Should I have a survey?
Short answer: yes.
It is ultimately your choice but with a few exceptions I would recommend that you do so. Firstly, a boat is a substantial purchase and it will help to give you peace of mind. Secondly, should any material defects come to light (and I emphasise material) then a professional surveyor may be liable for the cost of putting them right if s/he failed to spot them in the survey.
How much will a survey cost?
Typically a full out-of-the-water survey will cost between £450 and £700, plus the cost of taking the boat out of the water. Depending on whether the method is a dry dock, a slipway or a crane it will cost from £250 – £500. Which means of removing the boat from water is used will usually depend upon what facilities lie nearest to the boat’s location. At Stowe Hill we utilise our own on site crane for this purpose.
Can I have the hull blacked at the same time?
I am asked this question on countless occasions. And the definitive answer is (drum roll), maybe. Dry docks and slipways (the commonest means of taking a boat out of the water) are frequently booked some way in advance for longer term work such as hull blacking. For a hull blacking to be done properly the boat should be out of the water for several days. Survey boats are often only out of the water for 2 hours or less, and are docked/slipped between a long term booking changeover. In any case, although I can’t imagine the owner objecting to a free blacking, the boat is not yours until you are satisfied with the outcome of the survey and have completed the purchase of the vessel.
However, at Stowe Hill we have our own lifting service courtesy of an on-site 40 tonne crane, and usually we are able to accommodate the need for a blacking and other work that require a boat to be out of the water, such as fitting new anodes.
The following is a list of surveyors of whom we have first hand experience:
Name | County | Mobile | Landline/Email |
Barry BurnellNational Marine Surveying | Bucks (can travel) | 07398 775 851 | info@nationalmarinesurveying.co.uk |
Balliol Fowden | Warwickshire | 07831 232823 | 01788 541020 |
Michael Clarke | Northamptonshire | 07944 856351 | 01604 858868 |
Justin Green | Northamptonshire | 07903 945196 | |
Steve Hand | Derbyshire | 01332 812850 | |
Ian Jennings | Northamptonshire | 07828 100418 | 01604 716832 |
Iain Jones | Staffordshire | 01283 542718 | |
Tom Keeling | Warwickshire | 07976 631920 | |
Jonathan Leask | Derbyshire | 07790 015992 | 01773 828418 |
Barrie Morse | Oxfordshire | 01295 711941 | |
Ian Burgoyne | Oxfordshire | 07836 292659 | |
Chris Halliwell | Wiltshire | 07592 739168 | 01749 850766 |
John Hutley | Essex | 07790 153896 | 01992 626342 |
Peter Hutley | Berkshire | 07703 235779 | 01635 37606 |
Alan Jarvis | Cambridgeshire | 07972 844973 | |
Mike Boulton | Humberside | 07930 384143 | 01405 769129 |
Ian Lumley | S Yorkshire | 07760 126590 | 01246 415007 |
PJ Hopley | Lancashire | 07711 496177 | 0161 320 8023 |
Peter Tindall | N.Mids & Cheshire | 07774 801623 | 01332 960068 |