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Full text from the book
Introduction
During
the course of his weekly work, a marine surveyor is faced with
a dizzying array of different sizes and types of craft. Though
it would certainly be desirable, it is not possible to produce
a step-by-step guide as to how to perform a survey since the
survey will vary so much from boat to boat. By necessity, this
book is intended to be read cover-to-cover.
Each
chapter starts with a discussion of the basic principles involved,
then gives an overview of the kinds of problems the surveyor
routinely faces. In many ways, it begins to resemble a compendium
on proper marine engineering and standards. From this, the surveyor
is expected to be able to extrapolate the faults he discovers
in his work.
No
one book could possibly begin to cover the virtually infinite
variations that surveyors encounter in boats. In the end, the
surveyor is required to sufficiently develop his knowledge to
the point where he is capable of rendering his own judgment
on any given issue. The purpose of this book is to help you
learn to do that.
*
* * * *
The
production of this book was undertaken as a self-published work
in order to help fill the void created by a near total lack
of good texts on the subject of pre-purchase surveying pleasure
craft. It is the most extensive and thorough book of it’s
kind ever produced, if only because there are so few of them.
Although
this book deals mainly with motor yachts, including styles such
as express and convertibles, I have included chapter nine Cockpits,
which covers many of the problems to be found with outboard
boats, particularly the high end center console boats that have
become so popular. Surveyors tend to get very enthusiastic about
surveying bigger and bigger boats; we should not forget that
there’s a good business to be done with smaller boats
that might well be more profitable than their larger cousins.
While
the theme is primarily directed at the novice surveyor and the
aspiring surveyor, the subject is the actual business of marine
surveying. However, the business of marine surveying is not
about boats alone, for every survey starts with a client for
whom the service is being rendered. Therefore, as a primary
theme you will find that the relationship between surveyor and
client is close at hand, for they are inseparable. Always at
the back of his mind is a customer who wants to know about the
nature of the used boat he is about to purchase. No, this profession
is not just about boats; it’s about people and
boats.
Underlying
every situation is the question of what exactly is the surveyor’s
responsibility to the client? What kind of information does
the client need to be informed of? Are there differences between
legal and moral responsibilities? These are questions that surveyors
face every day, and for which I’ll provide some answers
and the reasons why.
It
is not the purpose of this book to educate the reader on the
subject of pleasure craft generally. By necessity I have assumed
that the reader is possessed of certain prerequisites, including
a solid knowledge of technical basics. I am frequently asked
by people whose backgrounds and education are in other fields,
how they can become marine surveyors. They seem to think it’s
an easy thing to change careers because this profession seems
to them to be glamorous, and requires no college diplomas or
licenses. There is also the siren song of self employment, which
is a tougher taskmaster than any boss one has ever had.
My
answer to them is that if they do not have a background in boat
building or repair, or similar allied field, then they should
not even consider trying to become a marine surveyor. Lacking
such expertise, they are inherently unqualified. There are no
schools that can provide that education, only the college of
long experience in allied fields. Neither will this book provide
those qualifications, as one book cannot make a professional
expert. And expertise is what our clients hire us for. If a
surveyor lacks it, he is nothing more than a quack, something
this profession already has too many of.
Due
to a perceived lack of literature on the subject of modern boat
construction, chapter five deals extensively with hull construction,
devoting some 45 pages and over two dozen photos and drawings
to help the surveyor in identifying structural deficiencies.
Because stress cracks are so common to boats, an entire chapter
is devoted to this sometimes mystifying subject. Chapter eight
then deals with decks and superstructures.
Many
newcomers enter the profession every year, but few survive for
very long. While I can’t know all the reasons why, I have
to believe it’s because most were unaware that marine
surveying is not a casual activity that just anyone with a whim
could enter and expect to succeed. Many seem to think that being
a marine surveyor is somehow glamorous, as if surveyors do little
but ride around on yachts sipping pina coladas and enjoying
the scenery. Others seem to think that they can attend a few
classes or seminars and get everything they need to know to
be successful in a matter of weeks.
Nothing
could be further from the truth. If you have any ideas about
this being a glamorous profession, let me disabuse you of that
notion right now. Marine surveying is a work of hard, physical
labor, that is usually dirty, noisy and puts him in an adversarial
position with sellers and brokers. Surveys are almost always
conducted in difficult circumstances, and almost never under
ideal working conditions. The surveyor is routinely exposed
to extremes of weather, poor working conditions, dirt, grime,
foul odors, harsh chemicals, extremely loud noise and the constant
threat of physical injury from unexpected sources. You’ll
end up working in engine rooms with temperatures as high as
130oF.
You’ll
spend a good part of your time lifting and laying carpet, moving
mattresses and furniture, taking things apart and putting them
back together. You’ll empty lazarettes, closets and lockers
and then put everything back again. At times you’ll feel
like you work for a moving company. You’ll handle lines,
fenders, anchors and chains, remove and replace seat cushions
and enclosures thousands of times.
And
you’ll quickly come to understand why successful surveyors
are never overweight. How could they be when they exercise ten
hours a day, every day. If you haven’t the stamina for
continuous hard labor, then don’t even consider becoming
a surveyor.
This
book begins by taking a hard look at some of the basic principles
involved in surveying, including the surveyor’s legal
responsibilities, the scope of the service provided, and the
definition of terms such as seaworthiness and soundness. Next,
it moves into issues of client relations, including topics such
as how to avoid getting tangled up in situations that should
be avoided, and generally how to stay out of trouble. The novice
should be aware that every job that comes his way is not necessarily
a job that he can profit from. More than a few jobs turn out
to be tar babies that were best avoided.
Chapters
five through sixteen cover the practical work of conducting
the survey. These twelve chapters are illustrated with nearly
two hundred photos and drawings of the actual conditions the
surveyor will find in the field. These are photos I’ve
collected for over twenty years and will prove invaluable toward
helping the novice understand what he’s dealing with.
No one book could begin to cover everything that ought to be
addressed. However, by the time anyone is done studying these
chapters, he can expect to be well grounded in the principles
of what constitutes a thorough survey, and how to best serve
his client.
Last,
but not least, chapter seventeen covers how to make appraisals
and chapter eighteen deal with how to write reports. This chapter
was included because it is my perception that the reports of
much of the profession leave a lot to be desired. Unless one
has a business or legal education, writing is not something
most people put much effort into learning. For the marine surveyor,
writing a professional report is a critical skill. What many
seem to fail to realize is that the report is the surveyor’s
work product, the primary thing by which his work will
be judged by others, and the only thing which others will see.
If the report is poorly written, the end result is like painting
a boat with a mop.
Ultimately,
marine surveying is not about the business of boats; eventually
one comes to discover that it’s about people who buy and
own boats; that boats don’t lie at the heart of the business,
but what people think about them that does. As they say, "One
man’s trash is another man’s treasure." In
the end, it’s not about how much you know about boats,
but how much you know about people and what they want
to know. Satisfy that demand and you’ll have a lot of
happy clients. In this business, people skills are paramount,
technical skills are secondary but equal importance.
If
you don’t know something, you can always find someone
who does know. Although the surveyor is the one who’s
supposed to know everything about boats, most of my clients
would be surprised to hear me say that it seems like I’ve
spent a good part of my career calling other people and asking
questions. We don’t know everything there is to know about
boats and never will. Our objective should be to become reasonably
competent and, above all, learn to develop the sources through
which we can get fast answers to our endless questions. A well-stocked
Rolodex can be worth more than a library full of books, most
of which are outdated.
This
book will help the novice make a good beginning, and help the
experienced surveyor brush up on his skills and knowledge.
David
H. Pascoe
Fort Lauderdale
June, 2001
Copyright 2001
David H. Pascoe |
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