YACHT AND SMALL CRAFT SURVEYING

Marine consultancy

TYPES OF SURVEY

Pre-purchase Survey.

 Before you purchase any boat you should consider having a pre-purchase survey.  This survey will give you a clear assessment of the material state of your proposed purchase.  More often than not the price of the survey is easily covered by the price reduction that can be negotiated.

In conducting a Pre Purchase Survey a full report will be produced along with a portfolio of digital images.  The report will also be able to be used to insure the vessel. The following areas will be covered:

Hull & Deck structure, General Visual Inspection.
Hull Moisture Measurement and Analysis and De-lamination testing (FRP)
Hammer and spike testing. (Timber)
External & internal structure.
Bulkheads, framing & reinforcement.
Attachments for chain plates, keel, deck hard wear etc.
Openings, ports, windows.
Skin fittings & sea cocks.
Steering gear.
Stern gear.
Ground tackle.
Stanchions, hand rails, jackstays.
Masts spars & rigging. (from deck level)
Sails. (Generally not hoisted)
Gas installations. (visual inspection not pressure tested)
Fuel installations.
Fire fighting equipment.
Water installations.
Toilet installations.
Bilge pumping.

Machinery: General external inspection of installation, bearers, hoses, fuel system, stern gear.

Electrical: General external inspection of installation, switch boards, batteries & electrical items, operated but not tested. 

Insurance Survey - A shorter survey and cheaper survey will be carried out that will meet the needs of your insurance company and you will obviously have your own copy. It will concentrate on the primary risk areas that may impact insurance cover and also the preservation of the insured value of the boat.  It will also include a valuation of the vessel for insurance replacement purposes.

Hull External Inspection and Hull Moisture Readings and Analysis.
Hull Moisture Measurement and Analysis (FRP)
Visual inspection, removal of sample areas of anti-fouling, moisture meter checks with Tramex Plus. Inspection/Assessment of blistering.  De-lamination testing.

Consultancy and Damage Inspections.

Supervision of repair works, new build and refits.

Ashley House Marine
Text Box: A note on hull moisture survey and analysis. For pre purchase and hull condition surveys the moisture content of the hull will be determined in accordance with the Code of Practice for the Measurement and Analysis of the Wetness of FRP Hulls as published by the International Institute of Marine Surveyors. This will give an average wetness number compared to a maximum allowable wetness value. These figures will take into account the conditions on the day and also the amount of time that the vessel has been out of the water. Nevertheless they are only a ‘snap shot’ of the hull moisture and if the vessel has just been dried out for the purposes of this survey then the measurement of hull moisture is likely be fairly inconclusive unless the readings are especially low. If a second set of hull moisture readings are taken after a period ashore then a great deal more information can be gleaned from the comparative analysis of the 2 reports. Of course this is not a practical evolution in the course of buying a boat but following purchase, subsequent hull moisture surveys, perhaps on an annual basis, would then allow a definitive analysis of hull moisture content over a period to be produced. This could provide a really useful tool to determine the timing of any preventative or corrective work to be undertaken as well as an attractive feature for the future marketing of the vessel