Surveyor Selection

[NHAngler]

I am close to making an offer on a boat and going to be getting a surveyor to go through the boat. It is a 2000 GW 208 with a 150 2stroke yamaha. I looked the boat over and it was in great shape topside and the motor looked clean for the age. There was an hour meter on the boat but looked aftermarket. Still... it listed 485 hours. Bottom was painted and flaking off. Comes with a trailer and the broker seems like a nice guy, claiming he will be going through the boat thoroughly to make sure all systems are working and to clean it up. Still, I want a survey.

Would like to know if there are any qualities in a surveyor to look for in particular when looking at a grady? Or anything special for him to target that would be of concern on a 10 year old boat that was on a slip in the salt? Thoughts?

 

[seasick]

Absolutely get it surveyed and sea trialed. You need a sea trial to make sure all running gear are functioning and that the motor operates as it should. You didn't say where it is located; you should so that folks can refer you to good surveyors in your area.
There were no factory hour meters on those boats and the hours mean nothing.
Major possible issues for 208s other than previous damage are transom wetness and other possible water issues. The motor if it is an SX150 is one of the better motors made but ask if you can if there are service logs. Without talking to the owner it is tough to determine how well or poorly the boat was cared for but the general condition of the hull, deck, cabin and helm as well as fittings will help determine if it was neglected.
Sorry to the brokers out there, but they are no different than used car salesmen. They will say anything to make you happy. Unless they back up whatever they say in writing, all is worthless.
A surveyor probably won't do an extensive motor check. You may need a mechanic to do that. Get your own mechanic, not the one the broker recommends. The motor should be checked for compression, trim tilt function, lower unit oil condition and a pressure test of the LU at a minimum.
I recommend a look to see how the cooling chambers look. You can get an idea of that by pulling a t-stat and seeing if there is buildup.

On the hull, a moisture test may identify wetness if any. Wetness in the anchor locker cover, fish-box hatches and rear locker covers is common and not a big issue as long as glass looks and feels sound.

Remember that curtains and cushions both outside in cabin cost a lot to replace so check those out also.

Good luck

 

[ayacht]

Based on your user id I will take a stab that you are in New Hampshire. I just used Bob Gallagher http://www.gallaghermarinesurveyors.com/
He was great and I highly recommend him and never buy a boat without a survey.

 

[NHAngler]

Yes, I'm in NH. Last weekend I was looking at boats in So. Connecticut and Rhode Island. Sold mine and finally taking the plunge to get the boat of my dreams.

However, today I just ran into the cherry of all 208's. A 2007 with an F200, no bottom paint, and HAS NEVER SEEN SALT WATER! I swear you can eat sushi right off the deck it is so clean.

Not sure I am going to do a survey but put it in my contract. I may have my boat dealer go through the boat and motor. Both are under warranty for 2 more years so I'm not sure I even need to do that?

Should I still get a survey done?

 

[hotajax]

Yes, by all means get a surveyor. My survey paid for itself when the surveyor turned over hundreds of dollars of defects, including wiring to the running lights and other safety items. I made the owner fix them before I bought the boat - incidentally, mine was a 208 as well. A 208 is certainly big enough to have defects you don't see. Even if the owner is well-intentioned before the sale, watch him fly away when you find something wrong. Me? I don't trust many people except for the surveyor and my dog One other thing - this time of year is the beginning of prime time for boat sales. Make an aggressive offer - if he doesn't sell he has to winterize and then store it.

 

[hotajax]

Yes, by all means get a surveyor. My survey paid for itself when the surveyor turned over hundreds of dollars of defects, including wiring to the running lights and other safety items. I made the owner fix them before I bought the boat - incidentally, mine was a 208 as well. A 208 is certainly big enough to have defects you don't see. Even if the owner is well-intentioned before the sale, watch him fly away when you find something wrong. Me? I don't trust many people except for the surveyor and my dog. One other thing - this time of year is the beginning of prime time for boat sales. Make an aggressive offer - if he doesn't sell he has to winterize and then store it.

 

[NHAngler]

"...Make an aggressive offer ..."

Hmmm, have had two boats slip out from in front of me that were not on the market long. I already put in an offer at asking price on this, which I don't think would have lasted the day let alone the weekend. I'm fairly certain that this is probably the best deal I have ever seen and been looking for about 2 years now.

Still, I have not seen the boat yet and will likely get the survey. Just trying to decide between a dealer inspection and a survey. Not sure if both is really practical for such a new boat. I think that the dealer inspection might be better as if there is anything wrong, they will be fixing it anyways. Anything that is not warranty, is at task / cost to the seller if it comes to that.

I"m going to give Bob Gallagher and see what and if he can look at the boat.

Right now I'm still in "I can't believe I will be a grady owner mode." :mrgreen:

 

[ayacht]

Get a survey absolutely from a third party. Your dealer may be the person for you that is up to you. We have a dealer that we have used on our boats for many years and I am sure he would have done it for me but he does not do surveys everyday and stakes his reputation on it. A surveyor will do that and they survive totally on helping people not make mistakes. I looked around and got recommendations for a surveyor on THT. I gave you his website earlier. But search THT in the northeast area and get a good recommendation from there. It cost me less that $500 to do my survey which found a bad hardtop. From the survey I got a new hardtop for free which is $2800 dealer cost $4000ish retail. You do the math. Did I get a good deal? Would you want to have to eat that $2800 for saving $500 upfront.

Oh I just bought a 2006 282 with 2 year on the hull warranty and till 2014 on the engines. Guess what the hull warranty does not cover much other then defects in the hull. All that other stuff only has one year. I will also tell you GW is a great company because they replaced the hardtop for free :wow I never thought a company would do that. It was not their responsibility or fault but I say to them :goodjob. Made a fan out of me.

The best thing in the world is if he finds no problems and you can feel good. There are many really good threads on what to look for in a surveyor up on THT and here. For you with no bottom paint you can have him put a moisture meter to the entire transom to look for issues.

Congratulations and I hope she is problem free.