DSK wrote:
They do if you know how to search USCG and insurance comapny records. Do
you think an insurance comapny pays out $10K+ on boat claims and doesn't
keep a record??

But the boat would have to be documented--most aren't...some states
don't even title boats--and the buyer would have to know who the
insurance company was--if in fact, the boat WAS insured. Fewer than 10%
of boat buyers even bother with a survey or know they should, much less
how to search a boat's history.

The only thing that matters for a boat is its survey value...


I disagree strongly here. A "survey value" is primarily of benefit for
getting insurance. It says nothing at all about the current market value
of the boat.

Not so, Doug...most lenders also require a survey on most used boats.

Many surveyors will amiably write down what you tell them
you paid for the boat.

Not any legitimate ethical surveyor! When I bought the Trojan (for cash
btw) I needed a survey for insurance. The surveyor gave me a list of
things that had to be corrected in order my insurance carrier to cover
it for anything but "port risk"--iow, it couldn't leave the slip except
for any mechanics' sea trials. I had 30 days to correct, or my
insurance would be cancelled.

Some surveyors seem to specialize in 'knock-down' surveys that help you
negotiate with a seller...

Again, no legitimate ethical surveyor.

but the problem then becomes getting insurance
without professionally correcting his punch list.

Yup.

True. All you need to do is wait!

Unless you're buyin'...

When my husband died in '92, I'd have been lucky to get more than $45k
for my 34 Sea Ray...by the time I sold her in '96, the market had
recovered...I had no trouble getting $60k.


That was good, although a small part of that would be accounted for
inflation and better bank rates at that time frame.

The galloping inflation of the '80s was over by then...it was pretty
much flat in the '90s. However, I was able to get the original 1979
factory-dealer invoice for the Trojan...she had a retail list of $97k
with all the factory upgrades and options. By 1996 '80s inflation and
other factors (fewer new units, same overhead for boat builders) had
doubled the price of a comparable new boat.

One of the issues that affect boats, cars, & houses, is the going
interest rate. If that rises (which it's sure to do) then payments for a
given boat (or car or house) will go up and it's marketability will go
down.

That's the beauty of restoring a "project boat"...by the time I was
done, I had everything a $180k comparable new boat had to offer for
$43k--which is about what you'd have to put down on a new one. And no
payments.

Hiring a pro doesn't always result in a very good job, either.

There are pros...and there are them who call themselves pros. Ya gotta
be careful who to pick.

I think I know exactly who you mean, a feisty old gal and extremely
knowledgable. She did a boat survey for us and did me a big favor by
helping dis-enchant my wife with a boat that was a disaster.

That would indeed be Bolling Douglas. She has sat on and/or chaired
every industry standards committee and the board of ABYC...she's
forgotten more than most surveyors ever learn. I didn't have her survey
the Trojan when I bought it...she'd surveyed it for the last 3 owners,
knew every inch of it...so we spent a rainy Sunday in her office going
over her files and costing out "worst case" and finally coming up with a
fair "as is, where is" offer to the estate of the elderly man who owned
her. She didn't do the insurance survey either...she was in Savannah in
charge of risk management for Oympic racing venue. She did survey it for
the buyer when I sold it, though...and even though she's a friend, and
had bird-dogged everything I did to it...to the extent that I'd have bet
real money she couldn't find a thing that needed correction, she did!
Nothing major, but that lady doesn't even cut her friends ANY slack when
she works for someone else!

Unfortunately, there's no regulation for surveyors that guarantees they
all have to be that ethical...'cuz there are a bunch of charlatans out
there.

--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/store/custo...0&cat=6&page=1
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/books...ku=90&cat=1304