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Surveying a used boat -- Cost Effective?
On Mon, 4 Aug 2003 09:11:28 -0400, (Dionysus
Feldman) wrote:
I see recommendations from everyone to "have that used boat surveyed".
And every used car is supposed to be inspected by an independent
mechanic.
OK, how much is a survey? My house survey was $250, and worth every
penny. But my house cost 20 times what my boat will.
There's only one surveyor referenced within a couple of hours of us, btw
(A-1 Marine in Saugatuck), and I've already sent in a query.
Do new boats need a survey? What's included? I saw a recommendation
here to have a mechanic look at the boat too. If the engine isn't
included in the survey, why bother?
I bought my boat, a 1985 Gibson 36 houseboat, without a survey. While I did get
an excellent deal, I would not skip the survey on any used boat in the future.
I am just completing the purchase of a low-hours Four Winns Sundowner, and have
ordered surveys on engine, outdrive and hull.
If I had spend the $700 or so on an out-of-the-water survey on the Gibson, I
would have saved myself quite a lot of aggravation and probably some money.
I would have known that the San-X treatment plant was both obsolete and
non-functional.
I would have known that the raw water pump needed to be rebuilt (more on that in
a sec).
I would have known that the carburetor needed rebuilding.
I would have known *why* the refrigerator would not run on 12 volts.
I would be paying a bit less for insurance--"agreed value" insurance has
typically higher premiums than insurance where a recent survey is provided.
About the raw water pump: it stopped pumping cooling water about 25 miles from
home. Although the engine wasn't damaged, the long tow home cost $750--and
insurance covered only $300 of the tab.
Overall, I'm convinced the survey would have more than paid for itself by now.
Even if the seller had not been willing to adjust his price for discrepancies
discovered, I would have been able to get everything corrected at once over a
short time, rather than fixing them piecemeal, as discovered.
Joe Parsons
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