Evaluating Marine Surveyors

Often taken for granted, the decision to engage a marine surveyor is one of the most important ones you can make. Here's some important advice in advance.

Veteran surveyor Neil Haynes of Blue Water Surveys in Charleston, SC (NAMS certified and SAMS accredited), says too few surveyors are willing to go aloft to examine rigs. Haynes carries a 10x monocular for inspecting rigging wire and terminals. Here, he hunts for lightning damage.

So, it's the happiest day of your life because you just bought a sailboat. No, it's the happiest day of your life because you just sold your boat. Either way, completing this kind of transaction typically involves a survey and, occasionally, elevated blood pressure readings. If you are doing the survey for the "right" reason—to assure the safety of skipper and crew—you want to be advised of potential hazards or failures, and the event may be a walk in the park. If you are evaluating a boat to determine its fair market value before writing a check, or are going through the motions because you were instructed to by an…