I just spent $875 for a survey on a 35'
catamaran ($25/foot), plus $45/lab test on the
oil in each
engine and each
saildrive (so $180 total), and $280 for the haulout so the
surveyor could inspect the
boat below the waterline. The $280, by the way, was for up to one hour in the slings. If he needed more time than that (he didn't), the
price would have gone up. Additionally, he had a standard $75 travel charge that he waived for me (long story).
This was in Ft. Lauderdale, and I've paid as much as $1500 for the same thing in
New York (Brooklyn); $1000 for the survey and sea trial of a 38'
catamaran, plus $500 for the haulout, and, after the fact, the
surveyor asked for an additional $200 because he felt it was a "bigger job" than he had originally figured. Did I give it to him? Don't be absurd!
Both times I received an excellent, thorough survey, and considered the cost a minor thing compared to the total prices of the two vessels. Any competent surveyor should be able to come up with at least a few things that are wrong with a
boat, because there are no perfect boats, and in negotiating a final
price with the seller post-survey, you will generally recoup more than the cost of the survey/haulout and you will have a much better picture of what needs to be done to the boat to bring it up to your standards. You may even have learned things that convince you that the vessel in question isn't worth it at any price, so an expensive survey can save you many times its cost.
A
monohull survey will generally run less than a
multihull, and where you are having the survey performed will have a lot to do with it, as well. Only use a surveyor affiliated with SAMS or NAMS, and try to find a surveyor on your own, starting with recommendations from those you trust. Your
broker may recommend the best surveyor in your area, but how will you know that?
Good luck with your
purchase.
TaoJones