Boat Inspection Trip Tips

[shawnkillam]

Sailingdog,
most excellent post / idea. I have printed it and will be using it for a guide in a couple of days.

Any thoughts about arranging to charter the boat for a few days. Under an extended sea trial (charter) what additional things would you look for.

sk

[davidpm]

It is doubtfully than someone would allow you to charter their boat if they were not already in the business. Insurance, paperwork etc.
Unlikely to get the boat without the owner and maybe less likely with the owner. What owner would want to put themselves through that.

[bardia]

Thanks for starting this thread Dog. I'm off to check out my first boat ever and wasn't sure if I knew what to look for, and for that reason wouldn't have known if and what offers to make. Was just going to go, hope for the best with my instincts, cause I have to start somewhere right?
Thanks everyone for your input.
Giu your a wild one!!!

[bardia]

Jstorm, just read your site. Thanks for directing us to it. I'm glad you didn't get nuced. Dog and you are a good team!!

[sailingdog]

Glad to help Bardia. Good luck with the boat.

[therapy23]

SD,
I too will be going to a survey on Monday and will take some of the info with me. Really new boat so some does not apply but...........

Thanks.

[chris2998]

dam good tips I never thought about buying a moisture meter. I guess you just use this devise anywhere you think there could be water like around chainplates or whatever. I may just have to purchase this thing when I really get serious about buy some boats. So I see on the meter it may go from 0-30% so when you take a reading I assume you are wanting that reading to be 0 all the time correct and the higher the number the more expensive the repairs could be?

Thanks
Chris

[eherlihy]

No, the meter will read up to 10% on a dry deck from the moisture in the air, and moisture that should be in the Balsa or marine ply.

I use my meter to detect changes in the moisture readings as I slide the meter over the deck and hull. I wipe the deck with a cotton cloth as I slide the meter along to remove dirt, or any surface moisture (even on a dry day). When the meter reads over 20% that is a good indication of excessive moisture in a cored deck or hull.

- Ed

[Mimsy]

Don't nuke Jstorm yet! He was the surveyor who recommended us to another surveyor who met the ARE's definition of a thorough survey. I can vouch for the fact that he was more than willing to pass on the name of another quality surveyor when he was too busy to schedule us. In my experience with him, his motivations were absolutely not to put more cash in his pockets but to help us find the quality of survey we were looking for in a timely manner. His first concern was our needs, not his.

Back to your regularly scheduled thread...

[JimMcGee]

Great Post! Here are a couple of things that came to mind while reading through the thread.

- No matter how knowledgeable you are get a survey. I went over my current boat in detail. The surveyor found a couple of things I missed and I picked up a couple of things he missed. Between the two of us I had a really good snapshot of the boat.

- For every electrical upgrade or bit of electronics added take a look at the electrical installation. My boat was OK, but I've seem some things that made me cringe.

- Before looking at the boat spend some time online researching both the boat and the engine. Knowing what problems are common to a certain model can save you a lot of time, heartache and dollars.

- CAREFULLY read what is supposed to be included with the boat. I found two versions of the listing for my boat. The first one listed a dinghy and outboard the second didn't. It turned out the seller was no longer in the area and the broker was trying to keep the dinghy and motor for himself. The "oversight" was only corrected when I pushed the issue with the broker.

Jim