Andre,
This is GREAT stuff!! Please keep the write-ups of your experiences coming.
I have been sailing boats through the club that I belong to in the hope of gaining additional experience with the maintenance and repair issues related to "cruiser/racer" boats. I now consider myself a potential boat buyer, and am shopping around. I am looking at 20 year old 34-36' boats that were made in New England. I could pay for the boat that I want now, but wnat to have full-time employment (or a winning lottery ticket
)so that I can afford all the ancillary, and unexpected costs. I would also be very reliant on the surveyor to help me understand, and prioritize, the things on the boat that need attention.
When I have a boat surveyed:
- I will insist on being there.
- I will run all the halyards, and lines myself.
- The sheaves I will have to trust the buyer and surveyor, as I doubt that I will pull the mast.
- I will also insist on either myself, or the admiral being onboard as the boat is pressure washed, or I will turn a hose on the boat after the pressure wash.
- I will test the rudder, and stuffing bearings by either rapidly turning the wheel from one direction to the other, or (if the boat is on the hard) shaking the rudder. Am I correct in assuming than less than 1/2cm (1/8 inch) of play is acceptable? I have also looked at boats where I have seen that the prop shaft has had about the same amount of side to side play (cutlas bearing). Again I assume that this is OK...
- I will test every pump (manual and electric bilge, holding tank discharge) works.
I believe that the engine survey issues that you discovered (missing mounting bolt, and cracked
exhaust elbow) are unacceptable, (The cracked
exhaust could have resulted in CO posioning, or sinking of the boat. Either way you could be dead.) and I would have issued a written complaint to the company that did the engine survey, and asked for a refund. If their response is unacceptable, I would follow this up with a complaint to
http://www.marinesurvey.org/ and
http://www.nams-cms.org/
Please keep these reports comming!
Ed