[Public-List] Surveying older boats? Determining if they are seaworthy...

Fri Aug 28 12:03:46 PDT 2020

Yeah, I've always been able to select my surveyor, as long as they're
duly accredited.

-K

On Fri, Aug 28, 2020 at 03:00:44PM -0400, americo silva via Public-List wrote:
> my insurance wanted a survey done but i picked the surveyor
> 
> On Fri, Aug 28, 2020 at 1:45 PM Gordon Laco via Public-List <
> public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
> 
> > Hello Randy -
> >
> > When you say ‘inspector’, I assume you mean ‘yacht surveyor’.  The reason
> > a surveyor experienced with older yachts is important, is that such a
> > professional is more likely to understand what is normal.
> >
> > What you don’t want is someone who inspects cars and motorboats for
> > insurance companies, who does not understand what normal is for a yacht
> > built in the 1960’s or 70’s.
> >
> > I had a so-called inspector examine my wooden yacht once… he applied a
> > moisture meter to the planking and pronounced her ‘rotten through and
> > through’.   Well the truth is that after months afloat, she certainly did
> > absorb about a fifth of a ton of water, but that’s normal for a plank on
> > frame wooden yacht.  Moisture in the bottom planking of a wooden yacht is
> > normal and good.  He didn’t know that.
> >
> > Similarly, I had an episode with TD Insurance regarding my 1978 MGB sports
> > car.   They quite reasonably requested a survey of the car in relation to
> > the renewal of the policy.   The accredited car inspector did the job and
> > filed his report.  The problem that developed from that was not the
> > surveyors fault, it was idiots at TD.
> >
> > They rejected the report.  After days of emails to and fro, it transpired
> > that the report was on legal sized paper, and someone there had copied it
> > on letter sized paper, thereby losing the bottom of every page, including
> > the signatures.
> >
> > Once we got that resolved, there were more problems.  Finally I got to the
> > root of the matter.  I was told by a rather arrogant person on the phone
> > that the survey report made no mention of the condition of ‘rear doors,
> > rear upholstery and rear side windows’ and was therefore incomplete.
> >
> > I asked the person to look at photos of the car… it is a two door, two
> > seat car…. there are no rear doors, no rear side windows, no rear
> > upholstery to report.   This threw them into a spin of confusion that I
> > eventually resolved by cancelling the policy myself and moving to Hagerty.
> >
> >
> > So… imagine my delight when every year or so I get a call from TD, who
> > still insure my ’normal’ car, who ask what they can do to get my business
> > back for the MG.   I can visualize the phone centre caller recoiling as the
> > tale unfolds… but I make him/her hear it…  haha   Funny now, not so funny
> > then.
> >
> > So, that’s why it’s important to deal with a surveyor AND and insurance
> > company who understands what they’re dealing with.
> >
> > Gordon Laco
> > www.gordonlaco.com
> > #426 Surprise
> >
> >
> >
> > > On Aug 28, 2020, at 10:53 AM, Randy Katz via Public-List <
> > public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
> > >
> > > Greetings, Fellow A-30 Owners,
> > >
> > > I've written recently because an interested party is having an
> > > insurance person inspect the bottom of my 1967 A-30 next Wednesday to
> > > determine if it's insurable. If not, no sale.
> > >
> > > Someone during the insurance discussion mentioned being sure the
> > inspector
> > > has experience with older boats. What about that? What difference, I
> > > wonder, would one allow for a boat being older?
> > >
> > > I know of two methods of hull assessment. One is tapping the entire
> > surface
> > > with a plastic hammer to listen to the sound and being sure there are no
> > > "soft spots." The other method could be the dreaded moisture meter, which
> > > seems to offer wildly varying outcomes depending on the type of
> > instrument
> > > and experience of the user.
> > >
> > > While the boat had around 10 blisters 20 years ago, since ground out and
> > > epoxied, I know the hull to be sound and the survey back then confirmed
> > it.
> > > I guess no one knows this for sure, but what will be the ultimate fate of
> > > 50+ yr. old fiberglass? Does it eventually develop soft spots & at some
> > > point fail? Does that make it wise to check each year in order to avoid
> > > surprises? Or does the stuff simply last and last and last?
> > >
> > > Alberg owners, who possess some of the oldest fiberglass hulls around,
> > are
> > > among the pioneers with regard to this experience. I suppose some of us
> > > will be around to witness and learn from the final outcome.
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > >
> > > Randy Katz
> > > #249 Simple Gifts
> > > Bellingham/Seattle
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-- 
Kris Coward					http://unripe.melon.org/
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