I was wondering if anyone can recommend a surveyor/broker in San Diego. I'm going to start setting up weekend trips to go look at as many boats as I can to get an idea of how condition/options/seller motivation affects the price of a boat. I figure that I should probably start lining up a surveyor too. Since this is my first boat, and I know far, far less than the seller/broker, I don't mind paying a little extra for a surveyor I can trust, or who is more thorough, or more honest, etc.
Recommended Broker/Surveyor in San Diego?
- Thread starter cryptyk
- Start date
Sea Gull
Well-Known Member
For a list of surveyors you can start with the two main certifying organizations: NAMS and SAMS. The key will be for your insurance company to accept the survey and you can't go too wrong with members of these organizations. Spend a couple of hours on the phone interviewing various surveyors. You want to find someone who is comfortable with the type of boat you are buying. I once hired a guy who did mostly sailboats. He kept looking at the engines and saying wow those are big and the A/C drew comments like this must use a lot of power. He didn't last very long.
Instead of shopping for a broker, you might start by shopping for a "captain" that will eventually be the one to teach you how run the boat. I used quotes on "captain" because this does not necesarily have to be a licensed captain. It could be a friend with extensive boating experience and it could be a buyer's broker. This old salt, whether paid by you or a friend doing it for free, can help you weed through the listings and help you focus on a boat that will meet your needs. In the process you will also need a mechanic or two; one that can survey the engines for you pre-purchase and one that will actually do the work for you.
Instead of shopping for a broker, you might start by shopping for a "captain" that will eventually be the one to teach you how run the boat. I used quotes on "captain" because this does not necesarily have to be a licensed captain. It could be a friend with extensive boating experience and it could be a buyer's broker. This old salt, whether paid by you or a friend doing it for free, can help you weed through the listings and help you focus on a boat that will meet your needs. In the process you will also need a mechanic or two; one that can survey the engines for you pre-purchase and one that will actually do the work for you.
- Feb 4, 2007
- 7,251
- Boat Info
- 1996 450DA, TNT, Caribe dink w/15hp OB.
- Engines
- 3126 427HP TD transmissions
:thumbsup: something I wish I would have done.