WHAT IS THE SURVEY PROCESS AND WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT?

• The vessel should be craned or dry docked by the Boatyard. The organisation of this lies with the Client and / or a Broker, or the current Owner of the vessel.
• The vessel should be pressure washed and (if possible or feasible) the hull and baseplate scraped. The better the vessel is prepared, the more thorough the survey will be. The responsibility for this again lies with the Client and / or a Broker, or the current Owner of the vessel.
• As many internal removable panels should be opened up to grant internal access, hatches and doors unlocked and opened, access gained to lockers and engine spaces. Again, the more access, the more thorough the survey.
• The surveyor should be left to concentrate on his / her work, with as few distractions as possible. The client should make a list of questions to pose the surveyor at an appropriate time. It is in the Clients best interests that the surveyor can focus on the task in hand.
• Tea is always a very welcome aid, it focuses the surveyors mind.
• At an appropriate time the Surveyor will be ready to walk through the findings with the Client (and only the client). It must be remembered that this ‘verbal’ report is only the preliminary report and not final. Further information may well come to light after the verbal report, or further conclusions drawn when the data is studied in detail. This may not be the same day as the survey as the Surveyor may be tired from concentration.
• This is the moment the list of questions may be posed to the Surveyor.
• Payment is due on the day of survey and may be cash or BACS.
• The written report may take some time to compile, depending on such things as complexity, public holidays, type of survey etc. It is in everybody’s best interest that the report is written in a thorough manner to a consistent standard, and all possibility of error is reduced, therefore the Surveyor reserves the right to determine the timetable at this stage.
• Full surveys, or Hull surveys that are time reliant, for example, if remedial works must commence immediately, then a simplified list of recommendations shall be supplied to the client the following day, or as soon as possible thereafter. This recommendation list is not a Final Recommendation List for the same reasons the Verbal Report is not final. The surveyor will endeavour to ensure as much relevant information is passed on as quickly as possible but no liability may be taken for defects discovered after later analysis of the data gathered.
• The final written report shall only be released upon full payment and clearance of monies owed by the Client to the Surveyor.
• The Client is advised to take some time to read the report, digest the information, and make a list of any important questions or issues raised.
• Discussion relating to the survey report shall only be in the context of aiding the client to understand terms and findings recorded on the report. Advice based upon the findings is considered Consultancy, and furthermore, a conflict of interest for the Surveyor.
• Should advice be sought, a separate request should be made in writing, to the Surveyor and a separate Consultancy Report requested. This would be charged a fee, at the surveyors
discretion.



Mr L.Cudmore-Ray
Msc Marine Surveying