Recommend a boat surveyor in the San Francisco area?

[dannyjoh]

I sold my Bristol 24 and am looking into buying a 27or 28 footer eventually.  I want to have a few surveyors I might call when it comes to it.  Who would you recommend?  I would want the surveyor to pay particular attention to the condition of deck and hull i.e., moisture, delimitation, deck core and etc etc.  Can you recommend a surveyor?

[Steve Bean]

I highly recommend Rodgers and Associates.  Joseph Rodgers surveyed my boat and I was well impressed with his knowledge and thoroughness.
Steve

[okawbow]

Be very careful about hiring a surveyor. I personally would want to be with the surveyor every minute, and ask questions about everything. Try to get a copy of a survey sheet, and go over all the items yourself, before hiring a surveyor. I've seen many boats that were bought after a good survey report, that had multiple problems. One couple in my marina, bought their dream cruising boat, a Tartan 42 offshore. They had 2 surveyors check out the boat. Both gave glowing reports. When the new owner was being winched up to the mast top; the main halyard started coming apart, and he barely escaped with his life. Hours after they first started motoring; the V drive self destructed because of bad motor mounts. A dozen similar problems that the 2 high paid surveyors missed, have kept them in port for over 2 years now.

I suggest you learn as much as possible about hulls, decks, rigging, and engines, and trust your own intuition.

[CapnK]

Be very careful about hiring a surveyor. I personally would want to be with the surveyor every minute, and ask questions about everything. Try to get a copy of a survey sheet, and go over all the items yourself, before hiring a surveyor. I've seen many boats that were bought after a good survey report, that had multiple problems. One couple in my marina, bought their dream cruising boat, a Tartan 42 offshore. They had 2 surveyors check out the boat. Both gave glowing reports. When the new owner was being winched up to the mast top; the main halyard started coming apart, and he barely escaped with his life. Hours after they first started motoring; the V drive self destructed because of bad motor mounts. A dozen similar problems that the 2 high paid surveyors missed, have kept them in port for over 2 years now.

I suggest you learn as much as possible about hulls, decks, rigging, and engines, and trust your own intuition.

I heartily agree. Additionally, you want to make sure that your surveyor is well acquainted with *sailboats* in particular, for what you are going to pay for their services. I was in the yard a couple years ago on an unrelated matter when they hauled a (I forget, but it was a good sailFar-ish boat) of about 30-32' LOA. I watched the surveyor go over the boat, and he was gushing about how the electronics onboard were worth what the boat was going to cost, and that the engine was still pretty much new, but he basically paid no attention to anything above deck level. He didn't know much about sailboats at all, and admitted it. But he was being paid a professional surveyors prices, and the survey would have looked pretty good to someone who didn't know much better. The to-be new owner was not in attendance.

The rigging, I pointed out to the surveyor, was of an indeterminate age and had obviously suffered from little care in the years that boat had sat tied to a dock. Briefly I described to him some of the possible consequences of a shroud parting, or a tang letting loose, or similar disaster, especially at sea. Informed (if not alarmed ;D), he notified the new owner of my comments, and when the new owner came to get the boat, I went over it with him point-by-point. The boat was being taken to Mexico, with a planned jump after 100 or so ICW miles straight from Key Weird to Cancun and thence into charter service, while the crew taking her there were basically completely inexperienced. We rigged the boat with new wire and terminals, and after the old wire was off the boat it was even more obvious that it would have stood little chance of making it the probably 1500 miles or so they were planning to take it.

I'm not sure if they ever made it all the way, but after re-rigging they had a fighting chance at least. The boat left here in such a hurry that I did not even have time to do a dynamic tune on the rig. I explained what that was and why it was necessary and how to do it to the new captain, but I don't think it ever happened. I do know they were aground 3-4 times before they made Charleston, which is only ~50 ICW miles away, and several more times in SC, and that was just the start. IIRC, it was 3 weeks later when I heard from them again, a text in the middle of the night asking me to contact the Jax area USCG (!!!), they'd parted some piece of the rigging (brand new and made up with mechanicals at that!) when they'd gotten hammered by a cold front moving offshore and an accidental gybe overstressed the rig. They did the right things and survived that and made it in all right, but the last I heard the boat was still in the Jax area. I hope that they were able to get the boat to their destination with no more troubles. But what they put it through, I think they would have lost the entire rig and a whole lot sooner with it being in the poor shape it was in at purchase, despite the generally good survey result.

Besides a surveyor, it might not be a bad idea for someone relatively new to sailing to try and get to know a truly knowledgeable sailor to go over the boat with you either pre- or post-survey, and see what they see, what they like and don't. I'm not talking about the grizzled old salty looking alcoholic guy hanging out on the docks :D, or necessarily the million-bux racer guy  ::) - but someone who's experienced in various boats and who has a demonstrated passion for sailing. If you can find that guy, *and* he's a surveyor - go for it, it'll be worth every dollar. :)