Written by JFA Yacht & Ship Survey Vendor Jonathan Sands jons@atlanticmarinegroup.com
JFA is pleased to feature a blog written by one of our survey vendors, boat surveyor Jonathan Sands.
As a Boat Surveyor for 15+ years, I find I run into the same issues when it comes to preparing a boat for survey. Here are some helpful tips to make the process go as smoothly as possible:
Make Sure Your Boat is Clean
Your boat will need to be clean- both the interior *and* exterior. This may seem like an obvious point, but you’d be surprised how many people do not take care of getting their boat in tip-top shape for the survey. A boat is a luxury item and oftentimes more of an impulse purchase so how the boat shows will go a long way. The higher the value of your boat and the newer it is, the cleaner it needs to be. For example, one of JFA Yacht & Ship’s many listings, S/V Delphine a 2016 60’ Fountaine Pajot Eleuthera Sailing Catamaran, was placed onto a weekly cleaning schedule using our friends at Premier Yacht Detailing. We have worked with Paul Haggblom for years and having a dependable yacht detailing service like Paul’s keeps the vessel ready for showings, boat shows, and surveys.
Remove Anything that Doesn’t Come with the Boat
From cruising around, you may have lots of personal items on your vessel like pictures, gear etc. but if it doesn’t come with the purchase of the boat, it needs to be removed. Eliminate any clutter aboard to make the boat look more spacious and organized. It also reduces any confusion as far as what goes or what doesn’t go. If you are plann
ing on taking any equipment with you to put on your new boat, make sure it’s not present for the survey to reduce confusion.
Have the Boat Prepped and Ready to Go
Before the survey, make sure everything works and is ready to go. This includes batteries charged, water/fuel in the tanks, the sails on the boat etc. The boat should be turnkey as much as possible, so the surveyor won’t have to put the boat together. For example, the motor should be on the dinghy, the digyny fully inflated, if there are cushions- make sure they’re out. Run through a systems check before the survey. Make sure all systems work and are functional, especially equipment you haven’t used in a while. Using a surveyor like Jonathan Sands to prepare for a survey will help identify any potential surprises that could detractors to a successful survey day. For example, S/V Delphine a 2016 60’ Fountaine Pajot Eleuthera Sailing Catamaran listed by Capt. James Fachtmann in collaboration with Wiley Sharp, used Jonathan Sands to pre-survey all the ship’s systems. Armed with a list of deficiencies, James was able to better prepare both party’s expectations prior to the survey day. Utilizing another vendor, Mike Vinskiy of Worry Free Yacht Management, the list was reviewed and a fair 3rd party repair quote was ordered. Even if the repairs were not carried out, it serves all parties to have clarity prior to the survey day. Thanks to all the efforts made prior to S/V Delphine’s big day at Safe Harbor’s Lauderdale Marine Center, the survey and sea trial went off without any surprises. The Buyer enjoyed the day sailing in the Atlantic ending the day with a perfect sunset before entering the Lighthouse Point inlet at night under sail. Needless the buyer for S/V Delphine accepted the vessel the next day. Everyone wins when the vessel is prepared and ready to go!
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