Hi,
I have had two boats surveyed by two different surveys. Maybe I got lucky, but both surveyors were great. They both WANTED me to participate in the survey. This was good because I wanted to learn as much as possible.
I owned the first boat for 3 seasons and I didn't find anything the surveyor missed. I purchased the second boat last November and to be honest, I haven't corrected 1/2 the things the surveyor found because I feel they are OK for now (although I plan on corrected them over the winter when the boat is hauled).
I paid $500 for the first survey (28') boat and $650 or so for the second boat (35'). The first surveyor told me he would not inspect the
rig above deck level. The second surveyor did go up the
rig and inspected everything. He even installed a new windex for me. While neither surveyor performed an engine survey, they both did what I felt was a thorough test of the engine, including engine temperature, motor mounts, accessories (alternator mount and power, refridgeration, etc.), rudder and shaft (the rudder on the first boat was wet. the surveyor told me how to drill a small hole in the bottom of the rudder to let it dry out, then fill before launching), etc.
I'm glad it turned out OK for you in the long run.
Barry