Marine survey of a pleasure boat: when, how, and what the report contains

A marine survey is the examination of a boat by an independent professional, who describes its condition on a given date in a written report. For a used boat purchase, it is the most cost-effective expense there is: it costs a fraction of the boat’s price and avoids the nasty surprises that neither the seller nor the buyer can see. This guide explains when to have one, how to choose the surveyor, what happens on the day, what the report contains — and what it does not.

1. When to have one

• Before buying: the most common case. No law requires a survey for a sale between private individuals, but a boat over ten years old, a catamaran, a wooden, aluminium or steel boat, an ex-charter boat or a boat at a surprisingly low price almost always justify one. The survey takes place after an agreement in principle on the price, “subject to survey”.
• For the insurer: many insurers ask for a recent survey report to insure a boat beyond a certain age or value, or to cover offshore sailing. Check this requirement before buying: it may mean work has to be done.
• Before selling, on the seller’s initiative: a recent independent report reassures the buyer, puts an end to “blind” negotiations and avoids every visitor ordering their own survey. A solid starting point for the sale file.
• After an incident (grounding, lightning, fire, water ingress): for the insurance, but also for you — a keel strike is rarely visible from the outside.
• Periodically, on an older boat you are keeping: roughly every five years, to follow how the structure evolves and anticipate major work.

2. Choosing the surveyor

In France, working as a marine surveyor for pleasure boats is not a regulated profession: anyone can claim the title. What sets a good surveyor apart:

• They are independent of the seller, the broker and the boatyard that sells or maintains the boat. It is the buyer who chooses and pays the surveyor.
• They know the type of boat: a specialist in GRP sailing yachts is not necessarily the right choice for a twin-inboard motor cruiser or a steel boat.
• They hold professional liability insurance and say so on their quote.
• They provide a sample report and explain their method; a clear quote states what is included (lift-out, sea trial, engine check) and what is not.
• They belong to a professional association of marine surveyors, a sign of continuing training and professional ethics — it is not compulsory, but it is a good indication.

3. How it goes

• Out of the water, almost always: a serious survey requires seeing the hull bottom. The lift-out and cleaning have to be arranged with the seller or the boatyard and are paid on top of the survey. If the boat is already ashore for the winter, that is the right time.
• The hull bottom: tapping the hull with a nylon hammer (dull areas = delamination or moisture), moisture meter readings, checking for osmosis, condition of the keel and its bolts, the rudder and its bearings, the propeller, the shaft or the drive leg, the anodes and the through-hulls.
• Deck and structure: moisture in the sandwich around deck fittings, chainplates, mast step, hull-to-deck joint, portlights and hatches.
• Rigging: visible condition of the standing rigging, bottlescrews, swages and deck hardware; a masthead inspection only if planned.
• Engine: visual check, starting, smoke, leaks, mounts, exhaust; an in-depth check (compressions, oil analysis, injection) is a mechanic’s job and is ordered separately.
• Electrics, gas, plumbing, safety: wiring, batteries, switch panel, gas installation, bilge pumps, safety equipment and its dates.
• Sea trial: if included in the quote, after relaunching; handling, engine under load, instruments.
• Allow half a day to a day on site depending on size, then a few days for the report.

4. What the report contains

• The identification of the boat: name, registration, hull number, builder, model, year, engines and their serial numbers, hours recorded.
• The condition found, item by item, with photos and moisture readings.
• The recommendations: what must be repaired, distinguishing the urgent (safety, watertightness), what is needed in the short term and what is advised.
• Often a valuation, if requested (notably by the insurer) — it is an opinion, not a price guide.
• The limits of the examination: what could not be seen (inaccessible areas, boat not trialled, engine not opened).

5. What the report does not guarantee

A survey is a statement of findings on a given date, within the limits of what is visible and accessible without dismantling. It guarantees neither the absence of hidden defects nor the future reliability of the engine; it replaces neither an in-depth mechanical check nor the maintenance history. A reassuring report on a boat without a single invoice is still a boat without a history: you know what condition it is in, not how it has been treated. The two complement each other — and in a dispute, the surveyor’s liability is limited to what they could observe. The hidden defects guide explains what the law provides between buyer and seller.

6. Making use of it

• Negotiating: recommendations priced by a boatyard become arguments on price or work for the seller to carry out before the sale; safety recommendations are not negotiable.
• Deciding: a report with structural recommendations (widespread osmosis, delamination, keel bolts) may justify walking away, even after an agreement in principle — that is exactly what the “subject to survey” clause is for.
• Planning: each recommendation becomes a job to schedule. In the Hullteam log, the report is uploaded as a “survey” document: it appears in the boat’s history, counts towards the proof score (a survey less than three years old is one of the items of the file), and its recommendations can be turned into due dates in the log.
• Insuring: send the report to the insurer, with proof of the work done since.

7. On the seller’s side

Having your boat surveyed before putting it up for sale costs the same and changes the balance of power: the buyer receives an independent document instead of discovering the defects themselves, viewings are more serious, and the seller knows what they are selling — which also protects them where hidden defects are concerned, since a defect that has been disclosed is no longer hidden. The report joins the sale file along with the invoices, the log and the certificate of conformity: see selling your boat.