Pre-Purchase Survey.....Any Suggestions?

[65Hatntx]

Eight months ago I put myself in the market for a MY...........Now I have a 65' Hat MY under contract and will spend the next couple of days with my surveyor and the boat. This is literally my first boat, but I feel like I have researched it to death. I am however bright enough to realize that as thorough as I may think I am...... I don't know squat! I have hired what I feel is an expert surveyor and am looking forward to his findings.

My question is this: What are the little things I need to check out or make sure to require of my surveyor. The things that only an experienced Hat owner would know. What are the things you discovered about your boat 3-6 months after your purchase that you wish you had known before? Any and all input is appreciated.

Thank you all for your input into this forum......

[rsmith]

Relax you wont find anything that cant be fixed with money.

[65Hatntx]

Thanks for those deeply inspiring words of wisdom..........NEXT!

[OBXTucker]

If the surveyor is worth his weight and knows Hatteras's, he'll know what to look for.
soft decks
Moisture in the flybridge
tired engines
Blistered Hull

If she's in exceptional condition (most are not), plan to spend 20% of the purchase price getting her the way you want it.

If she's in good condition (many are), plan to spend 30% of the cost to get her right.

If she's in fair condition (most are), you can spend 30-50% of the cost getting her back in shape.

If she's in poor condition, pick another boat. There are too many choices out there to have to deal with a problem boat.

There's nothing scientific about these figures, only my uneducated guesses. Others may disagree. Your mileage may vary.

If you send us a link, some here may know the boat and offer real world knowledge.

[Passages]

If the boat is under contract, you are in the catbird seat and may not need to dig much deeper to pay for survey findings.

The surveyor will come up with a list of items and and estimated repair cost. Present this to the seller and ask for a price adjustment equal to the repair value.

Year one should have zero repair costs - only the cosmetic upgrade costs to set the boat up the way you like.

[OBXTucker]

Unless of course the current owner has priced the boat accordingly. In which case, you'll get the boat at a great price, but have to make a potentially significant investment in getting her back in shape.

[MikeP]

You said it's literally your first boat. Before proceeding have you checked re insurance? Many companies will not insure a "first boat" of that size. When we went from a 36 to a 53 we were told we could not be insured because it was too much of a size increase - they would only go to a 46. I had to get a "certified" letter from a third party who owned a boat of the size we were looking for, stating that I had experience operating a boat of that size.

This was some years ago so maybe they don't worry about such stuff any more.

Re blisters - you need to know about Hatteras' and blisters. They are very common but have no structural issue at all. This can be useful info if you're buying but if the seller is equally aware, it may not help much.

Here's a good article which includes the info re blisters though it's not about the 65 so I don't know whether anything else is applicable. Technically, it would be good to read all Pascoe's articles on maint, etc...

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/boatreviews/Hatteras53.htm

And here's a review of the 61 - don't know if it's applicable to the 65 but it's "closer"

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/boatrevie...otor_yacht.htm

And here's a page with a series of articles re blisters. http://www.yachtsurvey.com/blisters.htm

[Pascal]

with a reasonably good surveyor there should be few surprises after buying the boat although indeed things break/fail/show up on boats which even teh best of surveyor can't foresee.

the critical thing is to find the right surveyor. one who is not referred by the broker and how is familiar with Hatteras.

what is important is to take time to test systems thoroughly. Just like you want to run engines long enough on a sea trial to make sure temps dont' creep, you also want to put other systems thru enough test to make sure they work fine. ex... full load on gennies long enough, incl. starting the largest AC compressor on board... thoroughly test air con system which in my experience is the most costly to maintain and repair over the years. In doubt, i would even consider having an air con guy come over to check pressures, etc... it may seem like an over kill until you get a $3000 bill to replace a compressor.

one thing that i've seen surveyors miss, are brass fittings on air con water feed. these will fail in a couple of years and could potentially sink the boat.

also, battery testing is limited but look at the battery age. I've also seen boats where owners run with banks in paralell which may hide weak battery. your surveyor should notice and make sure the engines are started on individual bank.

finally, one thing which will affect how many issues you will run into early into ownership is how the boat was used. a slip queen may some bugs early on which a boat that has seen more used will not. Look for signs that the boat wasn't used much (like stuff stored in the ER which had to be cleared before sea trial), look at the log book, maintenance file, etc.. Issues link to lack of use are obviously old dirty fuel in the tanks but other things like pumps, seals, etc.. speaking of fuel, an offshore run to stir the bottom of the tanks is always a good idea followed by checking the vac gauges on the racors.

that said, once you have already spend money on haul out and surveys your negotiating power is limited to getting larger items repaired / getting price adjustment. it really depends on what comes up.

you mentioned "surveyor", you are also getting an engine survey, right?

as to the 20% cost in the first year on an exceptional boat, I disagree on that one. on a well maintained, regularly used boat your first year costs shouldn't be over 5% maintenance.

[REBrueckner]

Sticking with the surveyor while he makes checks is one good move.

Making sure you get engines, genny, all equipment and hull and superstructure inspected is another. That means RUN (TEST) everything. from sink and shower outlets, to windshield wipers, air conditioning, horn,anchor windlass, power davit, bilge pumps,microwave,stove,oven,each piece of electronics.

Ask questions about ANYTHING you see while the surveyor does his thing.

You should expect the surveyor to go over the decks and superstructure with a moisture meter; expect at least a 1/2 hour engine run at high RPM or WOT while engines and transmissions are monitored.

I'd also expect oil lab analysis (engines and genny) and main engine coolant lab analysis.

If you know anybody from the forums here who knows HATT's, invitethem along for the survey....
Good luck.

[bobk]

When the boat is out of the water, have the surveyor measure moisture in the hull SIDES where things are attached, such as spray or lift rails, swim platform brackets etc. I had an $11K surprise because lore had it that Hatteras didn't use wood reinforcement in the hull. WRONG!

Also, be sure the surveyor examines the exhaust and muffler spaces for leakage as well as the exhaust elbows. I found 'that Hatteras smell' was due to some rotting plywood under the mufflers. The water was entering through the spray rail bolts as well as the hose clamps for the mufflers.

Take zoom pictures of any areas that are hard to access and blow them up on a computer for a good look. That's how I spotted a leaking exhaust elbow.

Bob
Chateau de Mer
1981 48MY