New Member & help with 39' mainship trawler

[George May]

Hello Everyone, my wife Lillie & I are excited about being part of this forum! We have a down payment on our old boat and about to do a survey on a new one ( to us) but we don't know a good surveyer in the ft,myers area. The boat is a 39' Mainship trawler. I would greatly appreciate any help with this matter! It has a Cat 3126 for power and I just don't to make a costly mistake. Thanks for your help!!

[O C Diver]

Welcome to the forum! Congratulations on finding your boat! Sorry can't help you with a surveyor.

Ted

[markpierce]

If you can't find personal recommendations on this forum, Google "marine surveyor" with a general/major location (like "marine surveyor San Francisco"). You're likely to find sources as well as reviews.

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Welcome aboard.

[Steady Hand]

Originally Posted by George May

Hello Everyone, my wife Lillie & I are excited about being part of this forum! We have a down payment on our old boat and about to do a survey on a new one ( to us) but we don't know a good surveyer in the ft,myers area. The boat is a 39' Mainship trawler. I would greatly appreciate any help with this matter! It has a Cat 3126 for power and I just don't to make a costly mistake. Thanks for your help!!

Howdy George!

First, I am a new member here, so I can't offer you any advice based on owning a trawler myself (I intend to have one in the future). I am still doing my own research on them.

But, there is a lot of information about the Mainship boats in the forum archives, posted by members of the forum who have a lot of experience with boats and trawlers.

Here is a link to a quick Google Custom Search I did on the key word "mainship" and it found 5,700 mentions in THIS forum alone, so there is some good info in there. Have fun doing your boat search and I hope you find this helpful.

If you want to use the same easy searching method (Google Custom Search) simply use this link and enter your choice of key words in the lower blank field.

https://cse.google.com/cse/home?cx=0...95:zptj-edvjcy

The "Google Custom Search" is something I use for doing my own research of a forum like this, and I find it MUCH BETTER and easier to get good results rather than the ordinary "search" fields under the search menu of this site.

[Old deckhand]

The early 3126 had issues, I recommend an engine survey by Cat.

[McGillicuddy]

Agree with Old Deckhand.
Btw, I would not use a surveyor recommended by the broker. Get your own guy. Talk to the surveyor before hiring him to make sure you and he are on the same page and you have a complete understanding of whatever he is going (and not going) to do and you have a reasonable expectation on the product he will produce.
Try the National Association of Marine Surveyors web site to find one in your area. They certify the surveyors in the organization and they must have a base knowledge, five years or more experience, pass an ethics test and a knowledge test. NAMSGlobal - Welcome Aboard | NAMSGlobal

[Bacchus]

Originally Posted by George May

...about to do a survey on a new one ( to us) but we don't know a good surveyer in the ft,myers area. The boat is a 39' Mainship trawler. I would greatly appreciate any help with this matter! It has a Cat 3126 for power and I just don't to make a costly mistake. Thanks for your help!!

George...
If it's not too late you might check this post re Surveyors

[N4061]

Originally Posted by George May

Hello Everyone, my wife Lillie & I are excited about being part of this forum! We have a down payment on our old boat and about to do a survey on a new one ( to us) but we don't know a good surveyer in the ft,myers area. The boat is a 39' Mainship trawler. I would greatly appreciate any help with this matter! It has a Cat 3126 for power and I just don't to make a costly mistake. Thanks for your help!!

George, having been down a similar path myself just two years ago, I will attest to the fact that finding a reputable survey person is a critical part of your journey. If it were me and I didn't trust my broker I would reach out to Nordhavn and Kadey Krogen, Flemming or other reputable builders in your area and ask who they use on broker boats. Gather a list and you will likely find one person that is preferred. That may be your best luck approach.

I will add that even the best surveyor is human and may miss something so make sure you know what the boat will cost you after you sign the contract, perform your upgrades and then add another 5% - 10% for the surprises. Good luck

John T.
Nordhavn 4050 - Former Owner
Nordhavn 4061 - Former Owner
Nordhavn 3522 - Former Owner
Helmsman 38PH (Under Construction)