Sailboat/Yacht Marine Survey - To Survey Or Not To Survey?

Buying your dream sailboat can be a stressful business. There are so many factors that come into it so that finding the right boat for your particular requirements can take months, if not longer, of looking at many craft in all sorts of condition from excellent all the way down the scale to a recipe for disaster. 

The fit out and condition are paramount and what you initially view in a brokers image collection and the reality can be worlds apart.......all boats look good in the photos!

It is a very good idea to have a detailed list of what you want in your boat and work your way through it when going to inspect a boat you are interested in. 

Marine surveyor testing hull soundness

A second step that will help to take some stress out of the search is to call for a marine survey once you have had an initial look over the boat and you like it enough to call for an expert opinion. 

I was lucky when I purchased my yacht in that she had been used for day sailing for one summer only and then housed in a air conditioned shed for the following three years without going back into the water. So, by the time I got to see her for the first time, she was still in mint condition. My good friend Mark Clarke of Clarke Marine Surveyors www.clarkemarinesurveyors.com had provided me a comprehensive list of things to look for, so I felt confident working my way through that.

Checking standing rigging

 I spent an hour or two going over her in the shed and and then made an offer on the spot which was accepted. She was then shipped to the UK where I spent the next six months fitting her out for cruising. My luck held and she performed wonderfully well over the next four years, sailing many thousands of sea miles and half way round the globe.

As mentioned, because of the special circumstances, I was extremely lucky, but would definitely not recommend anyone taking the same path. In 2013, over 955,000 boats changed hands on the pre-owned boat market. That meant for nearly a million boat buyers, hiring an accredited marine surveyor to inspect their potential dreamboat was often the first step after finding it. 

Boat Owners Association of The United States has seven tips on how to get the most from a marine survey: 

1. The only good survey is a current one: Relying on an old survey is a bad idea. The marine environment isn’t nice to boats and sometimes a 'little' maintenance issue can quickly turn into more serious problem. If you need to have the boat insured, you will usually need a survey less than six months old – after that, it begins to smell like dead fish. 

2. Don’t miss your own survey: Just like your wedding, you need to be there. Attending and asking questions will reap reams of information about the boat you’re buying, and most surveyors are happy to talk about what they are finding and what needs to be done to fix things. 

3. Experience trumps price: Don’t select a surveyor on price alone. It’s important to find one that has experience on your type of boat that can tell you what you need to know. Surveyors who are members of the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors (SAMS) or the National Association of Marine Surveyors (NAMS) are wise choices as these professional organizations have certification processes and provide educational training. 

Checking propellor, cutlass bearing

4. It’s not pass or fail: A survey is only a guide to determine if the boat is acceptable to the buyer. An insurance company may also use it to provide a list of corrective actions needed to provide coverage. 

5. Surprise, surprise: Boats are a series of complex systems and even brand new boats sometimes have recommendations from a surveyor. The difference is that with new boats, corrective actions are often taken care of through the builder’s warranty. 

6. Use the survey to negotiate: Surveys include an approximate fair-market value for use by lenders and insurance companies. If the numbers warrant it, there is also nothing wrong with using this value in an attempt to negotiate a better deal with the seller. 
7. A survey gives you a great punch list: A survey can guide planning for upgrades, repairs and help you prioritize. 

At the outset the cost of having a survey may seem high, but when you consider that it is very small as a percentage of the cost of your dream boat, or possibly the much higher price you may pay for expensive repairs not highlighted prior to sale, then a survey by a registered marine surveyor is a very good investment.

Marine survey list courtesy BOA of the US 

You can read much more about cruising and the cruising lifestyle at sea in my book 'Sailing Adventures in Paradise' downloadable from my website www.sailboat2adventure.com 

Wishing all of our readers a Very Merry Christmas, the happiest of New Years and safe sailing with fair winds in calm seas. 

Mobilarm Latest Release of sMRT SOS Dan Buoy MOB Recovery Device

'Man Overboard!!' - we have yet to get to terms with POP, (hasn't quite got the same ring to it)  - roared at full volume from the deck is a yachting skipper's and crew's worst nightmare. No matter how well prepared we think we are and how many times we have practised the drills beforehand, we are never really prepared for the event when it does happen. 

Practice drills are vital, but are no substitute for the real thing, mainly because it always occurs most unexpectedly, in an instant, and when no one on board is in the least expecting it. It subsequently and consequently has such a sudden impact on our brain that we are momentarily stunned, then requiring cool heads and fast action to effect a successful rescue of the MOB.

The marine industry is constantly developing and improving equipment to facilitate better rescues and one such company has just launched its latest contribution.           

Mobilarm has integrated its latest emergency electronic MOB Beacon, the sMRT V100 Locator Beacon, with the inflatable SOS Dan Buoy marker. It was introduced recently at the Monaco Yacht Show, the world’s largest mega-‐yacht show.

Mobilarm sMRT MOB Dan Buoy

Once thrown into the water and inflated, the SOS Dan Buoy becomes a visual marker and at the same time the sMRT technology is activated which sends out an alert signal automatically transmitting GPS coordinates to your chart plotter via AIS and DSC. The SOS Dan Buoy can also provide flotation for the casualty. Its visual and electronic capabilities can reduce the Search in Search and Rescue.

The sMRT SOS Dan buoy is a major change in marine rescue devices and suitable for many marine applications for vessels and fixed marine installations. Portable and simple to use, the sMRT Dan Buoy can be thrown into the water providing a floating marker for a person to swim towards and await rescue. The integration of MRT’s sMRT beacon technology allows the tracking of the Dan Buoy and also provides an alarm mechanism to alert nearby vessels to assist with the rescue.

Mobilarm's sMRT Dan Buoy deployed

Additional features:
- Patented arm loops
- 2.5 mtre high visibility ribbon
- Flashing LED light and reflective strips
- Large drogue
- SOLAS approved whistle
- Re-usable Pro-sensor inflation technology
- External loop for attaching a lifebuoy
- Rating to ISO 12402 standard

MRT CEO Ken Gaunt commented: “We are continuously looking to provide our customers with all potential life saving solutions. The sMRT SOS Dan Buoy is another solution with which our customers can address their man overboard risks. This product is a clear alternative for those environments in which individual protection is not viable such as large passenger vessels and cruise ships, or those facilities such as oil rigs and wind farms in which additional standby measures address the additional safety requirements needed.”

SOS Marine’s, Ross Spencer added:”We are very excited for sMRT SOS Dan Buoy to become a global benchmark in response to a rescue situation. The sMRT SOS Dan buoy has lifesaving capabilities. It is easy to use; anyone can pick it up and throw it overboard and is specifically designed to make rescue and recovery of a Man over Board incident a simple and reliable operation. The sMRT SOS Dan Buoy is a very easy to use product that delivers improved safety to commercial and recreational seafarers.”

Another feature we like about this unit is that being a Dan Buoy, it can be fitted permanently within easy reach to your pushpit rails and immediately thrown to the MOB. At a little over $300.00 it has to be a vital addition to your boats safety equipment.

Images courtesy sail-world.com and just-marine.net

You can read much more about the cruising lifestyle in my book 'Sailing Adventures in Paradise' downloadable from my website www.sailboat2adventure.com 

  

Ocean Swell Forecast Upgrade from PredictWind for Sailors

Since our recent PredictWind blog (31 August 2014), PredictWind have updated their Swell forecast module on their site.

When you are on passage and in seas as shown in these images, you want to know all you can about wave size, direction, wind strength, location and how long these conditions are going to last in your area of the ocean that you are sailing.

Classic yacht Owl sailing in big swell

 
PredictWind have now combined their forecast data with ocean current data and by accounting for the effect of wind on swells, can give more accurate swell forecasts. 

Large swell sailing

Included is the effect islands and land masses can have on dampening down of the swells and directional changes. Also, more territories have been added.

This update from PredictWind gives the sailor more accurate data of the swell conditions over what area and with the comfort then, of how long he is going to be in them and/or sail out of them.

Images and video courtesy YouTube

You can read much more about sailing in heavy weather conditions in my book 'Sailing Adventures in Paradise' downloadable from my website www.sailboat2adventure.com

Sailboat Seacock Replacement Whilst Afloat, with Seabung

Did you know that half of boat sinkings at moorings or in marinas are a result of underwater through hull fitting failures? This comes about from neglect and the thought of the cost of having to haul the boat to replace these fittings. This is madness of course, but the statistics prove that it happens many more times than it should. On average, once a vessel has sunk or partially submerged, even for a short time, the cost of fixing the damage is around 40% of the value of the boat - considerably more than the haul out cost!

Along comes 'Seabung' with their flexible tool which enables you to remove your seacocks for checking and replacing if necessary, without having to get your boat out of the water and onto the hard.

This is how it works: http://www.seabung.com/index.html



Here is the result from a test carried out by Sailing Today's Toby Heppell: 

'The product, which is designed in the UK and made in Rutland, is essentially a pair of flexible rubber pads on the end of bendy sticks, suited for plugging holes of 19mm to 63mm. The idea is that you can plunge it through almost any shaped hole, including through a seacock, where it will deploy under the hydrostatic pressure of the surrounding water.

I was wary of taking Seabung at its word by removing a hose from a seacock and testing it on my own boat. Instead, I plunged it through the through-hull fitting for the log, knowing I could easily remove it and plug the hole if necessary. The flexible dome passed easily through the hole, but on the moderately steep-V of the forefoot, it couldn’t easily form a seal, and water continued to enter, albeit at a reduced rate. So far, wooden bung 1, Seabung 0.

To give it a fairer workout, I cut a 2in (5cm) hole in the base of a plastic storage crate, which I then pressed into the water. Here, on a flat surface, the bung performed better, even when the crate was moved back and forth through the water.'

Whilst it looks fine for replacing the seacock itself, the replacement of a corroded or damaged stem would be an entirely different story and could only be achieved when the boat is in the yard. 

So don't be disposing of your wooden or rubber bungs yet, and as always, make sure you have the correct sized bung affixed with a durable cable tie to the through hull fitting.

Seabung pack with 60mm and 90mm tools

On balance therefore, for the modest cost of the Seabung, carrying a two pack set could be a worthwhile addition to your onboard maintenance inventory.  

Report courtesy http://www.sailingtoday.co.uk/ and video courtesy YouTube  

You can read much more about sailboat maintenance and the cruising lifestyle in my book 'Sailing Adventures in Paradise' downloadable from my website http://www.sailboat2adventure.com/