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Everything You Wanted To Know About Marine Survey’s
By: Bill Burke, USSA, Master Marine Surveyor
So, you have decided either to buy your first houseboat or have decided to upgrade to larger boat and either your bank or insurance company has said the magic words “Marine Survey”. In this article I will attempt to dispel some of the myths and fairy tales that you have heard or possibly will hear regarding this
subject. What is an “Accredited” Marine Surveyor ? Many Marine Surveyors are “accredited” by the professional organizations that they belong to. Most of these organizations set stringent professional expectations of their membership and in some cases will bestow qualification titles such as “certified”, “accredited” or “registered” upon the members. Regardless of what you hear or are told there is no one organization that is any better than the other. There are typically three major national organizations that Marine Surveyors belong to or are members of. All three have very rigid membership requirements and all three are very good at promoting professionalism within their ranks. Most Marine Surveyors are members of at least one of these and some may be members of two or more . These organizations are as follows: National Association of Marine Surveyors (NAMS) http://www.nams-cms.com/ U. S
Surveyors Association (USSA) http://www.navsurvey.com/ Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors (SAMS) http://www.marinesurvey.org/ Types of Surveys : Pre-Purchase : where you the perspective owner, hire a marine surveyor to conduct a survey and tell you the general condition and value of the vessel. Insurance Survey : where the insurance company wants information and inspection on the vessel to determine if it’s an acceptable insurance risk. Appraisal Survey: where the bank, financial institution or legal entity wants information and appraisal to determine the condition and fair market value of the vessel. Damage Survey: where the insurance company or claimant wants to determine or estimate the costs and extent of damage or repairs and in some cases determine the probable cause of the damage. Surveyor Qualifications : many Marine Surveyors are self employed or may work as contactors for companies associated with the marine industry. Regardless of the employment or affiliation the surveyor should be qualified to do the job at hand. Length of time in the business is not always indicative of a qualified or good marine surveyor. A good rule of thumb is to find one who has been in the business at least two to five years.
Choosing a Surveyor : independently qualified a member of a professional survey organization use the latest information, tools and technology conduct the survey and issue reports based upon ABYC “American Boat and Yacht Council”, NFPA “National Fire Protection Association” and US Coast Guard safety and inspection guidelines and standards. <P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Last but not least you need to understand that the surveyor works for who ever is paying the bill. That is why it is particularly important to select one that you are comfortable with. If you’re still feeling a little uneasy about choosing and hiring a surveyor try asking around the marina. My experience has been that other boaters are always willing to help steer you off the rocks ! <P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"> Bill Burke, USSA, Master Marine Surveyor <P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><A style="COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single" xhref="mailto:
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