claim number, and write down who you spoke with. Ask two questions:

    • What do they want you to do right now?
    • Are they sending an adjuster or a surveyor, and when?

    3. Document everything before you move anything

    Your photos may be the only record of how things looked before cleanup started.

    • Wide shots first: the boat, the slip or shoreline, neighboring boats, the dock
    • Then close-ups of every area of damage
    • The waterline, how the lines were tied, fender placement, the condition of cleats and pilings
    • Video walking around and through the boat
    • Screenshots of the weather forecast or storm warnings, if weather was involved
    • Date and time for all of it

    Don’t throw away damaged parts. A failed hose, a broken cleat, or a melted connector can show what caused the loss, and the cause often decides the claim.

    4. Stop the damage from getting worse

    Policies generally expect you to take reasonable steps to protect the boat from further damage, and they generally cover the reasonable cost of doing so. That might mean pumping out water, covering broken windows and hatches, doubling up lines, or getting the boat out of the water.

    Keep every receipt.

    What you should not do is start real repairs before the insurer has seen the damage or signed off. Emergency protection is expected. Rebuilding a damaged section before anyone has inspected it can complicate the claim.

    5. If the engine went under, act fast

    This is the step where time costs the most money. Corrosion inside an engine begins within hours of submersion, and it moves much faster in salt water. An engine that could have been saved often becomes a total loss because it sat for a week waiting on paperwork.

    • Don’t try to start it. Water in the cylinders can bend a connecting rod.
    • Get a qualified mechanic to pickle it: pull the plugs or injectors, drain the water, flush, and change the oil, often several times.
    • Tell your insurer you’re arranging this. Don’t wait days for permission on something this time-sensitive.

    The same urgency applies to electronics and the generator.

    6. Raising a sunken boat is a job for a professional

    Salvage done wrong can turn repairable damage into a total loss. Use an experienced salvage company, and check your policy, which may cover salvage and wreck removal. Don’t let a well-meaning neighbor hook a strap to the rail and start pulling.

    What a damage survey does

    A damage survey answers the questions the claim turns on:

    • Cause. What happened, and in what order. This matters because policies treat a storm differently from wear, tear, and lack of maintenance.
    • Extent. Everything that was damaged, including what isn’t visible from the dock.
    • Repair scope and cost. What it will take to put the boat back in pre-loss condition.
    • Repair or total loss. When repair costs approach the boat’s value, the insurer may declare it a total loss.

    Your insurer will often send its own surveyor. You can also hire an independent surveyor to look out for your interests, which is worth considering when there’s disagreement about cause or about how much repair the boat needs.

    Before the next storm

    A little preparation now makes any future claim smoother:

    • Photograph the whole boat, inside and out, while it’s in good shape.
    • Keep receipts for electronics, canvas, and upgrades somewhere other than on the boat.
    • Read your policy’s named storm or hurricane provisions. Some coastal policies require a written plan.
    • Use extra lines and chafe gear, strip canvas and biminis, and confirm the bilge pumps and batteries are ready.

    Need a damage survey for your claim?

    Tell us what happened, where the boat is now, and who your insurer is.

    Request a survey
  • Prepare Your Boat for an Insurance Survey

    Prepare Your Boat for an Insurance Survey

    Sooner or later most owners get the letter: your insurance company wants a current condition and valuation survey before it will write or renew the policy. It usually comes with a change of carrier, a boat crossing a certain age, a jump in coverage, or simply the underwriter’s schedule.

    It isn’t a pass/fail test, the way a lot of owners fear. The surveyor documents what’s there, notes anything that falls short of recognized standards, and puts a value on the boat. But the findings section is the first thing an underwriter reads, and much of what lands there is stuff an owner could have fixed in an afternoon.

    Here’s how to get ready.

    What an insurance survey is, and isn’t

    A condition and valuation survey is narrower than a pre-purchase survey. We’re answering two questions for the underwriter: is this boat in reasonable, insurable condition, and what is it worth? We inspect the hull, deck, structure, and systems, check the safety equipment, run the engines where practical, and research comparable sales for the valuation.

    What we generally don’t do is the extended sea trial and deep mechanical digging. That said, if we see a problem, it goes in the report.

    Insurers differ on what they want. Some require the boat hauled out, some accept an in-water survey for certain boats, and some want a fresh survey every few years once a boat passes a certain age. Ask your agent before you book, so the survey you get is the one they’ll accept.

    The week before

    Gather the paperwork

    • Title, state registration, or USCG documentation
    • The hull identification number (HIN), and where it’s located on the boat
    • Engine and generator serial numbers, if you have them
    • Service records, especially recent engine work, repowers, new canvas, or new electronics
    • Receipts for upgrades. Value follows documentation, and an upgrade you can’t show is hard to credit.
    • The insurer’s survey request letter, if they sent one, so we can answer their specific questions

    Check the safety gear

    This is the most common source of findings and the easiest to fix.

    • Fire extinguishers: the right number and type for your boat, mounted, with the gauge in the green. Check the date of manufacture stamped on the bottom of disposable extinguishers. Under the Coast Guard rule that took effect in April 2022, a disposable extinguisher has to come out of service 12 years after it was made.
    • Life jackets: one wearable, properly sized, USCG-approved life jacket for each person aboard, in good shape, plus a throwable device on boats 16 feet and over.
    • Visual distress signals: required on coastal waters. Flares expire, so check the dates.
    • Sound signal: a horn or whistle.
    • Navigation lights: turn them all on and confirm every one works.
    • Carbon monoxide detectors: if the boat has an enclosed cabin, make sure the detector works and hasn’t passed its replacement date.
    • Bilge pumps: confirm they run in both manual and automatic, and that the high-water alarm works if you have one.

    Make the boat accessible

    • Empty the lockers, under-seat storage, and anything blocking the bilge, so we can see the hull, fuel tank, wiring, and through-hulls.
    • Unlock everything and leave the keys.
    • Unsnap or remove canvas so the deck hardware is visible.
    • Charge the batteries. A dead battery means we can’t test the electrical systems or start the engines, and “unable to test” is a phrase underwriters don’t like to read.
    • Leave fuel in the tank.

    Fix the cheap stuff

    These turn up on a lot of reports, and none of them cost much:

    • Seacocks frozen open. Work every one of them.
    • Single hose clamps on hoses below the waterline, where double clamps are the common recommendation
    • Missing or rusted clamps on fuel fill, vent, and supply hoses
    • Batteries that aren’t strapped down, or terminals without covers
    • Loose or exposed wiring, household wire nuts, or electrical tape splices
    • A shore power cord that’s cracked, spliced, or shows heat damage at the plug
    • Any fuel smell in the bilge. Never ignore this one.

    You don’t have to fix anything before the survey. Findings go in the report as recommendations, and most insurers give you time to address them. But clearing the easy items first means a cleaner report and fewer follow-ups with your agent.

    On survey day

    Be there if you can, or send someone who knows the boat. We’ll ask about its history, recent repairs, and how it’s used and stored. Honest answers help. A past grounding that was properly repaired is a non-issue. One we discover on our own raises questions.

    Plan on a few hours, and longer for larger boats.

    After the survey

    You’ll get a written report with photos, findings ranked by priority, and our valuation. Send it to your agent. If there are recommendations, the insurer may ask you to confirm in writing, sometimes with photos or receipts, once they’re done.

    Keep a copy with your boat records. It’s useful when you sell, and it’s useful if you ever have a claim.

    Insurance renewal coming up?

    Tell us about the boat, where it’s kept, and your renewal date, and we’ll get a condition and valuation survey on the schedule.

    Request a survey

  • What a pre-purchase marine survey covers (and what it doesn’t)

    You found the boat. You agreed on a price, “subject to survey.” Now what? Here’s what actually happens during a pre-purchase survey, what we look at, what falls outside the scope, and how to use the report once you have it.

    What a survey is

    A marine survey is an independent professional opinion of a boat’s condition and value on the day it’s inspected. The surveyor works for you, the buyer, not the seller or the broker. The goal is simple: no surprises after you sign.

    What we inspect

    Out of the water

    With the boat hauled, we inspect the bottom for blisters, cracks, and repairs, then check the running gear: props, shafts, struts, rudders, and every through-hull fitting. We sound the hull with a phenolic hammer and take moisture readings to find delamination or wet core that you can’t see from the surface.

    Structure

    Stringers, bulkheads, the transom, and the deck carry the load. Soft spots, cracks at stress points, or signs of old water intrusion here are among the most expensive problems a boat can have.

    Systems

    We trace AC and DC wiring, overcurrent protection, and battery installations; inspect the fuel system from fill to engine; and test steering, controls, bilge pumps, plumbing, and any gas or carbon monoxide detection.

    Safety equipment

    We check the gear the U.S. Coast Guard requires for the boat’s size and use: life jackets, fire extinguishers, visual distress signals, sound-producing devices, and navigation lights.

    The sea trial

    On the water, we run the boat through its RPM range, compare maximum RPM to the manufacturer’s spec, watch engine temperatures and gauges, and note handling, vibration, and any leaks under load.

    What a survey doesn’t cover

    • Hidden areas. A survey is non-destructive. We don’t remove fixed panels, cut into the hull, or take things apart, so some areas simply can’t be seen.
    • A full engine survey. We note how the engines run, but internal condition requires a mechanical survey and oil analysis by a qualified technician. On any boat with significant engine value, we recommend one.
    • A guarantee. The report describes the boat on survey day. It isn’t a warranty of future condition.

    How to read your report

    Findings are grouped by priority. Safety issues come first, then recommended repairs, then routine maintenance notes. The report also includes a fair market value based on the boat’s condition and comparable sales.

    Buyers typically use it in one of three ways: to renegotiate the price, to ask the seller to complete repairs before closing, or to walk away. Your lender and insurer will usually want a copy too, and an insurer may require safety items to be corrected before binding coverage.

    How to prepare

    • Book the haul-out with the yard. Haul-out fees are separate from the survey fee.
    • Ask the seller to charge the batteries, top up fuel, and clear out lockers and the engine space.
    • Gather registration or documentation, the HIN, maintenance records, and any previous surveys.
    • Plan to attend. You’ll learn more about the boat in a few hours than in your first season.

    For the full list, see what we need from you before survey day.