Not All That Glitters Is Gold: A Surveyor’s Cautionary Tale

When three young sailors spotted a bargain-priced 1980 CS 36, they skipped the survey and bought it on the spot—then discovered the hull was rotting, moisture-saturated and deemed unseaworthy—with repair costs double what they'd paid.

By
Ray Ville
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During the survey on this CS 36 in the Dominican Republic, the author found widespread moisture, hidden core rot, and structural concerns beneath her freshly painted topsides.(Photo/ Ray Ville)
During the survey on this CS 36 in the Dominican Republic, the author found widespread moisture, hidden core rot, and structural concerns beneath her freshly painted topsides.(Photo/ Ray Ville)

I received a message regarding surveying a 1980 CS 36: “I bought a sailboat with two friends and need a survey,” the WhatsApp message said. Since they had already bought the boat, I assumed the survey was for insurance purposes, so I asked. However, the response was, “It’s not for insurance. We just want to know what it needs and how seaworthy it is before we set sail.”

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Ray Ville
Ray Ville has been a Navtech Certified Marine Surveyor since 2009. He has surveyed vessels in Canada and the Dominican Republic, where he currently resides. During the summer, he flies back home to Canada and lives aboard his 1982 Mirage 33 in the North Channel of Lake Huron.

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