Working on a Pre-purchase Checklist

[kolive]

Hello,

My wife and I will be spending a bunch of time aboard an Island Gypsy we are considering buying and I started making a checklist of items to look at. I would appreciate it if others would take a look at it too and give me some feedback on what I need to add or subtract. Realize this is a work in progress please.

Our plan is to go through the boat from stem to stern while it is in the water and do a good inspection of systems and document it so when we leave we will have something to refer to as we mull over our decision. We expect this to take a fair amount of time and we are not in a rush to purchase a vessel that will not work for us or one that needs an inordinate amount of replace/repair. We do a lot of work on our boats in the past and are not afraid to do so. Doing it right is much better to us than rushing through to get it done. So we want to have a good idea of what we are buying and whatwe will need to do to make it better. Yes, we plan to get it surveyed, both mechanical and hull.

So if you are inclined please look at my first draft. I still need to address decks, windows, and other exterior items. This first version is mostly systems oriented.

Looks like I cannot upload an excel file. If you'd like to see this PM your email and I will send it to you.

Let me know what you think. It is in Excel.

Thanks,

Keith Olive

 

[Phil Fill]

In my two foot high stack of boat stuff I have a 24 page Surveyor Inspection list that I will email if you send me your email address. I am willing to bet MY list is bigger/longer than your list.

 

[Conrad]

Hi Keith,

I don't have excel on my laptop, so can't see your list, but I would suggest that you take a LOT of photos as you go through the boat. Often they will illustrate better than words, and they will allow you to go back and pore over every little detail after the fact. Sometimes you can poke the camera into spaces that you wouldn't otherwise be able get a good look at, particularly in a dark engine room.

One area that is sometimes glossed over is the domestic system(s), i.e., the fridge, stove, water, holding, and hot water. On our last boat purchase we didn't spend much time on them and they all needed to be replaced, even though the survey gave them good marks.

Good luck on your quest!

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. K. Ah, I truly envy you. The joys of looking at a boat that MAY be "the one". Might I suggest a good digital camera. Keeps the memory "fresh" and also for sticking into those places you cannot readily see like behind fuel tanks etc.
Bring a small ruler along that you can put into the picture. It will give you some idea of perspective. Also bring along a gob of butyl tape for sticking the ruler to places the ruler won't stay by itself.
If you haven't got one already, buy and pack your IR temperature gun. I've used mine to "shoot" shore power cords and circuit breakers. Circuit tester and VOM.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Aw rats Mr. Conrad. Missed it by 12 minutes!

 

[Conrad]

Greetings,
Aw rats Mr. Conrad. Missed it by 12 minutes!

Hey RT - our thoughts were similar, but you provided lots of extra advice! Another thought is that on a boat a good wide angle lens is really helpful - which most point and shoots have, as well as smart phone cameras. Amazing creatures those smart phones, even when they are used by a dumb person such as my self.

 

[kolive]

Pre-inspection

Yes, the camera is one of my favorite inspection tools I have used it quite often when working on our current boat a Willard 30/4. I even put check boxes on my list to make sure I took photos of the systems I have already started on the list. The tape for the Tape measure is a great idea. Both my wife and I are armed with lights, tapes, paper for notes and now a new checklist.

We'll see if this is the one or not.

Keith

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. K. I would still suggest a ruler in addition to a tape measure. A little 6" job with BIG numbers. I've used this technique to "scale" ideas on a photo with a set of dividers although the steel tipped dividers really don't work all that well on a computer screen. Sounds like you're well along on the inspection equipment curve.

 

[boatpoker]

I think this might help ... Marine Survey 101, How to Do Your Own Marine Survey

 

[kolive]

Tools

Excellent suggestions Conrad and RT Firefly. Heat sensor, cameras, tapes and small rulers for scale. They are in the tool bag now and ready to go.

We really appreciate the ideas on how to maximize our information from our inspections.

This is the kind of thing I think the forum does best.

So a new piece just came in from boatpoker with a link on "Doing your own Marine Survey". That is kind of how I have been thinking about this. I'd rather only pay for a survey once and by doing a deep inspection ourselves we make a huge step towards finalizing our next boat.

Keith

 

[caltexflanc]

Another good resource is David Pascoe's "Mid Size Power Boats" for about 70 bucks money very well spent, especially the first 2/3 of it. Like the other guys, I took a lot of pix when screening boats.

A good buyer's broker is really worth it, to do a lot of that screening before you take your own precious time, and advising you on the real world costs of remediating various issues. The good ones want to be your selling broker in the future and a source of references.

 

[Northern Spy]

A few "uncommon" things I've used for pre-purchase inspections in the past of the top of my head:

• Ridgid seesnake micro
• Strong extendable telescoping magnet
• inspection mirror
• SS toothbrush
• kolor kut paste
• UV flashlight
• refrigerant leak detector

 

[kolive]

DIY Marine Survey

Thanks to "boatpoker" for the link to this site, Marine Survey 101, how to do your own marine survey

Great reading and tips. At the end is a catalog of DIY projects that is very well done too.

Thank you to everyone for the tool suggestions and ideas. This is going to be a fun investigation. My heart is not locked into this boat, but it is a good strong candidate for our next boat if it checks out well. I am doing my part to only pay a surveyor one time if I can help it. I know I can catch a number of things that could stop the purchase if I have the time and go about it thoroughly.

Keith

 

[FF]

The first part of any look is to see what is actually stored aboard.

Is the oil diesel rated or K mart , is the antifreez diesel rated , is there a kit to keep track of its condition?

Look for a maint log book .Not just photos of the grand kidds.

 

[rwidman]

.............Looks like I cannot upload an excel file. .................

I believe you can export an excel file to a text file (*.txt) and you should be able to upload that.

 

[brian eiland]

Hello,

My wife and I will be spending a bunch of time aboard an Island Gypsy we are considering buying and I started making a checklist of items to look at. I would appreciate it if others would take a look at it too and give me some feedback on what I need to add or subtract. Realize this is a work in progress please.


Looks like I cannot upload an excel file. If you'd like to see this PM your email and I will send it to you.

Let me know what you think. It is in Excel.

Thanks,

Keith Olive

In my two foot high stack of boat stuff I have a 24 page Surveyor Inspection list that I will email if you send me your email address. I am willing to bet MY list is bigger/longer than your list.

I sent you both a private message with my email address. appreciate copies.
Thanks, Brian

 

[kolive]

Brian, file sent this morning.

 

[Guinness]

In my two foot high stack of boat stuff I have a 24 page Surveyor Inspection list that I will email if you send me your email address. I am willing to bet MY list is bigger/longer than your list.

Yes please I would also love that check list virginpacific@shaw.ca

 

[FF]

Unless you build the boat yourself the hard part will be judging the Requirements vs the Desirements.

Just make a list of DEAL KILLERS , and plan on compromising all the rest.

 

[Just working]

Originally Posted by Phil Fill View Post
In my two foot high stack of boat stuff I have a 24 page Surveyor Inspection list that I will email if you send me your email address. I am willing to bet MY list is bigger/longer than your list.

I would also love to get a copy of your extended list.

panasianyacht@gmail.com

 

[Nick14]

I personally would suggest adding a moisture meter to the list of tools. The Electrophysics CT-33 is used by many surveyors, and can be found for as little as around $170 (new) on line (there is a specific "marine" version of the meter which is exactly the same except for color, and for $100 more).

I appreciate the difficulties in trying to determine an absolute moisture level in a core, especially for an amateur like me, and particularly in the hull. But, I found my moisture meter to be very useful in evaluating the condition of the decks and cabin structure regarding general moisture penetration qualitatively, not quantitatively (after being given some education by a surveyor).

In my own going over of boats, I found that the moisture meter was usually an 'absolute' indicator, which is what I was looking for. On most of the boats I looked at, either the meter showed low levels of moisture (low single digit percentages, barely tickling the meter), or it was pinned to the end of the scale. I found very few cases of in between (except at the margins of moisture-laden areas).

I found it very useful, if in going over areas of deck or superstructure, the meter showed low levels, and then jumped to the extreme (such as around hardware). I don't know what the actual % moisture level was in those cases, but to me, a pinned moisture meter reading was probably not a sign of something good. I used it to 'rule out' boats that had extensive areas of moisture, which for me was a deal killer (and saved $1000 on a survey for boats that passed the first step).

Good luck, and happy hunting!