Did Surveyor make mistake or just bad luck?

[NorthCoastJoe]

You are brave. If the seacock did not move I would not force it. I would make that my first priority, haul out time.

i was going to save the Seacock questions for another thread but this was another i guess boo boo buy the surveyor, the seacock to the head would not open more than maybe a 1/4 inch? so as i tried to work it back and forth a couple times and the handle with nut and threads fell off in my hand?

[vonotto]

I may be way off and out of line but............Having just started looking seriously for my boat (again), when I go aboard anything I poke and prod (carry flashlight, headlamp etc). My question that no one seemed to bring up was if it was loose carpet why didn't you pull it up when you first looked at the boat. To me that would have been and obvious thing to do.

I am not bashing you just asking. Am I doing "too much" on my initial walk through?

[TrentePieds]

Quote: "My question that no one seemed to bring up was if it was loose carpet why didn't you pull it up when you first looked at the boat. To me that would have been and obvious thing to do."

Quite so, but beyond that, loose carpet it NOT a good idea in a small boat. There is hardly any better way to ensure you are gonna take a serious fall if the boat lurches unexpectedly. There are all too many edges and corners on the furniture that can crack your skull as you go down, so either fix the carpet to the sole with good stickum or get rid of the carpet.

TP

[Suijin]

Most surveyor’s agreements protect them from liability. If they did not most would be out of business in short order.

I agree with those that advocate some simple reinforcement and go sailing.

That said, I would hunt down the *cause* of the sole issue and correct it right away.

[kmacdonald]

I've always said surveys are a waste of money. Of course there are a few exceptions but they are few and far between. If you can't look at the boat your self and determine it's condition you need to reconsider buying one or get a new or close to new boat.

[Jim Cate]

If you can't look at the boat your self and determine it's condition you need to reconsider buying one or get a new or close to new boat.

If one followed this advice, how would they ever get the experience needed to do a good personal survey?

One of the purposes of a "learner" boat is to gain experience in detecting and correcting defects, and the OP is in just that position.

Jim

[kmacdonald]

I would expect that one would take the initiative and learn. The are plenty of resources available. If you're the type that needs spoon feeding and can only learn by the road of hard knocks, boating can get very expensive and dangerous.

[dakno]

Hopefully you got a good boat and everything else will be a pleasant surprise(it does happen). The H34 is a well regarded boat is is know to be really fast. It is also know for some weak points, most notably the beam under the compression post. Go to the Hunter Owners website and under the H34 you will find a very large and helpful community of people with the exact boat you have and answers to all things related to your boat.
Also, you should have some recourse with the broker, especially if it can be discovered that he/she knew about this defect and kept quiet about it. Ask other skippers in the marina how long boat has been for sale and what kind of activity has been occurring, also for the names od boat handymen/detailers/carpenters. You don't need a $125 hr boat mechanic, you need a good carpenter.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by old frog

Hog wash. My experience is that very few carry E&O, at least on the East Coast.

And they would like you to believe that but no professional would be dumb enough to be unprotected.

And to reiterate, the typical liability disclaimer included on survey documents provides no defense to liability.

Perceptions are hard to break.

[old frog]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

And they would like you to believe that but no professional would be dumb enough to be unprotected.

You might want to verify that.

[CHM]

Interesting thread. I agree with most of what has been stated regarding the survey but much of this is the learning curve of buying an older boat. You’re likely going to find 20 more things wrong with this boat as you start looking in this and under that. Just about all of these older boats have delayed maintenance issues or worse as their owners don’t have time or are disengaged. Hence, their for sale. You start to get motivated to learn how to repair things vs paying $90-120 an hour labor. Defender.com will be your friend soon. If your sole is 3/4 inch teal and holly plywood, it shouldn’t cost 10% of the boat to replace it if you can do it yourself. That’s likely not the only problem you will find as I’ve mentioned. Plan on spending 75% on work and 25% on sailing and that’s being optimistic. Even new boats have issues so this is the life. Welcome aboard.

[old frog]

To follow up on the prior post. OP, as & when you move forward repairing the cabin sole, you have other options besides replacing with like kind varnished T&H veneered plywood. One of my personal favorites for such use is waxed cork. Easy to install & repair. Wears well & great non-skid properties. Also, much less $$$ than veneered T&H ply. You appear to be on the right track w/ priorities, tackling sea cocks, etc. first.

[Suijin]

The actual cost of the material...a veneer board with teak and holly, is pretty trivial in the larger project of the repair, and he’s not replacing the whole sole. If it were me I would cut back the bad wood in a way that gives the new wood proper support, glue up the veneer ply to the same thickness. It’s not a difficult project even with basic woodworking skills.

[wallythacker]

Originally Posted by LoudMusic

After paying for several home inspections and now boat surveys, I'm not sure what I was expecting but what I received was far from thorough. In fact, on my most recent home inspection I had to show the inspector multiple items which I thought were concerns that he had not mentioned. Each of them went into his report with recommendations to seek specific inspection on those items. And on the boat survey I did it again.

Mostly what the inspectors / surveyors are doing is making sure the structure is compliant with code. Which quite frankly I'm not concerned with. I want to know the quality of the thing, not if it meets some arbitrary government requirement that likely doesn't apply to my life.

I can show you a stack of invoices ranging from $750 for a 6 plex inspection up to $1,400 for a 14 plex inspection with a variety of invoice values and building sizes in between. I would never have been able to secure financing on these properties without a so-called "inspection."

Like you, I had to point out many areas of concern that the inspectors had ignored, or missed. In all of the inspections done, I felt that the value received for the money spent was marginal at best. But without an inspection there's no chance of getting financing.

I'm learning boat surveys are much like property inspections. A lot is ignored, or missed, while items I have discovered are treated casually like there is no cause for concern.

I watched a surveyor doing an aluminum boat. He was using something to determine the hull thickness. That took him the better part of a day. He came back the second day to finish surveying the boat interior. When I asked the owner what he was paying for the survey I was astounded.

He was paying the same price per foot as I was but his boat was taking a full 12 hours to survey verses the 3 hours it took my surveyor.

I wonder whose boat was surveyed the most thoroughly?

[moseriw]

To be fair: A surveyor can not see everything but the mean problem is he has to stick on special rules that makes a survey lawful but not useful. "I have seen it and it seems to be in good condition" is such a law owned phrase.

Your better off to hire a mechanic, rigger and electrician for your pwersonal surve and write there findings down. And non of them will lift the carpet.