Surveyor recommendation near Annapolis

[FruiVita]

Hey CFers, I'm considering a monohull near Rock Hall, MD and I'd like recommendations for a very through surveyor in the Annapolis area. I could find a surveyor near Rock Hall but am concerned that he/she may have ties to the brokerage selling the boat. The individual should have very broad expertise and tools enabling him/her to survey every aspect of the boat, including the engine. Looking for recommendations only from people who have had a surveyor perform a survey for them and were very satisfied with the thoroughness of the individual as well as the results. One more thing: the survey report should provide estimates (ballpark) of the costs to repair/replace problems revealed during the survey. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

[TheOffice]

Derek Rhymes

[Amapola]

Susan Canfield is super thorough and definitely not tied to brokers.

[ranger58sb]

Peter Hartoft.

-Chris

[Saltyhog]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

Peter Hartoft.

-Chris

I'll second Peter Hartoft. Very thorough.

[Cheechako]

avoid a guy named "Bobby"

[greyhound37]

Peter is good but probably will not go to Rock Hall. Gale Browning is partners with Peter and is equal (more methodical). Same office

[Saltyhog]

Originally Posted by greyhound37

Peter is good but probably will not go to Rock Hall. Gale Browning is partners with Peter and is equal (more methodical). Same office

Peter came to Rock Hall to survey our boat. He did charge a nominal travel fee. All in all, I thought he was worth the money. That was 2 years ago. I had also heard good things about Gale.

[sailpower]

I don’t know if you will find a good surveyor who is also a qualified engine surveyor. I think it would depend on how extensive an inspection you have in mind.

RE: estimates; ballpark is nice but you might want to consider a possible conflict with a surveyor who writes a work order for himself.
Here are two suggestions on the Eastern Shore of MD whom I have worked with:

John Pepe did a lot of work for me when I ran a Hatteras store on Kent Island, MD. He surveyed all my trades and did a lot of our maintenance as well. He knows boats and motors, is professional and trustworthy.

Randy is the same.

John Pepe
J.P. & Associates
13893 Old Wye Mills Road
Wye Mills, Maryland 21679
410-827-0139 -O, 410-726-3453 -Cell
jpassoc@atlanticbb.net

James R. Renn (Randy)
Marine Forensic Technicians
P.O. Box 1041
Stevensville, Maryland 21666
410-604-2327 -O, 410-490-0216 -Cell, 410-604-2329 -Fax
randyrenn@aol.com

[dugout]

Fred Wise works in Rock Hall. I can recommend him.
Fred Wise III

• SAMS-AMS
• Galena, MD
• Phone: (410) 648-5052
• Email: wiseyacht@gmail.com

[FruiVita]

Thanks for the recommendations. Many of the folks recommended are unavailable. Anyone have experience with Lon Acheson?

[Bash]

Originally Posted by FruiVita

Thanks for the recommendations. Many of the folks recommended are unavailable. Anyone have experience with Lon Acheson?

Isn't that the way it always is? You want a good restaurant, and reservations are tough. You want a good surveyor, and he's busy.

My advice: go with the good guy even if you have to wait a week. And don't order the foie gras.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Saltyhog

I'll second Peter Hartoft. Very thorough.

I'll third Peter Hartoff. He saved me from a bad purchasing decision.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by sailpower

I don’t know if you will find a good surveyor who is also a qualified engine surveyor. I think it would depend on how extensive an inspection you have in mind.

Good point. Even with Peter doing our marine surveys, I've had engine specialists check out the mains and genset. Last time, I had the local Cummins distributor's techs do ours. Ditto very thorough.

-Chris

[greyhound37]

A good hull surveyor has some overlap with the engine surveyor. Examples are:
running the engine(s) at WOT to check waterflow, vibration and exhaust leaks.
However only a dedicated motor head will know about engine updates that need to be completed, cooling system hardware that has lacked maintenance even though there are no issues now. After coolers leaking into the combustion chambers are death to a motor. Yanmars are constantly updating and have service bulletins. Caterpillars 96 series require more routine maintenance than any other marine engine.
I have used Rino Panico for surveys. He is a serious motor head in addition to a hull surveyor. If the motor is a sail aux I would not be too concerned. If you are looking at a 440 Yanmar call Bayshore