"Survey" is not one job. Purpose, scope, duration and the party the report belongs to change with each type. Choosing the wrong one is the most common and most expensive mistake: a short valuation for an insurer will not carry a purchase decision, and a pre-purchase report may not be in the format your underwriter wants.
- 1EnquiryWhatsApp / form
- 2QuotationItemised, written
- 3BookingLift-out arranged
- 4AshoreMeasure and sound
- 5Sea trialUnder load
- 6Report2-3 working days
- 7DiscussionReading findings
| Type | Purpose | Requested by | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-purchase | True condition, risks and cost exposure | Buyer | 4-8 h + report |
| Insurance survey | Condition and value before cover | Underwriter | 2-4 h |
| Valuation | Market value opinion | Bank, court, seller | 2-3 h |
| Damage survey | Cause, extent and repair cost | Insurer, owner, court | Variable |
| Condition survey | Periodic health check | Owner, charter operator | 3-5 h |
| New-build / refit supervision | Stage-by-stage inspection | Buyer, investor | Through the project |
| Tonnage / flag | Measurement for registration | Owner, administration | 2-4 h |
1. Pre-Purchase Survey
The broadest type and the one that matters most to a buyer. The yacht is hauled out: hull, antifouling, shaft, propeller, rudder, keel attachment and underwater fittings can only be judged ashore. Moisture readings are taken, hammer sounding looks for delamination, the engine is started cold, the electrical panel and battery bank are examined, safety equipment dates are checked. On a sailing yacht the rig, furling gear and keel bolts get separate attention.
It runs in two parts: ashore and sea trial. Without the trial you cannot judge the engine under load, the steering gear or the instruments.
2. Insurance Survey
Underwriters ask for a condition report on yachts over 15-20 years, or at renewal. The focus is fire risk (wiring, fuel lines), flooding risk (seacocks, hoses, shaft seal), lightning protection, the gas installation and safety equipment. The report lists what must be completed before cover is issued. It is narrower than a pre-purchase survey and is not a negotiating document.
3. Valuation
Market value is set by make and model, age, engine hours, equipment, maintenance history and comparable sales in the region. Used for finance, probate, litigation or pricing before a sale. A valuation is not a technical condition report, the two should not be confused.
4. Damage Survey
After grounding, collision, fire, flooding or storm damage. Three questions: how did it happen, how far does it extend, what will it cost to repair. Independence is essential here, the party repairing the damage should not be the party assessing it.
5. Condition Survey
A periodic health check commissioned by the owner. Standard at the start and end of the season in charter fleets. A weeping shaft seal or early blistering caught in spring costs a fraction of the same problem addressed mid-season.
6. New-Build and Refit Supervision
Stage inspections during construction or a major refit. Lamination, hull-to-deck joint, systems routing, engine installation and delivery trials are the critical hold points. Far more valuable than a single inspection after the work is finished, once a compartment is closed, what is behind it cannot be seen.
7. Tonnage and Flag
Measurement and documentation for registration, flag change and class work. Moving between a foreign flag and the Turkish flag requires measurement certificates and compliance reports.
8. Additional Measurements by Hull Material
Scope changes with the material the boat is built from:
- Composite (GRP): grid moisture readings with a Tramex meter, phenolic hammer sounding, thermal imaging for wet-core distribution.
- Steel and aluminium: ultrasonic thickness testing, plate thickness measured point by point and corrosion loss calculated against original scantlings. The bilge line, under-tank areas and the waterline band are the critical zones.
- Timber and gulets: caulking condition, rot investigation, corrosion at fastenings; moisture readings interpreted against a different reference.
- Sailing yachts (any material): standing rigging tension measured with a Loos & Co. gauge; uneven tension loads chainplates and the keel area.
- All vessels: cathodic protection measured with a zinc reference electrode, it shows why anodes are disappearing and reveals stray current in the berth.
9. Which One Do You Need?
- Buying a boat → pre-purchase survey, ashore and afloat, with a survey clause in the agreement before any deposit.
- Your insurer wants a report → insurance survey; ask the underwriter for their required format first.
- Selling → valuation plus condition survey. Knowing the findings first puts you in a stronger position.
- Damage occurred → damage survey by a surveyor independent of the yard doing the repair.
- Building or refitting → staged supervision.
Frequently Asked Questions
10. Let's work out which survey fits
Send the length, type and your purpose; you get the right scope and a price in 2-3 working days.
Related Pages
Prepared by SurveyYat, ABYC Professional Member, 149 GT Yacht Captain. Last updated: September 2026.
Price bands and what sets the price are on this page.
What the survey covers, and what it does not
- Non-destructive inspection
- The survey is carried out by eye, with instruments and a sounding hammer. Paint, gelcoat, laminate and teak are not drilled, cut or scraped.
- No dismantling
- Headlining, wall panels, flooring and fixed panels are not removed; engines and equipment are not opened. Where an area needs opening, it is done with the owner's consent and by the owner's technician.
- Inaccessible areas
- Spaces behind tanks, under fixed linings, inside full lockers and anywhere that cannot be reached safely are recorded as "not inspected", with the reason.
- Compression and blowby
- Not part of the standard survey. They are a separate service coordinated with an independent engine technician, reported in their own section.
- Moisture readings
- For reliable readings the boat must have been ashore and dry for at least one week. The haul-out date is planned around this.
- Sea trial
- Depends on weather and sea state. The safety decision rests with the captain; in unsuitable weather the trial moves to another day.
Which marina is the boat in?
Travel lift capacity, dry storage and winterising, with sources, are collected in the marina directory.
Continue with this topic
- What sets the price?: How length, type, age, location and scope affect the price, with a worked example.
- Destructive testing: Separate work coordinated after the survey.
- Partial survey: When it fits, and when not.