Pre-purchase yacht survey

Westmar Surveys carries out independent pre-purchase surveys for sailing and motor yachts. Findings are identified, weighted by importance, and reported plainly with prioritised recommendations. It is an honest technical assessment, not a pass/fail exercise — almost every used yacht has findings, and the question that matters is which of them change the decision.

The report goes to you. There is no commercial relationship with the broker, the yard, or the seller, and no interest in whether the sale completes.

What is inspected

The survey covers the vessel as a system, not a checklist of parts:

• Hull, deck and structure — hull condition assessed by percussion sounding and moisture readings, whatever the material: GRP, timber, steel or aluminium. Evidence of previous repair, keel attachment and keel-to-hull joint, bulkhead and stringer bonding, delamination, voids and osmosis on GRP, corrosion on metal hulls, deck core condition around fastenings
• Machinery and propulsion — engine and gearbox condition, flexible mounts, shafts, couplings, cutless bearings, stern gland and stern gear, raw and fresh water cooling, wet exhaust, running hours against presented history
• Electrical installation — DC and AC distribution, batteries and charging, shore power and galvanic isolation, bonding and earthing, anodes and cathodic protection, evidence of galvanic or stray-current corrosion, and the standard of workmanship in previous additions
• Plumbing and tankage — through-hulls and seacocks, bilge systems, fresh water, waste and fuel
• Rig, spars and deck hardware — standing and running rigging, chainplates, winches and fittings (deck-level inspection included for sailing yachts)
• Safety equipment — presence, condition and service dates

What the report gives you

• Observed condition, described accurately and without inflation
• Findings ranked by urgency, so you can see what must be done before the boat goes back into service, what should be planned, and what is simply noted
• Areas requiring specialist inspection
• Maintenance and ownership implications — what the vessel will realistically ask of you over the coming seasons
• Photographic record of significant findings

Reports are issued within two to four working days, in English, Spanish, French or German.

Why the ranking matters

A list of one hundred findings with no weighting is not useful — it either frightens a buyer off a sound boat, or buries the one item that genuinely should have stopped the purchase. Findings are therefore graded by urgency, which is what makes a report usable in a negotiation and usable afterwards as a maintenance plan.

Haul-out, and why it is recommended

A haul-out is strongly recommended. Keel attachment, through-hulls and seacocks, rudder bearings, stern gear and antifouling condition cannot be properly assessed with the vessel afloat, and these are among the more expensive things to get wrong. A survey carried out afloat is still worth doing, but its limitations are stated explicitly in the report rather than glossed over.

How the day runs

The vessel should ideally come out of the water before the survey, with time ashore to dry. A hull that has just been lifted is still wet, and moisture readings taken on a wet hull are close to meaningless. How long it needs depends on the weather, and is agreed when the survey is booked.

The order of the day is deliberate:

1. Ashore — hull, keel and keel attachment, rudder and bearings, through-hulls and seacocks, stern gear and propellers, antifouling condition, moisture readings across the hull
2. Launch
3. Afloat — structure, machinery, electrical, plumbing, rig and deck hardware, and systems tested under power
4. Sea trial — provided nothing found so far has already ended the purchase

That last condition is the point of the sequence. If the hull inspection turns up something that ends the purchase, there is no reason to launch the boat and spend the rest of the day confirming a decision that has already been made.

Before I arrive: leave the engine alone

The engine must not have been run on the day of the survey. A cold start shows what a warm one hides — how readily it starts from cold, what comes out of the exhaust in the first seconds, whether it settles, and how it behaves coming up to temperature.

If the vessel has been warmed through and left ticking over ready for the surveyor, that information is gone for the day and cannot be recovered. It is worth asking the broker or the yard explicitly to leave it cold — it is a common and entirely well-meant mistake.

Attendance and conditions

Surveys typically require a full day on site. Larger, older or more complex boats need longer.

Attendance is optional but encouraged. Most clients find the end-of-day walkthrough the most valuable part of the process — findings discussed on the boat, in front of the evidence, before anything is written up.

Weather and yard conditions affect what can genuinely be established. Where they would limit the inspection, the survey is rescheduled — so that the report rests on what was properly examined.

What is included

A full pre-purchase survey includes sea trial attendance of one hour and, for sailing yachts, a deck-level rigging inspection. Aloft rigging inspection, extended sea trials and laboratory engine oil analysis are available separately where the vessel or the circumstances warrant them.

Pre-Purchase Survey — FAQ→