A new boat's tests are where every claim in the contract is proven. System tests ashore, harbour acceptance tests alongside and sea acceptance trials; each run to a list and criteria written in advance.
Ashore
- Tanks: pressure tightness test.
- Hatches and windows: hose test.
- Electrics: continuity, insulation and polarity.
- Plumbing: pressure and leaks.
Launch
- Preparation. Seacocks closed, penetrations checked.
- Launch. By travel lift or crane; leak check while in the slings.
- First hours. Bilge and every penetration watched.
- Waterline. Compared with the design waterline.
Acceptance tests
- Harbour acceptance tests
- Alongside: commissioning of engines, generator, electrics, plumbing, air conditioning and navigation equipment.
- Sea acceptance trials
- Speed and rpm, endurance run, manoeuvring, steering, anchoring, noise and vibration, stabilisers.
- Inclining test
- Verifying the stability calculation.
Criteria for each test are written beforehand; results are recorded and defects closed before acceptance.
Before launch
Many tests are done ashore before launch. Tanks and pipework are pressure-tested, every electrical circuit is run, pumps and alarms tried. Through-hull fittings and valve operation are checked one last time. A problem found ashore is far easier to put right than one found afloat.
At launch
During launching the boat is held in the slings while all through-hulls, the stern gland and the bilge are checked from inside. If there is a leak, she can be lifted straight back out. The bilge is checked often in the first hours.
Waterline and trim
Once afloat, the waterline is checked against the design and the trim noted. A clear departure from design can show that weight or its distribution differs from the calculation. If needed, stability is confirmed by an inclining test.
Dockside tests
Engines are run at the quay; cooling, exhaust, gearbox and controls are tried. Engine alignment is checked after launch. Generator, air conditioning, watermaker and other systems are commissioned alongside.
Sea trial
On the sea trial, speed, rpm, consumption, temperatures, steering and manoeuvring, vibration and noise are measured; on a sailing yacht sails and rig are tried. Results are compared with the contract's commitments and form the basis of acceptance.
Snag list
Every shortfall found in testing goes on the list with a photo and close-out date.
The owner's presence
The owner or their representative attends the sea trial; seeing the boat perform against the commitments is part of acceptance, not a formality.
Records
All test records go into the handover file.
The first season
In the first weeks after launch, new connections and systems are checked more often; any problem is written on the warranty list. If a speed or consumption commitment was not met, the relevant contract clause is applied on the basis of the test records, which is why they are kept carefully and signed by both sides.
The test programme is written into the contract from the start: which test, where, in what conditions and against what criterion. On test day there is then no argument about what counts as a pass.
Signed by both sides, the test records become the only official evidence of the boat's performance at delivery, for warranty and for any future sale, when a buyer asks how she performed when new.
Test day is never rushed; results are reviewed calmly and shortfalls listed the same day, while everyone still remembers what they saw on board.
The list is reviewed jointly at the acceptance meeting.