Maybe not dishonest, but a surveyor should know to caution a buyer that rot in any form in the interior of a cruiser can often be much more than what is immediately visible. He could have recommended a more comprehensive inspection or at least cautioned about the risks.
I can tell you if that buyer had posted the survey here on CSR and asked for advice from Sea Ray owners before buying, he would have been warned by most of us that he should either not buy the boat, or do a lot more investigation into the extent of the rot before making an offer. I would expect a surveyor to be at least as good as us who are not paid for our advice. This could have been avoided with a few words from a competent surveyor.
This is the right thing the surveyor should have done and the discussion to have with the potential buyer during the survey. Comment that the surveyor is liable is bunk; they are well covered for both issues not seen and things missed in their report. I will say that these survey companies should have the disclaimers and a discussion with potential owners before they enter into an agreement to do a survey; not as a post facto note in the final document.
Regardless, to the owner - move forward and get a plan in place for the repairs then get on with it; the boat is yours now so make it a project and turn this into a positive. Then, enjoy your better than ever toy.
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