Type the make or series of the boat you want to buy and see the points we spend extra time on in surveys of boats of that build. Model numbers (e.g. Oceanis 40) are matched to the series.
These are not claims of defects; every make here is a respected builder. They are the places we look at closely on boats of this build. Every boat is judged on its own use and maintenance history.
Absolute · Navetta, Flybridge and Coupé
- Pod bellows, anodes and service records.
- Joystick and dynamic positioning system where fitted.
- Generator and air-conditioning hours.
- Sealing of large glazed areas.
- Hydraulic platform.
Azimut · Flybridge, S, Magellano and Grande
- By drive type: bellows, anodes and service records on pods; alignment, seals and cutless bearings on shafts.
- Exhaust line and elbows.
- Generator and air-conditioning hours.
- Sealing of glazing and window gaskets.
- Hydraulics: trim tabs, swim platform, hatches.
- Electrical panel and shore connection.
Bali · Bali 4.1, 4.3, 4.5, 4.8 and Catspace
- Aft door mechanism, seal and locking.
- Forward cockpit drainage and joints at the cabin front.
- Saildrive seals in both hulls and replacement dates.
- Rudder stocks and bearings on each side.
- Underside of the bridgedeck and bulkhead attachments.
- If ex-charter, interior and system wear.
Bavaria · Cruiser / C range
- Keel bolts and internal grid bonds.
- Rudder bearings and play at the wheel.
- Moisture and leak traces behind headlining panels.
- On ex-charter boats, winches, clutches, sails and interior wear.
- Electrical loads added later and the panel layout.
Bavaria · Motor yachts
- Shaft line or drive system, exhaust and cooling circuit.
Beneteau · Oceanis
- The bonds between the internal grid and the hull, and the area around the keel bolts; more closely if there is a grounding record.
- Surface rust on a cast-iron keel and the keel-to-hull seam.
- Screw holes and seams in teak-covered decks or cockpits.
- The lower rudder bearing and play at the rudder.
- Adhesion of headliners and hull linings; signs of condensation.
- Anti-siphon loops on heads and bilge lines.
Beneteau · First
- Rig terminals, chainplates and backstay fittings.
- Keel attachment and signs of racing loads.
Beneteau · Antares and Swift Trawler
- Engine and generator hours against service records.
- Routing and chafe points of generator and battery cables.
- Exhaust elbow, cooling circuit, fuel filters.
Catana · Catana models
- Daggerboard trunks, boards and lifting system.
- Steering system, bearings and any rudder protection.
- Underside of the bridgedeck and bulkhead attachments.
- Saildrive seals in both hulls.
- Rig and terminals.
Cranchi · Sport and hardtop models
- Drive: checks by sterndrive or shaft arrangement.
- Engine mounts and exhaust line.
- Opening roof and glazing gaskets.
- Fuel system.
Cranchi · Larger flybridge and T series
- Generator and air-conditioning.
- Hydraulic platform and trim tabs.
- Flybridge attachments.
Dehler · Dehler 30 od, 34 and 38 (performance cruising)
- Keel bolts and keel-to-hull joint; more closely with a grounding record.
- Rig: terminals, chainplates, mast step.
- Rudder bearings and rudder stock.
- If raced, wear on winches, clutches and running rigging.
Dehler · Dehler 42, 46 and older cruising models
- Sealing at deck hardware and windows.
- Internal grid bonds.
- Machinery: engine hours, service record, saildrive or shaft.
Dufour · Grand Large and other ranges
- Keel-to-hull joint and bolts.
- On twin-wheel models, both rudder bearings separately.
- Sealing around deck hardware.
- Internal grid bonds.
- On ex-charter boats, interior, pumps and fresh-water system.
- Saildrive seal and replacement date.
Elan · Impression
- Sealing at deck hardware and windows.
- Keel attachment and rudder bearings.
Elan · E-series and GT
- Load marks at the keel attachment and rig fittings.
- Moisture readings on the infused laminate.
- Signs of performance use: winches, running rigging, steering system.
Fairline · Squadron and Phantom (flybridge)
- Flybridge and hardtop attachments, ladder.
- Shaft line, seals and cutless bearings.
- Generator and air-conditioning hours.
- Teak deck and glazing gaskets.
Fairline · Targa (sport)
- Opening roof mechanism and seals.
- Engine mounts and exhaust line.
- Drive system, by model.
Ferretti · Ferretti Yachts
- Shaft line, seals and cutless bearings.
- Stabilisers where fitted, and their service record.
- Engine room fire suppression and ventilation.
- Exhaust and cooling circuit.
- Generator hours and service records.
- Hydraulic platform and trim tabs; glazing seals.
Fountaine Pajot · Fountaine Pajot catamarans
- Forward crossbeam and trampoline attachments.
- Bridgedeck joints and underside.
- Saildrives and steering in both hulls.
- Bulkhead attachments and door alignment.
- Sealing at deck and glazing joints.
- Interior and system wear from charter use.
Galeon · Flybridge, Skydeck and HTC/HTS models
- Fold-out terraces: mechanism, drive and seals.
- Glazing and hardtop joints.
- Drive system, by model.
- Generator and air-conditioning hours.
- Hydraulic platform.
Grand Soleil · Performance models
- Rig, terminals and mast step.
- Keel bolts and keel-to-hull joint.
- Steering system and bearings.
Grand Soleil · LC (Long Cruise) and cruising models
- Moisture and discolouration in wooden interior panels.
- Sealing at windows and deck hardware.
- Generator, air-conditioning and fresh-water systems.
- Teak deck seams.
Hallberg-Rassy · Centre-cockpit cruising models
- Sealing of the windscreen frame and gaskets.
- Teak deck: seams, screw holes, thickness.
- Tank connections and fuel and water lines.
- Electrical installation of added systems (watermaker, inverter, wind generator).
Hallberg-Rassy · Boats with long passages behind them
- Rig age and terminals.
- Steering and autopilot linkages.
- Engine hours, engine mounts and shaft line.
Hanse · Hanse yachts
- The self-tacking jib track, car and fittings.
- Moisture and sounding readings on the vacuum-infused hull, against a dry reference area.
- Adhesion and edges of the deck covering, teak or synthetic.
- Steering: linkage points on cable or rod systems, and both bearings on twin wheels.
- Fixings of the modular interior; the saildrive seal.
Jeanneau · Sun Odyssey
- Internal grid bonds and keel bolts.
- Sealing at deck hardware and window frames.
- Seams and screw holes on older teak decks.
- Door and locker alignment, as an indirect sign of structural movement.
- On saildrive models, the seal condition and replacement date.
Jeanneau · Merry Fisher and NC
- Engine mountings and the fuel line.
- On boats that sat unused, fuel quality, battery condition and anodes.
Lagoon · Lagoon catamarans
- The forward bulkhead and its attachments: the builder runs its own inspection and reinforcement programme for the Lagoon 450, and we ask for the record of that check and any reinforcement.
- Slamming marks under the bridgedeck.
- Saildrive seals in both hulls and their replacement dates.
- Rudder stocks and bearings on each side.
- Bulkhead, door and locker alignment, as an indirect sign of structural movement.
- Generator and air-conditioning hours.
Leopard · Leopard 40, 44, 45, 50 and others
- Saildrive seals in both hulls, replacement dates and engine hours.
- Steering system and bearings.
- Underside of the bridgedeck and bulkhead attachments.
- Door and locker alignment on both hulls, which can point to bridgedeck or bulkhead movement.
- Interior, pumps and fresh-water system wear from charter use.
- On forward-cockpit models, drainage and front window sealing.
Nautitech · Open range and other models
- Helm stations and the steering linkage.
- Rig, terminals and mast step.
- Saildrive seals in both hulls.
- Underside of the bridgedeck and bulkhead attachments.
- Sealing at deck and glazing joints.
Numarine · XP explorer yachts
- Stabilisers and their service record.
- Generators, watermaker and tank systems.
- Measurement by hull material: moisture and sounding on composite, ultrasonic thickness on steel sections.
- Navigation and communication systems.
Numarine · Older flybridge and HTS models
- Drive system and shaft line.
- Engine and generator hours.
- Glazing and hardtop joints.
Pershing · Pershing models
- Drive: checks by surface drive, shaft or other arrangement.
- Engine mounts and exhaust line.
- Trim and steering systems.
- Hull-deck and glazing joints.
- Engine hours and service records.
Prestige · Flybridge and F-Line
- Drive: checks by pod or shaft arrangement.
- Generator, air-conditioning and hydraulic platform.
- Glazing and window gaskets.
- Flybridge attachments.
Prestige · X-Line and M-Line
- Sealing of large glazed areas.
- On the power catamaran, machinery and shaft/drive in both hulls.
- Electrical panel and shore connection.
Princess · F, S, X and Y ranges
- Drive: shaft line or pods, by model.
- Engine and generator hours against service records.
- Exhaust and cooling circuit.
- Glazing and window gaskets.
- Flybridge and hardtop attachments.
- Teak decks and the electrical panel.
Riva · Classic wooden Rivas
- Hull timber, seams and condition beneath the varnish.
- Restoration records and materials used.
- Machinery and fuel system.
Riva · Modern Riva motor yachts
- Gloss surfaces, stainless fittings and glazing joints.
- Drive system, by model.
- Generator, air-conditioning and hydraulics.
Sea Ray · Sundancer and sterndrive models
- Drive bellows, gimbal bearing and trim.
- Transom assembly and surrounds.
- Engine bay ventilation and exhaust.
- Fuel system and lines.
Sea Ray · Larger shaft-drive models
- Shaft line, seals and cutless bearings.
- Generator and air-conditioning.
Sirena · Sirena models
- Stabilisers where fitted, and their service record.
- Shaft line, seals and cutless bearings.
- Generator, air-conditioning and fresh-water systems.
- Glazing and hardtop joints.
- Vibration and noise measurements on the sea trial.
Sunseeker · Manhattan, Predator and other ranges
- Signs of high-speed use: engine mounts, exhaust line, steering and trim systems.
- Drive system, by model.
- Gelcoat crazing; paint finish on coloured hulls.
- Sealing at glazing and deck joints.
- Hydraulic garage and platform.
- Generator hours.
X-Yachts · Xp and models with racing use
- Rig, terminals and mast step.
- Keel bolts and the visible parts of the steel frame.
- Steering system and bearings.
- Winches, clutches and running rigging.
X-Yachts · Xc and cruising models
- Water traces in the bilge and around the frame.
- Sealing at deck hardware and windows.
- Machinery and systems.