Preliminary Surveys

A shorter, focused inspection for the stage before you are committed. Sometimes called a walk-through survey. The job is to find the obvious problems early, so you learn whether a boat is worth the full process.

What a Preliminary Survey Covers

A structured visual inspection of the vessel afloat: hull and deck condition, obvious structural concerns, the state of the electrical panel and wiring, engine room condition, evidence of water intrusion, and the general standard of maintenance the boat has had.

No haul-out, no moisture mapping, no trial run, and no written valuation. What you get is an informed read on whether this boat justifies a full pre-purchase survey.

When It Makes Sense

When you are choosing between several boats and do not want to pay for a full survey on each. When a listing is a long drive away and you want to know before you commit a weekend. When a price seems too good and you would like to know why before you make an offer.

It is also useful when a seller will not permit a haul-out until an offer is accepted, which is common. A preliminary survey tells you whether to make one.

What It Does Not Replace

This is the part worth being blunt about. A preliminary survey is not a pre-purchase survey and should never be used as one. It does not go under the boat, so it cannot tell you about the running gear, the through-hulls or the bottom, and the bottom is where the expensive findings live.

No lender will accept it and no insurer will bind a policy on it. If you are buying, you still need the full survey. This one just stops you paying for the full survey on a boat that was never going to work.

Book a Preliminary Survey

Call or email with the listing, where the boat is and what you are trying to decide. If a preliminary survey is the wrong tool for your situation, I will say so.

What it costs depends on the boat and how far I am going. There is more on how I price a survey.